S† PAUL’S

GROWING IN THE GRACE OF JESUS

LIVING IN THE LOVE OF GOD

FEASTING IN THE FELLOWSHIP

OF THE SPIRIT

THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Prelude Sarabande Gordon Young

Call to Worship

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth stand in awe of Him.

Gathering HymnAURELIA

The Church's one foundationis Jesus Christ her Lord;we are His new creation,by water and the word:from heaven He came and sought usto be His holy bride;with His own blood He bought us, and for our life He died.

Elect from every nation,yet one o'er all the earth,our charter of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth; continuedone glorious name we hallow,partake one holy food,and to one hope we follow,with every grace endued.

Mid toil and tribulation,and tumult of our warwe wait the consummationof peace for evermore;till with the vision gloriousour longing eyes are blessed,and the great Church victorious shall be the church at rest.

Yet we on earth have unionwith God, the Three in one,and mystic sweet communionwith those whose rest is won.O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that welike them, the meek and lowly,on high may dwell with Thee.

Samuel John Stone (1839-1900)

[A candle is lit]

The Light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Confession & Absolution

Dear Friends in Christ, if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

[Silence is kept]

Renew us this day in the image of Your Love, renew us in the likeness of Your mercy, O God: in our pride and weakness, we have failed You, and we are truly sorry. Our hearts grieve that we have brought darkness and misery into the world. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us our sins. Illumine the dark corners of our lives with Your Spirit of Light, and kindle once more the flame of Your love in our hearts. Renew us in the image of Your Love, O God, renew us in the likeness of Your Mercy. AMEN

God eternal has lifted the canopy of night and beams of sunlight shower us with peace. The dews of heaven heal your wounds and wash the tears from your eyes. The burning light of Christ banish for ever the darkness from your souls. And the breath of the Holy Spirit fill you anew with resurrection life that you may bask in the assurance of God’s peace. AMEN

Let us pray together:

Christ as a light illumine and guide us; Christ as a shield o’ershadow us. Christ under us, Christ over us, Christ beside us, on our left and our right. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom we speak, and in the mouth of each who speaks to us. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ under us, Christ over us, Christ beside us, on our left and our right. AMEN

The Collect Prayer

O Lord God, grant Your people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow You, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. AMEN

The First Lesson – Romans 13: 8-14

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ 10Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; 13let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. 14Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

The word of the Lord:

Thanks be to God.

Ecce, Deus

Surely, it is God who saves me; I will trust in Him and not be afraid. For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, and He will be my Saviour. Therefore, you shall draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. And on that day you shall say, ‘Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His Name’; make His deeds known among the peoples; see that they remember that His Name is exalted. Sing the praises of the Lord, for He has done great things, and this is known in all the world. Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN

The Responsive Psalm – Psalm 149 led by Marion Smith

1 Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song,  His praise in the assembly of the faithful.

2 Let Israel be glad in its Maker;    let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.

3 Let them praise His name with dancing,    making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre.

4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;    He adorns the humble with victory.

5 Let the faithful exult in glory;    let them sing for joy on their couches.

6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats    and two-edged swords in their hands,

7 to execute vengeance on the nations    and punishment on the peoples,

8 to bind their kings with fetters    and their nobles with chains of iron,

9 to execute on them the judgement decreed.    This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the Lord!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end; AMEN

Hymn of PreparationISTE CONFESSOR

We, the Lord’s people,

heart and voice uniting,

praised Him who called us

out of sin and darkness

into His own light,

that He might anoint us

a royal priesthood.

This is the Lord’s house

home of all His people,

school for the faithful

refuge for the sinner,

rest for the pilgrim,

haven for the weary;

all find a welcome.

This is the Lord’s day,

day of God’s own making,

day of creation,

day of resurrection,

day of the Spirit,

sign of heaven’s banquet,

day for rejoicing.

John E. Bowers (1923- )

The Second Lesson – Matthew 18:15-20

15 ‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. 18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there among them.’

The word of the Lord:

Thanks be to God.

