Call to Worship

Come now, all who thirst,
and drink the water of life.
Come now, all who hunger,
and be filled with good things.
Come now, all who seek,
and be warmed by the fire of love. 

Song

Greeting

Prayer of Invocation

O Lord, our God,
you are always more ready to give your good gifts to us
than we are to seek them,
and you are willing to give more than we desire or deserve.
Help us so to seek that we may truly find,
so to ask that we may joyfully receive,
so to knock that the door of your mercy may be opened to us
through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot attain it.

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
    My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
    all the days that were formed for me,
    when none of them as yet existed.
How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
    I come to the end—I am still with you.

Service of Confession & Assurance

Call to Confession

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
—Matthew 11:28-30

Prayer of Confession

Forgive us our sins, O Lord.
Forgive us the sins of our youth and the sins of our age,
the sins of our soul and the sins of our body,
our secret and our whispering sins,
our presumptuous and our careless sins,
the sins we have done to please ourselves,
and the sins we have done to please others.
Forgive us the sins that we know,
and the sins that we know not;
forgive them, O Lord,
forgive them all because of your great goodness.
And help us to live in your light
and walk in your ways,
for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
    so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
For he knows how we were made;
    he remembers that we are dust.
—Psalm 103:10-14

The Peace

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

Song

Refrain
Like a child rests in its mother’s arms, so will I rest in you.
Like a child rests in its mother’s arms, so will I rest in you. 

My God, I am not proud.
I do not look for things too great. Refrain

My God, I trust in you.
You care for me; you give me peace. Refrain

O Israel, trust in God;
now and always trust in God. Refrain

Text: Christopher Walker (b. 1947) © 1988, 1989 Christopher Walker, admin. OCP Publications.
All rights reserved, OneLicense.net 734287-A

Affirmation of Faith

Together with the church around the world and through the ages, let’s confess our faith using the words of the Apostles’ Creed.

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

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

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.

Prayer of Illumination

Loving God,
may our words be simple,
our hearts humbled,
our attention focused,
and our thoughts pure.
Thank you that we may lean upon you,
as a child with its mother.
Speak to us now, we pray.
You are our hope and we praise you,
now and forever.
Amen.

Scripture Reading

John 1:35-42

1 35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Sermon

Come, See, Stay

Song

Prayers of the People

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
—Hebrews 7:25

Offering

In addition to our various funds (General, Building, Mission, Benevolence, Christian Education), online giving is also now available for today’s special offerings (Barnabas Ministries and Sisters House 1) through the Give button below.

Blessing

Beloved of Christ, what are you seeking? Whatever it may be, know this: God is seeking you.
So come, and see, and stay. The Father has made a place for you. So go with this blessing:

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

Song

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art—
thou my best thought, by day or by night;
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light. 

Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, and I thy true son,
thou in me dwelling and I with thee one. 

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise;
thou mine inheritance, now and always:
thou and thou only first in my heart,
high King of heaven, my treasure thou art. 

High King of heaven, my victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all. 

Text: Irish hymn, 8th c.; tr. Mary E. Byrne (1880-19331); vers. Eleanor H. Hull (1860-1935), P.D.