Communion Worship Service
August 3, 2025
Prelude: Prelude in F by Flor Peeters (1903-86) – Charles Calhoun, keyboardist
Greetings
Announcements
Hymn: “Spirit of the Living God”
Opening of the Word
Responsive Invocation: From Micah and Amos
With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him
with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn
for my transgression,
the fruit of my body
for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.
He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns midnight into dawn
and darkens day into night
Who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.
There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
Therefore the prudent
keep quiet in such times,
for the times are evil.
Seek good, not evil, that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty
will be with you,
just as you say he is.
Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps then the Lord God Almighty
will have mercy
on the remnant of Joseph.
Invitation to Prayer:
O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our maker.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Amen.
O Lord, our heavenly Creator, whose great love holds a forgiveness for all who desire and seek it: we thank thee for thy gracious assurance that thou art always near and ready to forgive. Pardon and deliver us from all our sins; confirm and strengthen us in all goodness and truth, and bring us into everlasting life; for thy mercy’s sake. Amen.
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.
O Lord, open thou our lips:
And our mouths shall show forth thy praise.
Praise ye the Lord!
The Lord’s name be praised!
Sung Response: Sanctuary
Lord, prepare me to be sanctuary, pure and holy tried and true.
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 1: 4-10; Acts 9: 1-22, True Christian Religion no. 501 (Swedenborg)
Anthem: “The Summons”, Kelvingrove, Scottish Traditional, Arr. by John L. Bell and Gary Daigle, Text by John L. Bell and Graham Maule
Spiritual Message: Convert, Convert, Convert! – Rev. Dr. Devin Zuber
Sacrament of Communion
Concluding Communion Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ, by whose mercy we have been fed with heavenly gifts: Abide with us, O Lord, and fill us with your peace. Direct us in our way; uphold our going in our paths. Give us grace so to keep your commandments henceforth, that we may abide in your love forever. Amen.
Silent Meditation
Prayer of the People/Pastoral Prayer
Invitation to the Offering
Offertory: “For Such a Time as This” Words and Music by Mark Owen Davis
Doxology
Praise God the Source of life and birth
Praise God the Word who came to earth
Praise God the Spirit, holy flame
All glory, honor to God’s name. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication
Hymn: “These Alone Are Enough“
Benediction
Closing of the Word
Sung Response: A Holy Hush
A holy hush is in the air as though the Spirit’s essence here has been distilled, and entered all who stand within these sacred walls. The song is sung, the word is read, the lesson heard, the prayer is said; go now on wings of peace unfurled, and share these blessings with the world.
Postlude: Variations from Organ Concerto Op.4, no.1 by G.F. Handel (1685-1759)