Calendar

Order of Worship

August 13, 2023, 9:30 a.m.

Prelude

“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,”
Wyeth (arr. Berry)

*Call to Worship

God speaks peace to the faithful, to those who turn to God in their hearts.
Surely salvation is at hand for those who fear God.

Where God dwells, steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
Righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Faithfulness springs up from the ground and
righteousness looks down from the sky.

God gives what is good,
And we respond with abundant praise.

Come, let us worship God!

*Hymn #403, “Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty”

1. Open now thy gates of beauty,
Zion, let me enter there,
where my soul in joyful duty
waits for God who answers prayer;
O how blessed is this place,
filled with solace, light, and grace.

2. Gracious God, I come before thee;
come thou also unto me;
where we find thee and adore thee,
there a heaven on earth must be;
to my heart O enter thou;
let it be thy temple now.

3. Speak, O Lord, and I will hear thee;
let thy will be done indeed;
may I undisturbed draw near thee,
while thou dost thy people feed.
Here of life the fountain flows;
here is balm for all our woes.

Prayer of Adoration

Call to Confession

Prayer of Confession

Gracious God, you call us to step out in faith, trusting in you for all things. We respond to your command but then sink in doubt and fear. We hide from the challenges of bold discipleship.

We are not able to fulfill your commandments, for our purposes are never in full accord with yours.

Forgive us, we pray, when we confess with our lips but do not believe in our hearts. Help us to practice, especially in challenging times.

Lift us out from our sin and place us in the arms of your mercy.

Though we are distracted by noise all around, allow us to hear your voice even when it is the sound of sheer silence.

Silent prayer of confession.

Assurance of pardon

Hear the good news. This is the good news that we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

Thanks be to God!

*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

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Children’s Message

Prayer for Illumination

Gracious God, we listen for you in wind, earthquake, and fire. Unexpectedly, you speak in the sound of silence. We pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you will quiet in us all the storms, doubts, and fears that overwhelm us, so that we may hear what you have to say.

Your still, small voice.

Thin. Quiet.

Yet compelling, commanding, all the same.

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:9-18

At that place he came to a cave and spent the night there.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”

He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” Then the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel, and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill, and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Hymn: “Dear Lord, Creator Good and Kind”

1. Dear Lord, Creator good and kind,
forgive our foolish ways;
reclothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence, praise.

2. In simple trust like theirs who heard
beside the Syrian sea
the gracious calling of the Lord,
let us, like them, without a word
rise up and follow thee.

3. O Sabbath rest by Galilee,
O calm of hills above,
where Jesus knelt to share with thee
the silence of eternity,
interpreted by love!

4. Drop thy still dews of quietness,
till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress,
and let our ordered lives confess
the beauty of thy peace.

5. Breathe through the heats of our desire
thy coolness and thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm!

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33

Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Sermon

“When Silence Speaks” Kenneth E. Kovacs

Call to Offering

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Offertory

“My Jesus, I Love Thee” GORDON, arr. Larson

*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

Generous God, we thank you for your call and claim upon our lives. Because there is so much more we can become and so much more we can do, we pray that our faith will increase; that our practice of generosity will be enlarged; and that our joy will encourage others as we share the good news of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Hymn #463: “How Firm a Foundation”

1. How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in God’s excellent Word!
What more can be said than to you God hath said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

2. “Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

3. “When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
for I will be near thee, thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

4. “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

5. “The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake.”

*Benediction

Step out in faith, trusting that the God who has called you is able to keep you from falling and holds you in love.

May the steadfast love and faithfulness of God surround you; the peace of Christ enfold you; and the Holy Spirit encourage you, now and forever.

May it be so.

Postlude

“To God Be the Glory,” DOANE (arr. Nielson)

Participants

• Jeff Bolognese,
  Ruling Elder, liturgist
• Keith and Kathy Glennan,
  Ruling Elders, video production
• Greg Knauf,
  Director of Music
• Kenneth E. Kovacs,
  Pastor
• Vickie Lord,
  Social media support
• Dottie Marshall,
  Sanctuary set up
• Kevin Smith,
  Piano

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