FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
ORDER OF WORSHIP
6th SUNDAY OF EASTER
MAY 10, 2026
PRELUDE
WELCOME
ANNOUNCEMENTS
-CE/FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE will meet today following worship service.
-TUESDAY MORNING COFFEE GROUP at 9:30ish AM at First Lutheran Mission Coffee House.
-THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY at 9:30 AM, Center Meeting Room
- NEW MEMBER OR CONFIRMATION CLASS: if you’re interested in participating, please contact Robby or Donna. Both classes are designed to help you learn more about the Presbyterian denomination and our church in particular. Confirmation Class is for youth entering or in Middle School or High School. Days and times will be determined once we know who is interested.
- BE A GREETER Sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board by the office.
SPECIAL MUSIC For Who You Are (choir)
CALL TO WORSHIP
We come today with different stories, different burdens, and different hopes.
But all of us are met by the same God
A God who speaks, who reveals, and who welcomes.
A God who is not distant, but near.
So let us worship with humility and hope
Trusting the God who invites us into life with Him.
*OPENING HYMN #356 (blue) “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
Come, thou Fount of every blessing; tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, Mount of God’s unchanging love!
Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above.
*CALL TO CONFESSION and *PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God of grace, we confess that we often live as if You are unknown, unclear, or optional. We place our trust in many things: our plans, our resources, our ability to manage life on our own. We say we believe in You, but too often we keep You at a distance. Forgive us for the ways we divide our loyalty. Draw us closer to You. Open our eyes to Your presence among us. In Your mercy, meet us again. In Your love, make Yourself known to us once more. Through Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen.
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
…Through Jesus Christ we are forgiven and free.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
*GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
And to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.
CHILDREN’S TIME
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION and SCRIPTURE READING
Acts 17:22-31
22Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. 23For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
24The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, 25nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things.
26From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, 27so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him — though indeed he is not far from each one of us.
28For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’
29Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals.
30While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
John 14:15-21
15“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.
20On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”
SERMON From Unknown to Known
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (Heidelberg Catechism Question #21)
True faith is not only a sure knowledge by which I hold as true all that God has revealed to us in Scripture; it is also a wholehearted trust, which the Holy Spirit creates in me by the gospel, that God has freely granted, not only to others but to me also, forgiveness of sins, eternal righteousness, and salvation. These are gifts of sheer grace, granted solely by Christ’s merit.
*HYMN OF RESPONSE #527 (blue) “Near to the Heart of God”
There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God;
A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee, near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet, near to the heart of God;
A place where we our Savior meet, near to the heart of God.
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee, near to the heart of God.
There is a place of full release, near to the heart of God;
A place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee, near to the heart of God.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
Concerns: Don B, Jan J, Carrie VB, Skip W
Our homebound or in care members: JoAnn G, Jan J, Darwin L (Jeanne caregiver), Bob O (Nancy caregiver), Rose P, Steve VB, Dee W (Please reach out)
This Week’s Prayer Families: Chad & Diane B & family Tate & Trent, Jan B
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.
OFFERING OF OURSELVES AND OUR RESOURCES
*DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen
*CLOSING HYMN #391 (blue) “Take My Life”
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days;
Let them flow in endless praise,
Let them flow in endless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of 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
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power 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 myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE
ORDER OF WORSHIP
6th SUNDAY OF EASTER
MAY 10, 2026
PRELUDE
WELCOME
ANNOUNCEMENTS
-CE/FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE will meet today following worship service.
-TUESDAY MORNING COFFEE GROUP at 9:30ish AM at First Lutheran Mission Coffee House.
-THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY at 9:30 AM, Center Meeting Room
- NEW MEMBER OR CONFIRMATION CLASS: if you’re interested in participating, please contact Robby or Donna. Both classes are designed to help you learn more about the Presbyterian denomination and our church in particular. Confirmation Class is for youth entering or in Middle School or High School. Days and times will be determined once we know who is interested.
- BE A GREETER Sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board by the office.
SPECIAL MUSIC For Who You Are (choir)
CALL TO WORSHIP
We come today with different stories, different burdens, and different hopes.
But all of us are met by the same God
A God who speaks, who reveals, and who welcomes.
A God who is not distant, but near.
So let us worship with humility and hope
Trusting the God who invites us into life with Him.
*OPENING HYMN #356 (blue) “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
Come, thou Fount of every blessing; tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, Mount of God’s unchanging love!
Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above.
*CALL TO CONFESSION and *PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God of grace, we confess that we often live as if You are unknown, unclear, or optional. We place our trust in many things: our plans, our resources, our ability to manage life on our own. We say we believe in You, but too often we keep You at a distance. Forgive us for the ways we divide our loyalty. Draw us closer to You. Open our eyes to Your presence among us. In Your mercy, meet us again. In Your love, make Yourself known to us once more. Through Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen.
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
…Through Jesus Christ we are forgiven and free.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
*GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
And to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.
CHILDREN’S TIME
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION and SCRIPTURE READING
Acts 17:22-31
22Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. 23For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
24The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, 25nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things.
26From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, 27so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him — though indeed he is not far from each one of us.
28For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’
29Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals.
30While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
John 14:15-21
15“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.
20On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”
SERMON From Unknown to Known
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (Heidelberg Catechism Question #21)
True faith is not only a sure knowledge by which I hold as true all that God has revealed to us in Scripture; it is also a wholehearted trust, which the Holy Spirit creates in me by the gospel, that God has freely granted, not only to others but to me also, forgiveness of sins, eternal righteousness, and salvation. These are gifts of sheer grace, granted solely by Christ’s merit.
*HYMN OF RESPONSE #527 (blue) “Near to the Heart of God”
There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God;
A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee, near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet, near to the heart of God;
A place where we our Savior meet, near to the heart of God.
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee, near to the heart of God.
There is a place of full release, near to the heart of God;
A place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee, near to the heart of God.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
Concerns: Don B, Jan J, Carrie VB, Skip W
Our homebound or in care members: JoAnn G, Jan J, Darwin L (Jeanne caregiver), Bob O (Nancy caregiver), Rose P, Steve VB, Dee W (Please reach out)
This Week’s Prayer Families: Chad & Diane B & family Tate & Trent, Jan B
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.
OFFERING OF OURSELVES AND OUR RESOURCES
*DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen
*CLOSING HYMN #391 (blue) “Take My Life”
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days;
Let them flow in endless praise,
Let them flow in endless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of 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
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power 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 myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE
