The Bible is full of greetings, and our worship leader greets us in God’s name.
Matthew 19:14
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Greetings, little children young and old, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
We begin our worship with a silent meditation on our Psalm of the Day during the Prelude. Use this time to focus your hearts and minds on God as he speaks to us through his Word.
Psalm 24
Of David. A psalm.
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Dies sind die heil’gen zehn Gebot
(These are the Holy Ten Commandments)
Johann Sebastian Bach
Ruth Pfister, organ
Our Call to Worship draws us into conversation with our God, and is usually taken from our Psalm of the Day. We address one another and enter God’s presence together.
From Psalm 24
Leader: Open the doors of your hearts and the gates of your souls!
People: We will fling wide the doors of our hearts, that the King of Glory may come in!
Leader: Who is this King of Glory?
People: The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Leader: Let us worship God!
Having called one another to God’s praise, we turn to God and ask for his presence and power.
Gracious God and Father, as we come to the end of our studies of your Ten Good Words, we enter into your presence once again as your dearly loved children. We come through Jesus, your Son and the one who welcomes little children. We all, young and old, want to be your little children today. In fact, we know that unless we imitate the trust and joy that little children have in your goodness, none of us can become inheritors of your kingdom, which is reserved exclusively for those of childlike faith and trust. As our children lead our service today, give them the abundance of your Holy Spirit, and give all of us the clear voice of your Spirit, preaching to our hearts the gospel truth of our sonship in the Son, our inheritance in the Heir, and our birthright in the Firstborn. We enter into your gates with praise in Jesus’ name. Amen.
With our Song of Praise, we begin our worship by exalting God for who he is and what he has done.
We Are God’s People
Text: Bryan Jeffery Leech (1976)
Music: SYMPHONY, Johannas Brahms (1877)
Arranged: Fred Brock (1976)
Ruth Pfister, organ
Musical notation with text (PDF)
We are God’s people, the chosen of the Lord,
Born of His Spirit, established by His Word;
Our cornerstone is Christ alone,
And strong in Him we stand:
O let us live transparently
And walk heart to heart and hand in hand.
We are God’s loved ones, the Bride of Christ our Lord,
For we have known it, the love of God outpoured;
Now let us learn how to return
The gift of love once given:
O let us share each joy and care,
And live with a zeal that pleases Heaven.
We are the Body of which the Lord is Head,
Called to obey Him, now risen from the dead;
He wills us be a family,
Diverse yet truly one:
O let us give our gifts to God,
And so shall his work on earth be done.
We are a temple, the Spirit’s dwelling place,
Formed in great weakness, a cup to hold God’s grace;
We die alone, for on its own
Each ember loses fire:
Yet joined in one the flame burns on
To give warmth and light, and to inspire.