Order of Worship

Opening Voluntary – “I Love to Tell the Story”                                       

Welcome/Greetings

Choral Introit

*Opening Hymn #144 – “This Is My Father’s World”                      

*Call to Worship

L:  The Lord is our rock and our refuge.

P:  God is our fortress in times of trouble.

L:  The Holy One saves us from the hand of the wicked.

P:  God delivers us from our foes.

L:  Christ heals us from our infirmities.

P:  The Spirit frees us from the chains that bind us.

L:  Rest in the Source of our refuge and our strength.

*Opening Prayer

Great Healer, we are beaten down by life’s suffering.  Make us whole, O God, and help us share your healing with the world.  Free us from the demons that shackle our spirits, and set us free from the chains that binds us, that we may help break the chains of others.  Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Eternal God, you knew us before we were conceived.  You called us as your own while we were still in our mothers’ wombs.  Keep watch over us, we pray, for we long to return to your ways.  Restore our confidence in times of doubt, for we yearn to be the people you would have us be.  Grant us the confidence to go forth unafraid, that we might bless the world through your presence in our lives.  Amen.

Words of Assurance

Touch our mouths to speak your truths.  Touch our lives to make your ways known to the world.  In this we are free.  In this we are made whole.  In this we shine as your beloved children, strengthened for the journey.

Passing of the Peace of Christ

God is our refuge and our strength, the very foundation of our lives.  Rest in this knowledge and share the joy of God’s love as you exchange signs of Christ’s peace with one another.

Children’s Message      Rev. Eumin Kim

Scriptures

Old Testament – Psalm 103:1-8                               

¹ Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  ² Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—³ who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, ⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  ⁶ The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.  ⁷ He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:  ⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

L:  The Word of God, For the People of God.  P:  Thanks be to God.

*Gospel Reading – Luke 13:10-17                          

¹⁰ On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, ¹¹ and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years.  She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.  ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”  ¹³ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.  ¹⁴ Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work.  So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”  ¹⁵ The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites!  Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?  ¹⁶ Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” ¹⁷ When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

L:  The Word of God, For the People of God.  P:  Thanks be to God.

*Hymn before the Sermon #2193 – “Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying” (sing twice)      ~The Faith We Sing Hymnal~

Sermon – “The One Who Sets Us Free”      Rev. Eumin Kim

Pastoral Prayer

Lord’s Prayer

Invitation to Tithes and Offering

Christ reminds us that our treasures, our gifts from God, are most beneficial when they are used for the kingdom of God. 

Anthem – “Oh, It Is Jesus” by Andraé Crouch

~sung by Charmaine Wilson King~

*Hymn No. 95 – Presentation of the Offering

*Prayer of Dedication

God of power and might, in times of trial, you are our fortress and our refuge.  In thanksgiving and praise for your wonderful gifts, we offer you our tithes and offerings, that others might know the strength of your unshakable kingdom.  Amen.

*Closing Hymn #371 – “I Stand Amazed in the Presence”       

*Dismissal with Blessing

Closing Voluntary – “Standing on the Promises”