Embrace God’s Beauty; Extend God’s Love

Welcome to New Life Presbyterian Church

Dear Visitor,

Welcome! It is a joy and privilege to gather this morning to worship God together. Here at New Life, we are a small part of the worldwide, multi-ethnic, multi-generational, multi-cultural body of Christ. Although we are Presbyterian and Reformed, our identity is found not in what makes us distinct, but in what makes us united: we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is not only our Maker; He is our Savior. If you have put your hope and trust in Him, we welcome you as a brother or sister. It is in Him that we have New Life!

If you are here this morning and do not know what you think about Jesus, or about the claims of the Bible, we are delighted that you have chosen to join us for the morning. We hope and trust that you will experience a warm welcome, regardless of your religious convictions. We are a community of those who have experienced the embrace of God, through Jesus Christ. It is our goal to show that love to all who are around us. Please know that I personally would welcome your thoughts and perspectives on anything you observe this morning. May the grace and peace of Christ be with you all!

Joyfully,

Pastor Erik Swanson

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P.S. Due to COVID 19 concerns, for the time being there is no nursery. When it is wise and practical, we will resume our nursery. Parents are encouraged to bring their children to worship. Even as children and parents may need to use the backspace of the sanctuary to move around, the church rejoices in the blessing that families are!

Worshiping GodJune 7, 2020

Reflection:

“Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe, for it sent Jesus to the cross. Only one force is greater—the love of God.” – Billy Graham

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship – from Psalm 73

25Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 28But for me it is

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good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

Prayer of Praise

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

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Confession of Faith – From the Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 8

God was pleased, in his eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only begotten Son, to be the mediator between God and human beings. As the mediator, he is the prophet, priest, and king, the head and Savior of His church, the heir of all things,and the judge of the world. God gave to him, from all eternity, a people to be His seed and to be by him, in time, redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified. The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself—which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up to God—has fully satisfied the justice of his Father. He purchased not only reconciliation but also an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those whom the Father has given to Him.

NT Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22 Wayne Blanding

Reader: This is the word of the Lord.All: Thanks be to God! Prayer of Confession:

Gracious God,

Minister: Most holy and merciful Father: We confess to you and to one another that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

All: We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven. Have mercy on us, Father, for we ask in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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Assurance of Grace – Ephesians 2:8-10 Leader: 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own

doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

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Prayers of the People

Ministry Moment

Offering Our Gifts

The offering allows friends and members of our church to express their faith in God’s Word, and to support the extension of that Word in our community and world.

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.

Scripture Reading - Psalm 96 and Revelation 5:6-14Psalm 96:1Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! 2Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;he is to be feared above all gods. 5For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. 6Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! 8Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;a tremble before him, all the earth! 10Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.Revelation 5:6-14

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6And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” 11Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”13And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Sermon: Declaring the Good News to Your World Rev. Richard Smith

Sermon Notes

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Benediction – Numbers 6:24-26Leader: 24The Lord bless you and keep you; 25the Lord make his face to shine upon

you and be gracious to you; 26the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

The Sending

Leader: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.All: Thanks be to God!

Postlude

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*All songs are either public domain or licensed under CCLI #2410623.

This Week at New Life

Date Time Event LocationSun, 6/7 10:00 AM Corporate Worship SanctuaryThur, 6/11 8:00 PM College and Career Ages Meeting Homes via ZoomSun, 6/14 10:00 AM Corporate Worship Sanctuary

Church Financial Summar y (giving through May 24) Category Budget Actual

Year to Date Offering $84,000.00 $79,099.53Last Week $4,000.00 $5,110.00

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Announcements● Deacon Candidate and Congregational Meeting: The session is pleased to announce those

deacon candidates eligible for a congregational vote. The candidates are Leon Leader, Blaine Marsh, and Iren Snavely. The session is calling for a congregational meeting at 11:45 AM on Sunday, June 28th. The purpose of this meeting is for the congregation to vote in regards to the above deacon candidates. Should any of you have questions about the process, a copy of the relevant portion of our Book of Church Order (Chapter 24) is available in the information center. Please continue to pray for God’s guidance in this process.

