PRELUDE: Johann Sebastian Bach
Deck Thyself, My Soul, With Gladness
SALUTATION AND WELCOME
* CELEBRATION OF FRIENDSHIP
* Gloria Patri (pew card)
* CALL TO WORSHIP, Maureen Saepia-Chen
Leader: The God who raised Jesus from the dead
People: Calls us to worship this morning.
Leader: The Jesus who justifies us and gives us grace
People: Greets us and meets us in worship.
Leader: The Spirit who awakens faith and intercedes for us
People: Opens us to receive God’s power and peace.
Leader: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit invite us to worship.
People: Let us offer ourselves as living sacrifices.
* HYMN No. 62: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
* PRAYER OF CONFESSION (unison)
There are many times we think we love you well, O God. But upon hearing your call to love you with all our heart, and all our mind, and all our strength, we confess that our love for you is a diluted love, made insipid and flat by lesser loyalties and a divided heart. Our love seems pure only for brief moments; soon our affections are drawn away. How easily our devotion dies. Forgive us; in deep mercy spare us, despite our lost first love for you; in grace rekindle our love for you in seeing anew Jesus’ love for us. Amen.
* KYRIE (pew card)
* ASSURANCE OF PARDON
* SUMMARY OF THE LAW
JUNIOR SERMON
ANTHEM: Set Me as a Seal, Joseph M. Martin
Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is stronger than death. Many waters cannot quench love. Neither can the rivers drown it; for love burns brighter than flame, more unyielding than the grave. Love is a gift of perfect grace.
— Song of Solomon 8:6-7
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Deuteronomy 11:1-5, 18-21, Pew Bible, page 147
You shall love the Lord your God, therefore, and keep his charge, his decrees, his ordinances, and his commandments always. Remember today that it was not your children (who have not known or seen the discipline of the Lord your God), but it is you who must acknowledge his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm, his signs and his deeds that he did in Egypt to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to all his land; what he did to the Egyptian army, to their horses and chariots, how he made the water of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued you, so that the Lord has destroyed them to this day; what he did to you in the wilderness, until you came to this place;
You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.
Romans 3:21-31, Pew Bible, page 916
But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
THE SERMON: Living By Faith, Rev. Blaine Crawford
WORSHIP OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS
Offering
Offertory: This Do In Remembrance of Me, Judy Hunnicutt
This do in remembrance of me; keep this feast and together we'll be.
This do in remembrance of me; till you come in my kingdom.
This is my body, broken for you, take and eat in remembrance of me.
Broken that you might rise up from death into a life everlasting.
This is my blood, I shed it for you. Take and drink in remembrance of me.
Shed that you might rise up from death into a life everlasting.
* The Doxology (pew card)
* Prayer of Dedication
* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 21
Leader: What is true faith?
People: 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.
SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
Remembering with Love and Hope (pew card)
Invitation
Communion Prayer
Sanctus (pew card)
Mystery of the Faith (unison)
Christ has Died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again.
Words of Institution
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING & INTERCESSION
Lord’s Prayer (pew card)
Prayer response, George Whelpton
Hear our prayer, O Lord; incline thine ear to us, and grant us thy peace.
* HYMN No. 735: One Race, One Gospel, One Task
* BENEDICTION
Response, John Newton
May the grace of Christ our Savior and the Father's boundless love, with the Holy Spirit's favor, rest upon us from above.
Thus may we abide in union with each other and the Lord, and possess in sweet communion joys which earth cannot afford.
POSTLUDE: O Praise the Lord, Sigfrid Karg-Elert
ANNOUNCEMENTS
THE FLOWERS are given in loving memory of Fran Pipino by Judie and Buck Kellaway.
TODAY’S COFFEE HOUR is given in appreciation of Richard Iovale for his many years of service as sexton in Church on the Hill and hosted by Rhoda Jabbour, Ginny Chan, Nancy Gessner, Judie Kellaway, and Mary Moder. All are invited to share in this time of fellowship.
WCC LUNCHEON & PROGRAM, Saturday, May 16 at 1:00 PM
The speaker will be Lesley Mazzotta, Director of Spiritual Life Formation at Christ Episcopal Church and Community Reformed Church in Manhasset.
CONGREGATIONAL LUNCHEON & MEETING, Sunday, May 17 at 12:00 noon
Election of Elders and Deacons. Annual reports. All are invited.
Elder nominee: Gerry Mendler
Deacon nominees: Gina Lombardo, Pam Lopez, Eileen Mahon, Joan Wagner
OUR APPRECIATION FOR TODAY’S VOLUNTEERS:
Van Drivers: Jean and Gerry Mendler
Greeters: Linda Diez, Joan Wagner
Ushers: Ginny and Hong Chan, Nancy Gessner, Irma Karle, Jeanne and Steve Sarran, Adriene and Bill Toy
Children and Worship: Sharon Rivilli, Sarah White
VAN MINISTRY: Volunteers are desparately needed to assist with driving members to worship services. If you can help, speak with Gerry Mendler after church or call (917) 362-6284 (day) or (718) 464-3464 (evening).
Also, if you need a ride to church on Sunday, speak with Gerry Mendler.
PRAYER REQUESTS: Jorel Andaluz, Grace Attanasio, Marilyn Cooney, Allegra DeMelo, Ed Diercks, Dombrowski Family, Edythe Durney, Elaine Good, Jenny Hampton, Richard Holm, Robert Keller, Karen Krieg, Fritz Kunisch, Ann McCaffrey-Amalfitano, Rev. John H. Meyer, John Molino, Michael Patras, Keith Pearson, Josephine Rivera, Frank Rivilli, Matthew Schulman, Peter Schumacher, Janice Serra, Emily Testut