January 8, 2017 | Fellowship Hall Service | Epiphany Sunday

Order of Worship

Welcome and greetings Jared Huffman, associate pastor

* Call to worship taken from Psalm 67

Leader: May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

All: May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that his ways may be known on earth, his salvation among all nations.

Leader: May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for he rules the peoples justly and guides the nations of the earth.

All: May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

* Hymn of praise “All Creatures of Our God and King”

All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing alleluia, alleluia! Thou burning sun with golden beam, thou silver moon with softer gleam,

Refrain: O praise him, O praise him, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

And all ye men of tender heart, forgiving others, take your part, O sing ye, alleluia! Ye who long pain and sorrow bear, praise God and on him cast your care, Refrain

Let all things their Creator bless, and worship him in humbleness, O praise him, alleluia! Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, and praise the Spirit, three in one, Refrain words by Francis of Assisi, 1225

* Prayer of adoration

Affirmation of faith based on Genesis 12:2-3, 17:7; Ezekiel 36:22-32; Romans 4:16

Leader: O LORD, our God, you promised and covenanted with Abraham that you would establish a people of your own in order to bring blessing to the entire earth. You made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, pledging to fulfill that covenant not only with Abraham, but also with his descendants. We rejoice that through faith, we, too are the descendants of Abraham, heirs of the promise.

All: You declared that you would establish your people “for the sake of your holy name.” You declared that all of the nations would know that you are the LORD. We rejoice that we have come to know that you are the one, true God. There is no other.

Leader: As you promised, you have gathered your people from all the nations. You have given us a new heart and put a new spirit within us. We rejoice

that you have removed our heart of stone and given us a heart of flesh.

All: You have placed your Spirit within us and moved us to follow your decrees and love your laws. You have removed our uncleanness and our sins through Christ. We declare that we are yours. We want to live for the holy honor of your great name. Praise be to you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Worship in the giving of God’s tithe and our offerings

Offertory hymn “I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow”

* Scripture reading from Exodus 1:1-21

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Prayer of preparation for the study of God’s Word

Sermon “God’s Faithfulness to His Covenant People”

Frank Hitchings, senior associate pastor

Pastoral prayer

Invitation to the Lord’s Table

Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church welcomes all baptized Christians, previously admitted to the table of the Lord by the shepherd-leaders of this or any

Gospel-proclaiming church, to receive the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Come with joy as you actively trust in Christ, willingly forsake sin,

and have sought reconciliation to family and friends.

Hymn of confession “Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul”

Dear refuge of my weary soul, on thee when sorrows rise, on thee when waves of trouble roll, my fainting hope relies. To thee I tell each rising grief, for thou alone canst heal. Thy word can bring a sweet relief for every pain I feel.

Hast thou not bid me seek thy face, and shall I seek in vain? And can the ear of sovereign grace be deaf when I complain? No, still the ear of sovereign grace attends the mourner’s prayer; O may I ever find access to breathe my sorrows there.

Thy mercy seat is open still, here let my soul retreat. With humble hope attend thy will, and wait beneath thy feet. Thy mercy seat is open still, here let my soul retreat. With humble hope attend thy will, and wait beneath thy feet. Anne Steele, 1716-1778

Silent prayers of confession

Assurance of God’s pardoning grace from 1 Timothy 1:15 and 1 Peter 2:24-25

Here is a trustworthy statement that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed. For we were like sheep going astray, but now we have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.

Words of institution

Prayer of consecration

Distribution of the elements Songs for meditation

“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”

Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold me with thy pow'rful hand. Bread of heaven, feed me now and evermore, bread of heaven, feed me now and evermore.

Open now the crystal fountain, whence the healing waters flow. Let the fiery cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through. Strong Deliverer, be thou still my strength and shield; strong Deliverer, be thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside. Death of death, and hell's Destruction, land me safe on Canaan's side. Songs of praises I will ever give to thee; songs of praises I will ever give to thee. words by William Williams, 1745

“Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts”

Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts, thou fount of life, thou light of men, from the best bliss that earth imparts we turn unfilled to thee again.

Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood; thou savest those that on thee call; to them that seek thee thou art good, to them that find thee all in all.

We taste of thee, O living bread, and long to feast upon thee still; we drink of thee, the fountainhead, and thirst our souls from thee to fill.

Our restless spirits yearn for thee, where’er our changeful lot is cast; glad when thy gracious smile we see, blessed when our faith can hold thee fast.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Holden Bitner – cello

Maria Dassow – vocalist Elsbeth DeRuischer – vocalist Kara Funke – piano

David Henry – guitar, vocalist Ellie Henry – vocalist Hannah Lutz – viola

Musicians for this week:

* Hymn of praise “Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder”

Let us love and sing and wonder, let us praise the Savior's name, he has hushed the law’s loud thunder, he has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame, he has washed us with his blood (3x), he has brought us nigh to God.

Let us sing though fierce temptation threaten hard to bear us down, for the Lord, our strong salvation, holds in view the conqu’ror’s crown: he who washed us with his blood (3x), soon will bring us home to God.

Let us wonder; grace and justice join and point to mercy’s store; when through grace in Christ our trust is, justice smiles and asks no more: he who washed us with his blood (3x), has secured our way to God.

Let us praise and join the chorus of the saints enthroned on high; here they trusted him before us, now their praises fill the sky: “Thou hast washed us with thy blood (3x), thou art worthy, Lamb of God!” words by John Newton, 1774

* Benediction

* Doxology

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. Amen.

