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Reign of Christ Sunday
- Date: Sunday, November 26, 2023
- Time: 10:30am–11:30am
- Location: Sanctuary
Order of Worship
November 26, 2023 at 10:30 a.m.
Prelude
Now Thank We All Our God and We Gather Together, two settings by Wilbur Held
We Gather Together was written in 1597 to celebrate a Dutch victory over Spanish forces. This hymn resonated with the Dutch because Protestants were forbidden from gathering to worship under the Spanish King Philip II.
The text for Now Thank We All Our God was written about forty years later, in 1636 by Lutheran pastor Martin Rinkart. Bach must have loved this melody because he used it many times.
Wilbur Held (1914-2015) was a prolific composer, and his compositions are well-loved and often played by church organists.
*Call to Worship
(The congregation responds aloud with the bold text)
O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
For the Lord is a great God;
a great ruler over all the earth.
Come, let us worship God!
*Hymn #268: “Crown Him With Many Crowns”
1. Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne;
hark, how the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own!
Awake, my soul, and sing
of him who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless King
through all eternity.
2. Crown him the Lord of love;
behold his hands and side,
rich wounds, yet visible above,
in beauty glorified:
no angel in the sky
can fully bear that sight,
but downward bends his burning eye
at mysteries so bright.
3. Crown him the Lord of peace,
whose power a scepter sways
from pole to pole, that wars may cease,
absorbed in prayer and praise.
His reign shall know no end;
and round his pierced feet
fair flowers of paradise extend
their fragrance ever sweet.
4. Crown him the Lord of years,
the potentate of time;
creator of the rolling spheres,
ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For thou hast died for me;
thy praise shall never, never fail
throughout eternity.
Prayer of Adoration
Call to Confession
Prayer of Confession
Sovereign God, we confess that we are not ready for your holy realm. You guide us toward right paths, but we refuse to follow where you lead. You love and feed and care for us, but we fail to love and serve others. Forgive us, merciful God, so that we may return to your fold and rejoice in your presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the Lamb upon the throne.
Silent prayer of confession
Assurance of Pardon
Hear the good news!
However long we wander, however far we stray,
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Siblings in Christ, be assured: in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God!
May we find in him freedom and peace; joy and hope.
*Response of Praise: Hymn #82, “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a king,
born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all-sufficient merit raise us to thy glorious throne.
*Passing of the Peace
Life in Community
Thank you for joining us for worship! Explore the calendar of events and recent announcements to take another step into our life together this week. If you’re joining us for the first time or would like to learn more about Catonsville Presbyterian, you’re welcome to share your email with us. We’ll send some information that will help you get connected.
Children’s Message
Prayer for Illumination
Gracious One, open the eyes of our hearts by the power of your Spirit, that we may know the hope to which we have been called in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 95:1-7a
O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
O come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
Hymn #266: “Joy to the World”
1. Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her king;
let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing.
2. Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let all their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
repeat the sounding joy.
3. No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground;
he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found.
4. He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love.
Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
Sermon: “All Things,” Ken Kovacs
Call to Offering
Offering of Tithes and Presentation of Pledges
Offertory: The Call, Alexander Brent Smith, Text by George Herbert
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:
Such a way as gives us breath;
Such a truth as ends all strife,
Such a life as killeth death.
Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength:
Such a light as shows a feast,
Such a feast as mends in length,
Such a strength as makes his guest.
Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:
Such a joy as none can move,
Such a love as none can part,
Such a heart as joys in love.
*Doxology #607, “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow”
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Christ, all people here below;
Praise Holy Spirit evermore;
Praise Triune God, whom we adore. Amen.
*Prayer of Dedication
Almighty God, we give you thanks and praise for your love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Accept our offering in union with Christ’s offering for us. Confirm in us the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, that we may testify to the sovereignty of his love. Through Christ, with the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, Almighty God, now and forever. Amen.
Prayers of the people & 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.
*Hymn #270
1. O Lord, you are my God and King,
and I will ever bless your name;
I will extol you every day,
and evermore your praise proclaim.
You, Lord, are greatly to be praised;
your greatness is beyond our thought;
all generations shall tell forth
the mighty wonders you have wrought.
2. How rich in grace are you, O Lord,
full of compassion, merciful,
your anger always slow to rise;
your steadfast love you show to all,
for you are good in all your ways;
your creatures know your constant care.
To all your works your love extends;
all souls your tender mercies share.
3. Your works will give you thanks, O Lord;
your saints your mighty acts will show,
till all the peoples of the earth
your kingdom, power, glory know.
Eternal is your kingdom, Lord,
forever strong, forever sure;
while generations rise and die,
your high dominion will endure.
*Charge and Benediction
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
serving faithfully until Christ comes to welcome his people home.
May the grace of Christ surround you,
the love of God astound you,
and the Holy Spirit keep you,
this day and forevermore.
May it be so.
*Postlude
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise, Setting by Michael Burkhardt
The well-known hymn tune ST. DENIO was originally a Welsh ballad and finds an effective setting here by composer Michael Burkhardt. The text was originally written by Walter Chalmers Smith, a minister of the Free Church of Scotland, and published in 1839. Later, the text was altered from the original, but perhaps the original is worth a closer look. See if you agree. Here is the unaltered final stanza:
All laud we would render; O help us to see
’Tis only the splendour of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.
Participants
- Dorothy Boulton
Associate Pastor - Keith and Kathy Glennan
A/V Production - Wendy Johnston,
Organist and Assistant Director of Music - Ken Kovacs,
Pastor - Greg Knauf,
Director of Music - Vickie Lord,
Social media support - Stephanie Stevens
Liturgist
Sources
- Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013).
- Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-734388; CCLI Copyright License B 20481088 + Streaming License B 481071