FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH - First Presbyterian Church of ...
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
403 WASHINGTON STREET
WATERTOWN, NEW YORK 13601
315-782-1750
February 28, 2021 10:00 a.m.
This service is being broadcast over radio station WATN 1240,
Facebook: www.facebook.com/watertownfpc, and
Livestreamed from our website: www.watertownfirstpres.org
Mission Statement
Seeking God’s help, we will pursue growth and renewal as a united Christian body.
We will nurture people within our church and provide Christian leadership and care
throughout our community.
ORDER OF WORSHIP
GATHERING
Gathering Music Carl Bingle, FPC Organist
The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want American Hymn Tune, arr. Robert Hughes
How Great Thou Art Swedish Hymn, arr. Janet Linker
The King of Glory Mary McDonald
Greeting
Peace be with you.
And also with you.
Prelude
Gothic Fanfare Lester Groom (1929-2000)
The composer, a longtime organist at First Presbyterian, Seattle, WA, used the term Gothic in his
title to describe the tonality he employs here. Many Lenten titles contain this word; the music is
in somber minor mode - in keeping with Jesus’ forty days and nights of deprivation - but always
with unmistakable confidence in His ultimate triumph.
Call to Worship
Leader: I was glad when they said,
People: Let us go to the Lord’s house!
May peace be within these walls
And may this place be a refuge.
For the sake of our Lord,
Let us seek good for one another.
Hymn #293
Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness nettleton
Praise the One who breaks the darkness With a liberating light; Praise the One who frees the
prisners, Turning blindness into sight. Praise the One who preached the gospel, Healing every
dread disease, Calming storms and feeding thousands With the very bread of peace.
Praise the One who blessed the children With a strong yet gentle word; Praise the One who
drove out demons With a piercing two-edged sword. Praise the One who brings cool water
To the desert’s burning sand; From this well comes living water Quenching thirst in every land.
Praise the one true love incarnate: Christ, who suffered in our place; Jesus died and rose for
many That we may know God by grace. Let us sing for joy and gladness, Seeing what our
God has done. Praise the one redeeming glory; Praise the One who makes us one.
Invitation to Repentant Prayers
Prayer of Confession
God of mercy, Jesus was faithful even in the face of death, yet we so often fail you in
day-to-day living. Our commitment is shaky, our promises are unreliable, and our
actions are questionable. We quit when discipleship becomes difficult and complain
that we don’t get enough credit. Forgive us for our neglect of your mission and our
lukewarm devotion and wake us up to the urgency of your gospel.
a moment of silence for personal prayers of confession
Words of Comfort and Forgiveness
… in Jesus Christ you are forgiven.
In Jesus Christ you are also forgiven.Response - Hymn #700 - You Are My Hiding Place
You are my hiding place, You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance;
Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. I will trust in You. Let the weak say,
I am strong in the strength of the Lord.
Liturgist Welcome
THE WORD
Prayer For Illumination
First Scripture Reading
Psalm 122
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem - built as a city
that is bound firmly together.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.”
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
Anthem
Arise, My Soul, Arise Dan Forrest
Clancy Cox, Sara Gleason, Jenny Whitenack, vocalists; Carl Bingle, piano
Children’s Time
Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
At this time we invite all K-7th graders to join us for Sunday School, please have children follow
the teacher thru the door on the left. Children will meet parents in Fellowship Hall after the service.
Hymn Medley #347-349
And Can It Be? / My Savior’s Love / O How He Loves You and Me
And can it be that I should gain An int’rest in the Savior’s blood? Died He for me, who cause
His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be That Thou,
my God shouldst die for me?
Refrain:
Amazing love! How can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me?No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him is mine! Alive in Him, my living Head
And clothed in righteousness divine; Bold I approach th’eternal throne And claim the crown,
thro’ Christ, my own.
Refrain
I stand amazed in the presence Of Jesus, the Nazarene, And wonder how
He could love me, A sinner, condemned, unclean.
Refrain:
How marvelous, How wonderful! And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous How wonderful Is my Savior’s love for me!
He took my sins and my sorrows; He made them His very own.
He bore the burden to Calv’ry And suffered and died alone.
Refrain:
O how He loves you and me! O how He loves you and me! He gave His life; what more
could He give? O how he loves you; O how He loves me; O how He loves you and me!
O how He loves you; O how He loves you and me.
Jesus to Calv’ry did go; His love for sinners to show. What He did there bro’t hope from despair.