The Message– The Wisdom of Community The Rev’ Kris Michaelson

Hymn of Response WARRINGTON

Jesus, where'er Thy people meetthere they behold Thy mercy seat;where'er they seek Thee Thou art found,and every place is hallowed ground.

For Thou, within no walls confined,dost dwell with those of humble mind;such ever bring Thee where they come,and, going, take Thee to their home.

Here may we prove the power of prayerto strengthen faith and sweeten care;to teach our faint desires to rise,and bring all heaven before our eyes.

Lord, we are few, but Thou art near;nor short Thine arm, nor deaf Thine ear;O rend the heavens, come quickly down,and make a thousand hearts Thine own!

William Cowper (1731-1800)

Prayers of the PeopleConnie Wilson

The Lorica Litany

Let us clad ourselves in the Breastplate’s protection:

This day, we shield ourselves with threefold power, invocation of the Trinity. Belief in the Threeness, profession of the Oneness, in union with the Creator.

This day, we shield ourselves with the power of Christ’s baptism, His hanging and burial, His rising again and His ascension, His descent for the last judgment.

This day, we shield ourselves with the loving power of the Cherubim, obedience of angels, service of archangels, hope of rising to our reward, prayer of the patriarchs, sayings of the prophets, teachings of the apostles, faith of confessors, deeds of righteous people.

This day, we shield ourselves with the power of heaven, light of the sun, brilliance of the moon, splendour of fire, speed of lightening, swiftness of wind, depths of sea, firmness of earth, hardness of rock.

This day, we shield ourselves with God’s power to direct us:

God’s strength to uphold us,

God’s good sense to guide us,

God’s ear to listen for us,

God’s speaking to speak for us,

God’s hand to guard us,

God’s path opening before us,

God’s shield to protect us,

from the snares of demons,

the inducements of our own vices,

the proclivities of human nature,

and those who wish us evil,

We summon these powers to come between us and every cruel and

merciless power that threatens our bodies and our souls.

Christ be our protection, this day: against violence, against illness, against despair, against disillusionment, so that we may come to our ultimate reward.

Christ be with us, Christ be before us, Christ be behind us, Christ be inside us, Christ be beneath us, Christ be above us, Christ on our right hand, and Christ on our left;

Christ when we lie down, Christ when we sit down, Christ when we rise up, Christ all around us, Christ in the heart of each who beholds us, Christ in every eye that sees us, and Christ in every ear that hears us.

This day, we shield ourselves with threefold power, invocation of the Trinity. Belief in the Threeness, profession of the Oneness, in union with the Creator.

The Lord is salvation;

Christ is salvation;

The Lord is salvation;

May Your salvation, O Lord, be always with us. AMEN

The Blessing

May God the Father hold you in the palm of His hand and keep you from harm. May Jesus His Son walk by your side along the way. May His Holy Spirit of fire quicken your hearts and keep you faithful and true, and when the gates of death open before you, may you put your hand into the hand of our Lord and step with joy into the high court of heaven, and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you, and remain with you this day and always. AMEN

The Dismissal

That Your glory rises in the morning sun

and sparkles off flowing waters,

That the glory of the everlasting world shines in this world

growing from the ground and issuing forth in every creature,

That glory can be handled, seen and known

in the matter of earth and human relationships

And in the most ordinary matters of daily life,

assure us again this day, O God:

Father, Son and Holy Spirit;

assure us again this day. AMEN

Sending Hymn OLD 100th

All people that on earth do dwell,sing to the Lord with cheerful voice:Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell,come ye before Him and rejoice.

Know that the Lord is God indeed;without our aid He did us make:we are His folk, He doth us feed,and for His sheep He doth us take.

O enter then His gates with praise,approach with joy His courts unto;praise, laud, and bless His name always,for it is seemly so to do.

For why, the Lord our God is good,His mercy is forever sure;His truth at all times firmly stood,and shall from age to age endure.

Ps 100; Eng. Para. Attrib. William Kethe (1530?-1594?)

Postlude Gigue Fugue Dieterich Buxtehude