Calendar
- This event has passed.
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
- Date: Sunday, July 9, 2023
- Time: 9:30am–10:30am
- Location: Fellowship Hall
Participate In worship
Events and Announcements
Explore the calendar of events and recent announcements to take another step into our life together this week.
Order of Worship
Prelude
Dona Nobis Pacem, Traditional Latin Chant, arr. Catherine McMichael
*Call to Worship
(The congregation responds aloud with the bold text)
Come, all who carry heavy burdens,
and Christ will give you rest.
For he is gentle and humble in heart;
In him we find rest for our souls.
Come then, let us worship God!
*Hymn #182, “I Heard the. Voice of Jesus Say”
1. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto me and rest;
lay down, O weary one, lay down
your head upon my breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
so weary, worn, and sad;
I found him in a resting place,
and he has made me glad.
2. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
the living water, thirsty one;
stoop down and drink and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in him.
3. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s light;
look unto me, your morn shall rise,
and all your day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found
in him my star, my sun;
and in that light of life I’ll walk
till traveling days are done.
Prayer of Adoration
Call to Confession
Prayer of Confession
Holy One, we confess to you and to each other that we are tired and weighed down by the mistakes we have made, even in our closest relationships with our friends, our spouses, and our partners. We give this burden to you, mindful of Jesus’ promise that he will give us rest. We trust in you. Amen.
Silent prayer of confession.
Silent Prayer
Assurance of pardon
Siblings in Christ,
When we feel overwhelmed with regret and sadness for the past,
know that God forgives our transgressions.
Hear the good news! In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
Be at peace, for God is at work to restore and strengthen you and waters your soul in its parched and hardened places.
*Response of Praise: Hymn #582, “Glory to God, Whose Goodness Shines on Me”
1. Glory to God, whose goodness shines on me,
and to the Son, whose grace has pardoned me,
and to the Spirit, whose love has set me free.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.
2. World without end, without end. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.
*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
Comforting God, by your Holy Spirit lift the burdens from our souls through the reading of your Word for us, that we may learn how easy it is to live in a loving relationship with you. Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 145:8-14
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made.
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
to make known to all people your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and gracious in all his deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
Hymn #418: “Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling”
1. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me.
See, on the portals he’s waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.
Refrain:
“Come home, come home!
You who are weary, come home.”
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, “O sinner, come home!”
2. Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not his mercies,
mercies for you and for me? (Refrain)
3. O for the wonderful love he has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me. (Refrain)
Scripture: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Sermon: “Learning Humility,” Kenneth E. Kovacs
Call to Offering
Offertory: Prelude from “5 Pieces for 2 Violins and Piano,” Dmitri Shostakovich
*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
Compassionate God, we ask that you bless and multiply these gifts, that they may be used to proclaim the glory of your kingdom and make known to all people the power of your saving acts. Amen.
Prayers of the People 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.
Hymn #432: “How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord”
1. How clear is our vocation, Lord,
when once we heed your call
to live according to your word
and daily learn, refreshed, restored,
that you are Lord of all
and will not let us fall.
2. But if, forgetful, we should find
your yoke is hard to bear;
if worldly pressures fray the mind
and love itself cannot unwind
its tangled skein of care:
our inward life repair.
3. We marvel how your saints became
in hindrances more sure:
whose joyful virtues put to shame
the casual way we wear your name,
and by our faults obscure
your power to cleanse and cure.
4. In what you give us, Lord, to do,
together or alone,
in old routines or ventures new,
may we not cease to look to you:
the cross you hung upon,
all you endeavored, done.
*Benediction
May the God who feels compassion for all
lead you to find love in your life
and the peace that comes from
living with a gentle and humble heart.
Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Postlude
“Blessed Assurance,” Phoebe Knapp, arr. Catherine McMichael
Participants
- Dorothy L. Boulton, Associate Pastor
- Keith and Kathy Glennan, Ruling Elders, video production
- Wendy Johnston, Organist and Assistant Director of Music
- Greg Knauf, Director of Music
- Kenneth E. Kovacs, Pastor
- Vickie Lord, Social media support
- Dottie Marshall, Sanctuary set up
- Dean Renner, violin
- Natalia Vladimirova, violin
Sources
- Kimberly Bracken Long, ed., Feasting on the Word: Liturgies for Year A, Vol. 2 (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014).
- 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