* Postlude

Elders meet to pray in Pastor Novenson’s office at 10:30 a.m. each Sunday morning.

If you would like them to pray for you and your specific needs, they welcome you to

join them.

Children are welcome to participate in all worship services, no matter the age of the

child. Worship sheets and crayons are available on the table outside the fellowship hall

to help children interact with the sermon.

The rosebud in the fellowship hall today is for the birth of Eliza Katherine Wakefield, born to Kakhi and Michael Wakefield on December 16, 2016.

New Sermon Series

Exodus: The Life of Moses

The book of Exodus is about liberation and rescue from slavery through God’s

appointed leader, Moses. Examining the life of Moses will challenge and call us to live

by faith. In the "hall of fame of faith" found in Hebrews 11, we are given a snapshot of

what we will see in the first 17 chapters of Exodus, as we discover that by faith, Moses

“chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures

of sin for a short time, regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than

the treasures of Egypt, persevered because he saw him who is invisible and kept the

Passover and the sprinkling of blood.” Throughout the drama and difficulty of Exodus,

we will find the one to whom Moses directs our faith: the greater Moses, Jesus Christ.

Together, we will deepen our joy in the greater rescue from slavery through God’s

beloved son, Jesus, so that we might live by faith until our full liberation is made visible.

Exodus 1:1-21

1These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his

family: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4Dan and

Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly

numerous, so that the land was filled with them. 8Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9”Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous

and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” 11So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12But the more they were

oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the

Israelites 13and worked them ruthlessly. 14They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the

Egyptians used them ruthlessly. 15The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives,

whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16”When you help the Hebrew women in

childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18Then the king of Egypt

summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you

let the boys live?” 19The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” 20So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more

numerous. 21And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

Sermon Notes

“God’s Faithfulness to His Covenant People” Exodus 1:1-21

1. God keeps his covenant promises (vv. 1-7) 2. God forges his covenant people (vv. 8-19) 3. God blesses those who rightly fear him (vv. 20—21) Big Idea: God fulfills his covenant promises and forges his covenant people in the midst of a

fallen world.

Weekly Announcements

The amount given during the Christmas Eve offering toward our Mercy Fund was

$9,474. We are grateful to God for this wonderful response to help this important

ministry of our church.

Women's Bible studies begin again this week. All women are welcome to attend any

of the studies. You can find the full schedule with leaders and topics at

lmpc.org/women. Nursery is provided for the Wednesday morning groups.

Wednesday night fellowship, including the fellowship dinner and children's clubs,

resumes this week. You can find the upcoming menu and schedule at

lmpc.org/wednesday.

Interested in joining LMPC? The next Intro to LMPC class will be held Friday

evening, Saturday morning, and during Sunday School, January 20-22. This is for any

adult who is interested in joining LMPC or learning more about what we believe. To

sign up, please email julie@lmpc.org or call 423-424-5973. Please note: childcare will

be available only on Sunday morning.

All college students are invited to join us for lunch at the Jane Harris Youth Building

on Sunday, January 22, at 12:30 p.m. Mark your calendars!

All adult women are invited to our Winter Suppers on Thursday, January 26. The

suppers will again be in women's homes, and each supper will include 8-12 women

of all generations. Sign up by emailing women@lmpc.org, and invite a friend. If you

would like to host a supper, please email susie@lmpc.org.

Save the date! Our annual World Missions Conference will take place March 10-12,

2017. The theme is "Gospel Hope for the Muslim World." Please make plans to join

us.

To find out more about happenings at LMPC, visit lmpc.org/news

Finance Update

2017 Pledging Update

As of January 3, $3.1 million (69.2% of the budget) has been pledged so far. Thank you

to all who have answered the call for giving plans. It is not too late to pledge for 2017! If

you have not yet done so, please fill out a giving plan card and return it to the church

office, or send it in online at lmpc.org/giving-2017.

2016 Budget Update

All glory goes to God as we met, and even exceeded, our budget for 2016. We will have

a fuller report in the near future. Many thanks to all who gave toward our mission at

LMPC.

Volunteer Opportunity

Volunteers are needed for Hedgehog Grove this Friday, January 13 from 5:15-9:00 p.m.

Hedgehog Grove is a ministry that provides an evening of fun and care for children

with special needs and their siblings. If you are interested in preparing food dishes or

serving as a buddy to a child with special needs or their sibling, please contact Emily

Brown at emily@lmpc.org.

Today at LMPC—Sunday, January 8

Nursery 8:00, 9:30, 11:00 a.m.

Morning worship with Communion (sanctuary) 8:10, 9:30, 11:00 a.m.

Morning worship with Communion (fellowship hall) 9:30, 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School for all ages (various locations) 9:30, 11:00 a.m.

Officer Training Class (Reception Room) 4:00 p.m.

Evening prayer (chapel) 6:00 p.m.

High School Salt and Light (JHYB) 7:30 p.m.

For more events this week, visit lmpc.org/calendar or check the calendar in the hallway outside the sanctuary.

316 North Bragg Avenue | Lookout Mountain, TN 37350 | lmpc.org | 423.821.4528 | memberinfo@lmpc.org

Our mission: glorifying God by growing in grace and giving our lives away

on the mountain, in the city, and around the world.