Welcome

You may wish to light a Christ candle to mark Christ’s presence with you as you worship.

Call to Worship

Sing God a brand-new song!
Earth and everyone in it, sing!
Sing to God—worship God!

Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea,
Take the news of his glory to the lost,
News of his wonders to one and all!

Let’s hear it from Sky,
With Earth joining in,
And a huge round of applause from Sea.

Let Wilderness turn cartwheels,
Animals, come dance,
Put every tree of the forest in the choir—

An extravaganza before God as he comes,
As he comes to set everything right on earth,
Set everything right, treat everyone fair.
— Psalm 96:1-3, 11-13 (The Message)

Song

Greeting

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Our help is in the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.
Amen.

Prayer of Adoration

God Most High,
by your Word you created a wondrous universe,
and through your Spirit you breathed into it the breath of life.
Accept creation’s hymn of praise from our lips,
and let the praise that is sung in heaven 

resound in the heart of every creature on earth,
to the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen. 

Song

Confession and Assurance

Call to Confession 

In repentance and rest is your salvation,in quietness and trust is your strength.
  —Isaiah 30:15

The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same.
Over all these clothes, put on love, the perfect bond.
And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts,
because it is for this that you were called together in one body.
Always be thankful.
—Colossians 3:12-15

Let us confess our sin before God and one another.

Confession

Merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you
with our whole heart and mind and strength.
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be,
so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your holy name.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 52:8 (NIV and The Message)

I am like an olive tree flourishing, growing green in the house of God.
I will trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever”. (NIV)
I trusted in the generous mercy of God then and now. (The Message) 

You may trust in God’s generous mercy, God’s unfailing love,
for there is forgiveness for you through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
And the promise in Psalm 92 is that through the working of God’s Spirit,
you will flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon,
firmly planted in the house of the LORD.

The Peace

The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you.

Prayer of Illumination

Lord God,
you have declared that your kingdom is among us.
Open our eyes to see it,
our ears to hear it,
our hearts to hold it,
our hands to serve it.
This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scripture Reading

Old Testament Lesson: Ezekiel 17:22-24 (ESV)

17 22 Thus says the Lord God: 
“I myself will take a sprig
from the lofty top of the cedar
and will set it out. 
I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs
a tender one, and I myself
will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 
23 On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it,
that it may bear branches and produce fruit
and become a noble cedar. 
And under it will dwell every kind of bird;
in the shade of its branches
birds of every sort will nest. 
24 Then all the trees of the field will know
that I am the LORD. 
I bring the tall tree down,
and make the low tree tall.
I dry up the green tree
and make the withered tree flourish. 
I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.'"

New Testament Lesson: Mark 4:30-33 (NIV)

4 30 Again he said,
“What shall we say the kingdom of God is like,
or what parable shall we use to describe it? 
31 It is like a mustard seed,
which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.
32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes
the largest of all garden plants,
with such big branches that the birds
can perch in its shade.”
33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them,
as much as they could understand.

This is the gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

Our sermon today comes from Pastor Norm Steen.

Response

Silence & Reflection

Spend a moment in quiet reflection after hearing God’s word through Pastor Norm Steen.

Prayers of the People

The prayers today are adapted from Rachel Baxter, 12 Prayers Building God’s Kingdom Not Our Own, by elder Jerry Veen.

God, our desire is to build your kingdom and not our own, but we spend much of our days trying to build our kingdoms, making ourselves, instead of you, the center of this life. We need your spirit to remind us minute-by-minute that this life is not about us. It is all about you. The time is coming when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and your Kingdom will be made complete. In the end, that is all that matters. We want to see our daily lives through the eyes of your kingdom.

God, we want to build your kingdom and not our own. Your word says to repent because the Kingdom of Heaven is near.  We want to have repentant hearts, turning from the sin that keeps us seeking our own glory instead of yours. Help us instead to commit to the work of your Kingdom.

God, we want to build your kingdom and not our own. We spend much of our days thinking about earthly treasure.  We allow the world to tell us that what we have is not enough, that we need to spend our money and time accumulating more. Help us break free from earthly treasures that fade away, and to cling to you, our heavenly treasure. 

God, we want to build your kingdom and not our own. We confess pride and vanity get in the way of your kingdom being built in our lives. We think of ourselves more highly than we should. We pray you will grant us humility and embrace the gifts that you have given us, to use them to bring you glory.

God, we want to build your kingdom and not our own. We ask you to put eternity into our hearts and that we would long to be in our heavenly dwelling more than our earthly home. Give us eyes to see this place as a temporary home, and that our hearts will be at home in you alone. 

God, we want to build your kingdom and not our own. Lord, you are a gracious and loving father.  Help us walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have placed on our lives. Help us to be humble, patient, and gentle. Allow us the strength to bear with others in love. 

God, we want to build your kingdom and not our own. Father, help us to believe that we are your children, and because you have chosen us, you will make us to bear fruit that will last. Help us to live like chosen children of the king, walking in confidence that you have a plan and purpose for our lives. 

God, we want to build your kingdom and not our own. We often let fear control and determine how we spend time and energy. We are afraid of trouble and hardship. Jesus, help us feel the peace you have promised, to no longer be afraid, knowing you have overcome the world. Enable us to step out in faith, not fear.

God, we want to build your kingdom and not our own. You are love. All love starts and flows from you.  Jesus, we want to be a people marked by love.  Ignite a love for others inside our hearts.  We want people to feel the love of God when they encounter us. 

God, we want to build your kingdom and not our own. Your word calls us to be holy because you are holy. But most days we feel like holiness is impossible. We ask the Holy Spirit to help turn our passions and desires away from this world and toward you. Make us holy as you are holy.

God, we want to build your kingdom and not our own. We need to leave all things at your feet. There is nothing that we have, or could ever have, that compares to knowing you. Jesus, we want to consider all things loss compared to you.   

God, we want to build your kingdom and not our own. Jesus, help us to live our lives on a mission of ushering Your Kingdom into reality. When we read your Word about the beauty of what you are going to do, dwelling with us, drying every tear, and conquering death, it makes the little kingdoms we build for ourselves look so small. We want your glory, not our glory. We want your plan, not our plans. We want your kingdom, not our kingdom. May it be so.

Amen.

Offering

In addition to our various funds (General, Building, Mission, Benevolence, Christian Education), online giving is also now available for today’s special offerings (Lakeshore Little Peoples Place and Community Action House) through the Give button below.

Song

We invite you to sing the Doxology with just the voices in your home. “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord” (Psalm 100:1).

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. 

Words: Thomas Ken, 1709, P.D 
Music: Louis Bourgeois, 1551, P.D.

God’s Parting Words

Taken from Jeremiah 17:8 & Isaiah 61:3

Blessed are you who through faith in Christ Jesus
have come to trust in the Lord God.
You shall be like a tree planted by water.
Filled with God’s Spirit
you shall be called “Oaks of Righteousness.”

Depart in peace to love and serve the Lord.