Opening Scripture

As our worship draws us into the riches of Genesis 1-11 this fall, we have been beginning our worship every week with a few verses of the wonderful creation song in Psalm 104. We rejoice in all his works. All creation is his, a gift from his hand, and he sustains it all.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.
    O Lord my God, you are very great.

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills,
giving drink to every wild animal;
    the wild asses quench their thirst.
By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;
    they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

O Lord, how manifold are your works!
    In wisdom you have made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
    creeping things innumerable are there,
    living things both small and great.
There go the ships,
    and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.

These all look to you
    to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up;
    when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!
—Psalm 104:1, 10-13, 24-28, 31, 33-35

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.

Song

Confession and Assurance

Call to Confession: John 16:7-8

Here is what Jesus says:

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth:
it is to your advantage that I go away,
for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes, he will convict the world
concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

It is “to our advantage” that the Spirit comes to convict us of sin,
for the one who convicts is also the one who heals.

So come, let us confess our sin before almighty God.

Prayer of 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.

Assurance of Pardon: Romans 8:34; John 16:33

Hear the gospel of the apostle Paul:

Who is in a position to condemn us?
Only Christ, but Christ died for us, Christ rose for us,
Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Peace

Here is what Jesus says:

I have said these things to you,
that in me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation.
But take heart, I have overcome the world.

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

Call to Holiness: 1 Corinthians 6:11

You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 

So then, brothers and sisters, live as holy ones, set apart,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit, the living breath of God.

Song

Prayer of Illumination

Blessed are you, God of all creation.
Your Word is more precious than fine gold, and sweeter than honey.
As we turn to your Scripture, send your Holy Spirit to infuse your Word with truth and grace—
so that the good news of your kingdom would shine before our eyes and delight our senses,
so that we cannot help but respond with wonder, faith, and trust. Amen

Scripture Reading

Genesis 1:3-25

1 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

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

Sermon

A World of Order, Fruitfulness, and Beauty

Prayers of the People

For our prayers of the people this morning, pray this “A Liturgy of Praise to the King of Creation,” written by Douglas McKelvey in the book Every Moment Holy.

Offering

In addition to our various funds (General, Building, Mission, Benevolence, Christian Education), online giving is also now available for today’s special offerings (Pine Rest & Church Support Services) through the Give button below.

Song

God’s Parting Words

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious unto 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.