First Presbyterian Church of Paw Paw
Sunday, January 29, 2023
4th Sunday after Epiphany
(Press Control and "p" to print this file.)
MEDITATION PRAYER
God of compassion, you have shown us in Christ that your love is never-
ending. Enable us to love you with all our hearts and to love one another as
Christ loved us. Amen.
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE How Great Thou Art STUART K. HINE/arr. Richard Kingsmore
*CALL TO WORSHIP:
The Lord is our light and our salvation.
The Lord is the stronghold of our lives.
Of whom shall we be afraid?
Nothing because God is with us in all we do.
We desire to live in God’s presence and direction
Let us worship God in spirit and in truth.
*OPENING HYMN: # 32 I Sing the Mighty Power of God
CALL TO CONFESSION:
PRAYER OF CONFESSION:
God of mercy and justice,
we confess that we have not involved our whole heart and mind in loving and serving you.
We have been stingy in our affections.
We have allowed others to influence us;
we have forgotten that knowing you means knowing ourselves.
We confess that we have loved neither our neighbor nor ourselves.
We confess that we have not always loved you
with the strength that you deserve and our faith demands.
We find too many ways to deny our kinship with others
and too few ways to deny ourselves the things that bring us harm.
We have come to believe that the way of faith should always be easy.
Forgive the error of our ways,
and bring us back into a loving relationship with you and with one another.
A time of personal prayer and confession.
Prayerful Response #698 (twice)
Take, O take me as I am, summon out what I should be’
Set your seal upon my heart and live in me.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON:
The heart of the gospel story is this:
that no matter how far away the people of God wander from God’s steadfast love,
God remains faithful still.
Scripture reassures us that when we confess our sins, God’s love can
cleanse us and make us whole.
Friends, believe the good news of the gospel.
In Jesus Christ we are given new beginnings and new life.
*GRATEFUL RESPONSE # #591 (twice)
Halle, Halle, Halle-luja, Halle, Halle, Halle-luja!
Halle, Halle, Halle-luja, Halle-luja! Halle-luja!
*PASSING OF THE PEACE
The Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE LESSONS:
Psalm 27:1, 4-9;
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear??
The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Matthew 4: 12-25
Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
MESSAGE: Something To Hold On To…
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH: A Brief Statement of Faith, PCUSA
Jesus proclaimed the reign of God:
Preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives,
teaching by word and deed and blessing the children,
healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted,
eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners,
and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.
Loving us still, God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant.
Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child,
like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home, God is faithful still.
With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or
in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
*HYMN #841 God Is My Strong Salvation
CALL FOR THE OFFERING
OFFERING MUSIC Beside the Still Waters (Meditation No. 5) John Turner
DOXOLOGY # 607
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
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 sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
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 # 377 I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
"It's all that easy and all that difficult!"
POSTLUDE: O God Beyond All Praising
WORSHIP GUIDE:
*Stand if you are able
Bold Print, Congregation participates.
Interim Pastor: Rev. Gail E. Monsma revgailfpcpawpaw@gmail.com
Liturgist: Dave Sutter
Music: Theresa Vaughn
Technology Help: Chuck Williams, Andy Thorburn, Tom Shoemaker, Nathaniel McCloskey
Usher: Bill Welling
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