PROVIDENCE CHURCH

September 12, 2021

Welcome

 

Passing of the Peace: Though we are separated by distance our hearts are one in Christ. The peace of Christ be with you!  And also with you!

 

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him all creatures here below;

Praise him above, ye heavenly hosts;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Call to Worship:   Psalm 122

 

Leader:  I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

People: Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!

Leader: Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord,as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.

People: There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.

Leader: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

People: “May they be secure who love you!

Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!”

Leader:  For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!”

ALL: For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

 

Songs of Praise:

Come Let Us Worship and Bow Down (Dave Doherty, 1980)

Come, let us worship and bow down,

Let us kneel before the Lord, our God, our Maker.

Come, let us worship and bow down,

Let us kneel before the Lord, our God, our Maker.

 

For He—is our God, and we are the people of his pasture,

And the sheep of his hand, just the sheep of his hand.

(Repeat all twice)

 

Lord, I Lift Your Name on High (Rick Founds, 1989)

Lord, I lift your name on high

Lord, I love to sing your praises

I’m so glad you’re in my life

I’m so glad you came to save us

 

You came from heaven to earth, to show the way

From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay

From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky,

Lord I lift your name on high (Repeat all)

 

You came from heaven to earth, to show the way

From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay

From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky,

Lord I lift your name on high,

Lord I lift your name on high,

Lord I lift your name on high!

 

Daughters and Sons (Renee Allsbrook)

Break up your unplowed ground, stop casting seeds on thorns,

plow into the bitterness, face the pain you’ve borne.

See Him on the cross, bearing all our sorrow:

He who carried every sin bids you place your load on Him…

 

Hallelujah, Jesus, Lamb of God,

Hallelujah to Our King!

In his light all fear and shame must flee.

My new name is “Child Who Sings”

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, He has come for me;

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, He has set me free!

(Interlude)

Daughters and sons are we, delights to our good Father.

Christ, our Brother, Risen One, ushers us to the Throne,

where poison tongues are stilled and failures all forgotten.

Lift up your head—you’re washed, you’re freed,

and shielded from the enemy…

 

Hallelujah, Jesus, Lamb of God,

Hallelujah to Our King!

In his light all fear and shame must flee.

My new name is “Child Who Sings”

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, He has come for me!

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, He has set me free

 

Break up your unplowed ground, break up your unplowed ground;

Daughters and sons are we, daughters and sons are we.

 

Confession/Assurance    

 

Leader: I lift up my eyes to You Whose throne is in heaven.

Congregation: We are desperate Lord without You, where else can we turn but to You?

Leader: As the eyes of a servant look to their master, as the eyes of a maiden look to her mistress so we look to You.

Congregation: Forgive us when we get our eyes off of You, when we look to other things to satisfy us, when we look away from you with willful hearts.

Leader: Our eyes will look to You that you may show us mercy.

Congregation: Have mercy on us O God. We recognize our need for you. We know that we often have sought our own way. Forgive us, Lord.

All: Have mercy on us, O Lord have mercy on us.

 

 

Respond in Praise:

 

Nothing But the Blood (Robert Lowry, 1876)

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

Chorus: O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

Nothing can for sin atone—nothing but the blood of Jesus;

naught of good that I have done—nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Chorus)

 

This is all my hope and peace—nothing but the blood of Jesus;

this is all my righteousness—nothing but the blood of Jesus. (Chorus 2X)

 

Scripture Reading:    Matthew 12:38-50

 

The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

 

Return of an Unclean Spirit

43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

 

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers[a] stood outside, asking to speak to him.[b] 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.

 

”This is the Word of the Lord.   Thanks be to God!

Sermon:  “Sign of Jonah”                                            

 

Hymn of Dedication

 

Purify My Heart (Refiner’s Fire) (Brian Doerksen, 1990)

Purify my heart, let me be as gold and precious silver,

Purify my heart, let me be as gold, pure gold.

 

Chorus:

Refiner’s fire, my heart’s one desire is to be holy,

Set apart for you, Lord;

I choose to be holy, set apart for you, my Master,

Ready to do your will.

 

Purify my heart, cleanse me from within and make me holy,

Purify my heart, cleanse me from my sin, deep within.

(Chorus 2X)

Tag: Ready to do your will, I am ready to do your will.

 

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.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil:

for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.  Amen

 

Hymn of Thanksgiving

Take My Life, and Let it Be (Frances Havergal, 1874; tune Henri Malan, 1827)

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.

Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

 

Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of the thy love.

Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for thee,

Swift and beautiful for thee.

 

Take my voice, and let me sing, always, only, for my King.

Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from thee,

filled with messages from thee.

 

Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect, and use ev’ry pow’r as thou shalt choose,

ev’ry pow’r as thou shalt choose.

 

Take my will, and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne,

it shall be thy royal throne.

 

Take my love; my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure-store.

Take my self, and I will be ever, only, all for thee,

ever, only, all for thee.

 

Benediction 

 

 

 

 

 

KNOW

Welcome to Providence Church! We are glad that you are here, joining us in person or via Zoom!.

Sunday School:   Adult and Youth Sunday School is at 11:15.  Thom and Pastor Edward will alternate teaching a study this semester.   Will/Christina are leading a study of The Risen Lord for couples/singles. Bill/Jerry are leading the Youth SS in a classic book by CS Lewis.

Fellowship Time: Between the end of our worship service and before SS, please enjoy coffee and snacks and conversation in the Fellowship Hall.

Children of all ages are invited to participate in the entire service of worship.  We will have

childcare for children up to 6 years of age, in our downstairs Christian Ed wing (on the left) at the end of the hallway.

 

GROW

Pastor Bible Study – meets each Tuesday at noon in the fellowship hall to discuss the previous week’s sermon as well as the upcoming sermon.   Bring your Bible and a bagged lunch if you would like.

 

WED. NIGHT BIBLE STUDY – Wednesday night Bible Study at 6:30pm until 8pm for both men and women.  The study will be on the book of Philippians.  Our desire for Providence is to have a line-by-line Scripture based study. Childcare will be provided if needed.

 

Would you like to grow in the joy and work of prayer? Join our women on Tuesday mornings at 10:15am or our men on Thursday mornings at 6:45am. These seasons of weekly prayer are rich in fellowship and in prayers. Want to know more about Women’s Prayer? Contact Linda Roberts. Want to know more about Men’s Prayer?  Contact Sam Mitchell.

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GO

Open Door Soup Kitchen: This is an ongoing commitment of Providence Church to the least, the last, the lost and the lonely of our community.  While Open Door is no longer able to serve meals, we are still volunteering to cook the meals on the first Friday of each month.  If you can serve in this way, please let Linda Wilson know at 901-230-7178.  Thanks for your faithfulness.

 

Prayer Requests: Healing: Melanie (Mike and Rhonda’s daughter), Lisa Rhodarmer; Judd and Susanne Harriot, Robbie Hargrove, Chuck & Carole Torpy; Glenn & Laura Glad; Thom Morgan’s mother; Lisa Rhodarmer’s brother Michael – cancer; Sarah Altman’s brother-in-law Dan