Fairlawn Christian Reformed Church

Morning Worship

June 29, 2008        10:15 A.M.

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Preparation And Praise

Upon entering the sanctuary please maintain silence and turn off all electronic devices

 for the sake of the congregation’s preparation for worship.

    Prelude:  “’Adagio’ from the First Sonata”                                                 Mendelssohn

    Welcome and Announcements 

    Silent Prayer and Preparation

*  Call to Worship:                                                                                                   Psalm 104

Bless the Lord, O my soul.  O Lord my God, you are very great.  You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment.  O Lord, how manifold are your works.  In wisdom you made them all.

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works.  I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have life.  May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

*  Hymn:  PH 95                         “Now with Joyful Exultation”                                     Beecher

*  God’s Greeting:

Grace and peace be to you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

    Amen.

The Lord be with you.

    And also with you.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

    Who made heaven and earth.

Blessed be God,

    And blessed is his kingdom, now and forever.  Amen.

*  Prayer of the Day: 

O Lord our God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of the Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

*  Response:  PH 635                         “Gloria Patri”                                                 Meineke

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

            world without end. Amen, amen.

Confession and Prayer

    Prayer of Confession:                           adapted from John Calvin’s Genevan Service Book

Lord God!  Eternal and Almighty Father, we acknowledge and confess before your holy majesty that we are sinners, conceived and born in guilt and in corruption, prone to do evil, unable of ourselves to do any good, and who, by reason of our depravity, transgress your holy commandments.  Therefore, we have drawn upon ourselves, by your just sentence, condemnation and death.  But with heartfelt sorrow we repent and deplore our offenses.  Be pleased to have compassion upon us, most gracious God, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  And in removing our guilt and our pollution, give us the daily increase of the grace of your Holy Spirit, that acknowledging from our inmost hearts our own unrighteousness, we may be touched with sorrow that shall work true repentance, and that your Spirit, putting to death the sin within us, may produce the fruits of holiness and of righteousness that are well-pleasing in your sight, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silent Prayer and Confession

Minister: Amen.

   Assurance of Pardon:                                                                                           Psalm 32

    Vocal Solo:  “The Holy City”                                                                                      Adams

      Congregational Prayer

The Service Of The Word

*  Hymn:  PH 291                “May the Mind of Christ, My Savior”                         St. Leonards

[Children age 3 - grade Pre-K may leave during the hymn.]

    Scripture Reading:                                                                              I Corinthians 2:6-16

    Sermon:  The Wisdom of the Cross

    Prayer

*  Hymn:  PH 383        “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”            Herzlich Tut Mich Verlangen

The Offering of Tribute

*  Offertory Prayer

    Offering:  Fairlawn General Fund

            Offertory:  “All Glory Be to God on High”                                                      Armsdorf

*  Doxology:  PH 638     “Praise God, from Whom all Blessings Flow”       Old Hundredth

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

praise him, all creatures here below;

praise him above, ye heavenly host;

praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

The Service Of The Sacrament Of Communion

THE LORD’S SUPPER

* SURSUM CORDA—THE GREAT THANKSGIVING

            Lift up your hearts.

                We lift them up unto the Lord.

            Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God.                                    

                It is proper and right to do so.

                Truly it is proper and right and our duty that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to you, O Lord, holy Father, Almighty and Everlasting God. Therefore with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify your glorious Name, evermore praising you and saying,

                Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty;

                heaven and earth are full of your glory.

                Glory be to you, O Lord Most High.

    THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION

    PRAYER OF CONSECRATION

              Heavenly Father, show forth among us the presence of your life-giving Word and Holy Spirit, to sanctify us and your whole church through this sacrament. Grant that all who share the body and blood of our Savior Jesus Christ may be one in him, and remain faithful in love and hope. And as this grain has been gathered from many fields into one loaf, and these grapes from many hills into one cup, grant, O Lord, that your whole church may soon be gathered from the ends of the earth into your kingdom. Now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we pray:

                Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

   THE INVITATION TO THE TABLE

    THE DEDICATORY PRAYER

              We do not presume to come to this your table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your great and manifold mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table. But you are the same Lord, whose nature it is to always have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your Son Jesus Christ and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him and he in us. Amen.

THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE BREAD AND WINE

Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us.

Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

The gifts of God for the people of God.

(Please hold each element until all have been served.

The outer ring holds wine; the inner rings, grape juice.)

    THE THANKSGIVING

Congregation in Christ, since the Lord has fed us at his table, let us praise his holy name with thanksgiving.

          Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.

Blessing and Dismissal

*  Blessing:

May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you.  May the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace.  Amen.                    

*  Doxology:                   “Praise the Lord:  Ye Heavens Adore Him”                      Hyfrydol

Worship, honor, glory, blessing, Lord, we offer unto thee;

young and old, thy praise expressing, in glad homage bend the knee.

all the saints in heav’n adore thee; we would bow before thy throne:

as thine angels serve before thee, so on earth thy will be done.

    Postlude:  “In the Cross of Christ I Glory”                                                                Carter

*Indicates congregation stands

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