Welcome and Call to Worship

Song

All people that on earth do dwell,
sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Serve him with joy, his praises tell,
come now before him and rejoice! 

Know that the LORD is God indeed;
he formed us all without our aid.
We are the flock he comes to feed,
the sheep who by his hand were made. 

O enter then his gates with joy,
within his courts his praise proclaim.
Let thankful songs your tongues employ,
O bless and magnify his name. 

Because the LORD our God is good,
his mercy is forever sure.
His faithfulness at all times stood
and shall from age to age endure. 

Text: English, William Kethe, 1561, alt., P.D.; Music: Louis Bourgeois, 1551, P.D. 

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

Based on Psalm 36

O God, your constant love reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness extends to the skies.
Your righteousness towers like the mountains,
your justice is deeper than the sea.
All find protection under the shadow of your wings.
We feast on the abundance you provide.
You are the source of all life,
and in your light, we see light. Amen.

Confession and Assurance

For the service of confession and assurance, if you have multiple people in your home, invite one person to read the call to confession and another the assurance of pardon, saying the prayer of confession all together. Notice particularly what the avoidance of confession (“For when I kept silent…”) feels like to the psalmist in verses 3-4, and the freedom that confession brings in verse 5.

Call to Confession: Psalm 32:1-5

Prayer of Confession

Gracious God,
our sins are too heavy to carry,
too real to hide,
and too deep to undo.
Forgive what our lips tremble to name,
what our hearts can no longer bear,
and what has become for us
a consuming fire of judgment.
Set us free from a past that we cannot change;
open to us a future in which we can be changed;
and grant us grace
to grow more and more in your likeness and image;
through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: Romans 8:34-35

The Peace

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

Song

Profession of Faith

Jacob Westra

At the 10am service this morning, it will be our joy to hear the public profession of faith of Jacob Westra. For those unable to make it, or attending the 8:30 service, a video will be made available Monday to the congregation via email.

Profession of faith is rooted in the gracious initiative of God towards us in baptism; it is our God-initiated, God-directed response to the good beginning that He made in us in baptism. But this response matters a great deal. As Paul writes, “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The Scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame’” (Romans 10:9-11).

This profession involves both a turning away (a renunciation) and a turning toward (an affirmation), and is not just a personal testimony but a public confession of the faith of the church. Using the words below, along with the Apostles’ Creed, you are invited to affirm your faith.

Profession of Faith:

Do you renounce sin, Satan, and the power of evil in your life and in the world?
I renounce them.

Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw you from the love of God?
I renounce them.

Do you believe in one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
and do you turn to Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?
Yes, I confess that Jesus is savior and Jesus is Lord.

Do you promise to exhibit the joy of new life in Christ;
to share fully in the life of the church;
to be faithful in worship and service;
to offer your prayers and gifts;
and to seek to advance God’s purposes
here and throughout the world?
Relying on God’s grace and depending on his Spirit, 
I do, God helping me.

Apostles’ Creed

Do you believe in God the Father?
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended to heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Song

Prayer of Illumination

God of all grace,
we give you thanks 
for every good and perfect gift
that comes from you, the Father of heavenly light.
Guide us, O God,
by your Word and Spirit,
that in your light we may see light,
in your truth find freedom,
and in your will discover peace;
through Christ our Lord, Amen. 

Scripture Reading

Matthew 4:18-22 and 11:25-30

4 18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

11 25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Sermon

The Cost & Gift of Discipleship

Response

Song

Prayers of the People

Loving God,

We come to you in the name of Jesus.

Knowing that you loved us long before we could ever love you, we come to you.
Knowing that you loved this world long before it could ever love you, we bring it to you.
Knowing that Christ himself prays for us right now, we join in his heavenly intercession.

Gracious God, we bring you the particularities of this time and place this morning.

On the eve of a new school year, we pray for all of our students, staff, teachers, and parents.

We pray for good health and protection, for wisdom and guidance, for relationships and a spirit of joy-filled learning to pervade each classroom—wherever those classrooms are. We pray for Holland High and West Ottawa, for Black River and Holland Christian, and for every kitchen table and backyard that serves as a homeschool classroom this year. We pray for Hope and Grand Valley, Calvin and the Calvin Prison Initiative, and every other college and university represented by this church family.

Gracious God, send your Spirit and be present in these places of learning this year.

 On the eve of a new ministry year, we pray for the churches of this town.

We pray for deepened love for one another and this place, for wise and gracious decision making and wise and gracious decision receiving. We pray for good health and protection, and most of all we pray that the ministry of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, would go forth in old and new ways this season, and that in forms traditional and creative, your Word would go forth, your Supper received, your gospel proclaimed, and your mission advanced, for the good of your church and the glory of your name. Within just a few blocks of this place, we pray for Central Ave CRC and Pillar Church, First United Methodist and Hope Reformed, St. Francis de Sales and Third Reformed and Iglesia Christo Misionera.

Gracious God, send your Spirit and be present in these places of worship and mission this year.

Finally, as summer wanes, we pray for the businesses and non-profits, the medical facilities and restaurants, the government offices and civic organizations and every other institution—large and small—that help to make this town what it is.

We pray for good health and protection, for financial stability and the protection of jobs, for good and wise governance that seeks both our flourishing and our sacrifice, for the beautification of public space and the just sharing of public resources, for public and private ventures that promote the common good, for institutions and people within them that value what is good, right, beautiful, and true.

Gracious God, send your Spirit and be present in these places of common grace this year.

Knowing that Christ loves us and prays for us, and knowing that Christ loves and prays for the world over which he is King, we join our prayers to his, and offer them in his name. 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 (Church Support Services and Buen Pastor) 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

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you
and have mercy on you;
the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you
and give you peace. Amen.

Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.