O how He loves you; O how He loves me; O how He loves you and me! O how He loves me;
O how He loves you and me.
Second Scripture Reading
Luke 13:1-9, 31-35
At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had
mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in
this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you
will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them -
do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you;
but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for
fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come look-
ing for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He
replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit
next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
The Lament over Jerusalem
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants
to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and
performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow,
and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of
Jerusalem.’ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to
it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her
wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me
until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Sermon
“A Wistful Jesus”
Rev. Leonard Sponaugle
Sharing of Joys & ConcernsOffering
Donations can be made by either scanning the QR code from the
Venmo app or by searching for @First_Pres_of_Watertown.
Offertory
How Great His Love Ruth Elaine Schram
David Elmer, Jenny Whitenack, Sara Gleason, Clancy Cox, vocalists; Carl Bingle, organ
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
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.
SENDING
Hymn #354
I Cannot Tell Londonderry air
I cannot tell why He the King of Heaven, Should leave the peace of all eternity,
Why God Himself should lay aside His splendor To leave the Father’s side and come to me.
But this I know: our silence filled with singing, And all our darkness fled from heaven’s light
When Christ the Lord, so human, yet so holy, In love was born a child for me that holy night.
I cannot tell why He, the Joy of Heaven, Should give Himself to suffer for my sin, Why Holy God
should love me in my shamefulness, Why He should die to draw my soul to Him. But this I know:
that Christ the Lord is risen, And praise His name, He’s risen now in me! Because He lives, I’ll rise
to life eternal! He took my guilty heart, and I’m forever free!
I cannot tell when He will rule the nations, How He will claim His loved ones as His own;
And who can tell the holy jubilation When all His children gather ‘round His throne.
But this I know: all flesh will see His glory, And skies will burst as all creation sings.
The Son will rise on one eternal morning When Christ, the Savior of the world, is Lord and King!
Charge and Benediction
Postlude
Lament: Chaconne en SOL-majeur Louis Couperin (1626-1661)
As in today’s prelude, the minor mode is used here in an impassioned expression of grief and sorrow:
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!”
Couperin’s masterpiece is known for its majestically descending bass line, falling as we follow
Jesus into His inevitable journey to Jerusalem and the cross.
Fellowship Time via Zoom - 11:15 a.m.–12 noon
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87340768757?pwd=dGtnTFVxNmNJdjVBNXFweS9nVWQrUT09
This morning the Radio Broadcast is a gift in loving memory of Dr. Douglas M. Sanford, from his
wife, Mary Rose Sanford
The Chancel Flowers today are given in loving memory of Mr. and Mrs. E. D. Pfaff, Sr.,
by Rebecca and William Brown.The rosebud on the lectern this morning is in recognition of the birth of:
Lucien Wilder Beadel
born February 17, 2021
to Samantha Beadel
Frank and Jane (Wink) Beadel are proud grandparents.
THIS WEEK
Deacons/Elders Study Meeting - Tuesday, March 2nd, from 6:30-7:25 p.m.
Deacons Meeting - Thursday, March 4th, 5:00 p.m., in Fellowship Hall
There will be a congregational meeting after worship on March 14th in
the sanctuary to elect a Nominating Committee for 2021
The Church Office Staff is working regular hours. Building will remain locked. Access can be
gained by ringing the doorbell. Please wear a mask and sign in when entering the building.
Pastor Leonard is available via his cell phone: 518-774-7725.
Staff Meetings are held the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 3:00 p.m.
in Fellowship Hall.
CHURCH OFFICE HOURS:
Monday thru Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
If you requested OFFERING ENVELOPES for 2021, they are available for you to
pick up in Fellowship Hall. If you do not find yours there or you are unable to pick
them up, please call the church office, 315-782-1750 and we will make arrangements
to get them to you.
February 28 Percy Pike Shane McWayne, Gerda Barbour, JoAnne Stirling,
Dr. Robert B. Brown, Jamie Dunbar, Barbara Flynn,
March 1 Jean Sturtz Ed Wardwell, Rev. Jack Smiley, all essential workers,
March 5 Logan Deem for the sick, and those who need God’s comfort.
March 6 JoAnn Tousant
Prayer Help Available. Please call the church
March 6 Carol Murray office, 782-1750 if you have a prayer request. Your
confidential prayer request will be put on the First
Pres. Prayer Chain. Only those requesting public
prayers are included for prayers in our church bulletin.You can also read