● Offering for the Diaconate: Today an additional special offering will be taken for the deacon’s fund.

● Worship Service Options: All are invited to attend in person at New Life. The service will be live streamed via YouTube on the church website home page. Click the livestream button. PDF’s of the bulletin will be available for download. They may be found under the sermons tab. Click on the title that lists that service date, and the bulletin is there as a download. The complete service will be available on the church website, under the sermons tab, as well as on the church Facebook page. A CD will be burned and distributed to those who request it.

● Sunday School Update: Our adult ed class on "Becoming Whole" will take a break on June 7th and 14th. It will resume at 9:00 AM in the fellowship hall on June 21st.

● Men’s Breakfast: Instead of Cracker Barrel, meet at New Life at 7:00 AM on June 27th. A donation box will be out to defray the cost of breakfast. Contact Rob Rothermel for more information.

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● The Lord's Supper Celebration Resuming: On June 21st, we will resume our practice of celebrating the Lord's Supper. Those who prepare and serve it will take food safety precautions. Rows will be dismissed to come up front to receive communion, in order to mitigate risk.

● Financial Gift: A one-time gift of $30,000 was anonymously given to New Life. We give thanks to God for the generosity he has put in the hearts of his people, both in the giver of this one time gift and in the ongoing sacrificial giving demonstrated by the congregation as a whole. The elders are prayerfully considering how to best steward this gift. So as to retain an accurate picture of the congregation's giving, this gift will not be reflected in the "year-to-date offering" number reported in the bulletin. This number will be reflected in the year end financial summary available at the January congregational meeting.

● Small Group Ministries Resuming: In keeping with the allowance of social groups of up to 25 in the "yellow" status of York County, all NLPC small groups (ministry teams, bible studies, prayer groups, discipleship groups, community groups, etc.) are encouraged to resume meeting. If using the building, ministry leaders should wipe down door handles and light switches used by their group. In addition, masks are strongly recommended, social distancing should be observed, and meeting outdoors as much as is practical is recommended. Finally, it is fine for groups to continue to meet online if the groups prefer that.

Ongoing Groups for Fellowship and Growth

● Christian Education: Adult Sunday School Class will be on recess June 7th and 14th. Will resume on June 21st in the Fellowship Hall at 9:00 am.

● Wednesday Morning Bible Study: Postponed

● Thursday Morning “Mom’s Group” Bible Study: Contact Joy Swanson for more information.

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● Men’s Group: Contact Rob Rothermel for information.

● Women’s Bible Study: Resuming in the fall. Contact Marlene Spark for more information.

● Youth Group: Please contact the church office for more information.

● Second Sunday Lunch: Postponed

● Prayer Small Group: Contact Sue Rothermel for more details.

● Bible Study Fellowship (BSF): Summer recess. Resuming in September with a study of

Genesis.

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New Life Presbyterian Church Vision, Mission, and Core Values

Vision: To see York and beyond embrace God’s beauty and extend God’s love. Mission: To receive the grace of God, to give the glory to God,

and to follow the Word of God. Core Values:

● His Voice: While God speaks through creation, God speaks directly in the Word of God. Therefore, we receive and obey God’s Word.

● His Plan: Because God is love, God is on a mission to save. We seek to follow Him in His mission.

● His Grace: The good news for sinners is that Jesus saves, by grace. Through faith we believe in Christ and grow in Christ.

● His Power: Only God has power to save and sustain His people. We depend on the Holy Spirit.

● His People: In Christ, the church is made one. In the midst of both unity and diversity, we must love one another.

● His Gifts: Creation, redemption, and the ability to serve are all gifts from God. The entire church should be equiped and empowered to serve gratefully.

● His Timing: All things are in God’s hands. Therefore, we trust in His ways.

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For more information, please visit: http://www.newlifeyorkpca.com/about-us.html

New Life Presbyterian Church, (717) 855-2360970 Cape Horn Rd., York, PA 17402

admin@newlifeyorkpca.com

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