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(Welcome to worship today. Bold responses are spoken by the congregation.
Note that an * indicates when all are invited to rise in body or in spirit.)
Prelude “Un Momento di Contento” G. F. Handel
“Prelude in a Classical Style” Gordon Young
Greetings and Announcements Rev. Gregg Neel
This is the day the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
An Act of Praise
Introit “Come All You People” Zimbabwean gathering song
*Westminster Chimes
*Invitation to Worship Rev. Gregg Neel
When we seek justice for the other,
when we love kindness more than ever,
we live as God asks us to live.
When we walk humbly through life,
we are the blessing God hopes we will be.
When we are willing to look foolish by following Jesus,
we live as God asks us to live.
When we live as the Lord requires,
we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly
with our God. Let us worship.
*Hymn #267 “Come, Christians, Join to Sing” madrid
Come, Christians, join to sing:
Alleluia! Amen!
Loud praise to Christ our King:
Alleluia! Amen!
Let all, with heart and voice,
before his throne rejoice;
praise is his gracious choice:
Alleluia! Amen!
Come, lift your hearts on high:
Alleluia! Amen!
Let praises fill the sky:
Alleluia! Amen!
He is our guide and friend;
to us he’ll condescend;
his love shall never end:
Alleluia! Amen!
Praise yet our Christ again:
Alleluia! Amen!
Life shall not end the strain:
Alleluia! Amen!
On heaven’s blissful shore
his goodness we’ll adore,
singing forevermore:
Alleluia! Amen!
*Invitation to Confession Rev. Junha Kim
When we offer God our confession, we join the beautiful work of reconciliation, which begins with our reconciling with God. Trusting in our Partner in grace, let us make our confession, first in silent prayer.
*Silent Prayer
*Unison Prayer of Confession
Gracious and loving God, open our hearts so that we are able to admit to you the fullness of our lives – that which is beautiful and good, and that which is hurtful and hateful. We confess that we do not follow Jesus in all that we do. We love with condition. We judge and condemn. We cast the first stone and keep the logs in our own eyes. We do not turn to you as the source of our healing. Forgive us, we pray. Forgive our sin and empower us to be imitators of Christ in love and service. Amen.
*Assurance of Forgiveness
Friends in Christ, the mercies of God are from everlasting to everlasting. Let us then
proclaim the Good News:
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Alleluia! Amen.
*The Passing of the Peace
The peace of Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
An Act of Proclamation
The Scripture Reading Rev. Gregg Neel
Micah 6:1-8
Hear what the Lord says:
Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth;
for the Lord has a controversy with his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
‘O my people, what have I done to you?
In what have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and redeemed you from the house of slavery;
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.
O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised,
what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.’
‘With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with tens of thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Moments with Children Rev. Junha Kim
Sermon “Power Through Christ” Rev. Gregg Neel
A Moment for Silent Reflection
An Act of Response
Ordination and Installation of Officers
Deacons to be ordained* and/or installed:
Teena Barnett, Calvin Bash*, Paul Higgins, Eileen Hufana, Paul Mattson*, Paul Sclafani*
Elders to be ordained* and/or installed:
Thomas Dudrey*, Fred Locke Jr.*, Janet Moore*, Michael Moore
Introduction Rev. Gregg Neel
Presentations of the Persons to be Ordained and Installed
Jan Poujade, Clerk of Session
On behalf of the Session of Westminster Presbyterian Church, I now present those to be ordained and/or installed to the officer of elder and deacon, and invite these people to come forward at this time.
Constitutional Questions Rev. Gregg Neel
Do you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ your Savior, acknowledge him Lord of all and Head of the Church, and through him believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
Do you accept the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be, by the Holy Spirit, the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the Church universal, and God’s Word to you?
Do you sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do, and will you be instructed and led by those confessions as you lead the people of God?
Will you fulfill your ministry in obedience to Jesus Christ, under the authority of Scripture and continually guided by the confessions?
Will you be governed by our church’s polity, and will you abide by its discipline? Will you be a friend among your colleagues in ministry, working with them, subject to the ordering of God’s Word and Spirit?
Will you in your own life seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, love your neighbors, and work for the reconciliation of the world?
Do you promise to further the peace, unity, and purity of the church?
Will you pray for and seek to serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love?
(for elders) Rev. Gregg Neel
Will you be a faithful elder, watching over the people, providing for their worship, nurture, and service?
Will you share in government and discipline, serving in councils of the church, and in your ministry will you try to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ?
(for deacons) Rev. Junha Kim
Will you be a faithful deacon, teaching charity, urging concern, and directing the people’s help to the friendless and those in need, and in your ministry will you try to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ?
Questions to the Congregation Jan Poujade, Clerk of Session
Do we, the members of the church, accept these people as elders and deacons, chosen by God through the voice of this congregation to guide us in the way of Jesus Christ?
We do.
Do we agree to pray for them, to encourage them, to respect their decisions, and to follow as they guide us, serving Jesus Christ, who alone is Head of the Church?
We do.
Prayer of Ordination and Laying on of Hands Rev. Junha Kim
Sharing Joys & Concerns Rev. Gregg Neel
(At the conclusion of spoken joys, let us pray together, “Thanks be to you, O God.”
For concerns, let us make them our own by praying, “Lord, hear our prayer.”)
Offering Ourselves and Our Gifts
(Text 73256 the word WESTPRESPDX to give using your mobile device. This number will never send unsolicited texts to you. To cancel further messages, text STOP. If you need assistance with text giving, text HELP. Standard text message and data rates may apply.
If you’re new to Westminster, please let us know by filling out a pink visitor card and dropping it in the offering plate. Thank you.)
Offertory Anthem “Sanctus” Craig Courtney
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabbaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of thy glory; Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed are they who come in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest.
The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
The Invitation to the Table Rev. Gregg Neel
Great Prayer of Thanksgiving Rev. Junha Kim
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to our God.
It is our deep joy to offer our gratitude, O God, for the gifts of creation: eager daffodils that appear in February, and the unexpected sunny sky, and crows that plot
and caw above us. We offer gratitude for messengers you send our way: prophets that warn, friends that comfort, strangers who open our eyes to what we had not seen. We offer gratitude for the gift of the holy: prayer that comes from deep within, music that moves us to tears, and the promise of something more after this life.
And so with the whole company of heaven including our sibling Kay Tousley,
We sing the words of the eternal song:
Blessed are you, O God, and blessed is your son, Jesus, who revealed his glory on the mountain, and his love in acts of healing and mercy. Blessed too, is your Spirit, who descends upon us and empowers us to great things in your name. With humility we now ask for the presence of the Holy Spirit among us and in these gifts of bread and cup, that the bread we break and the cup we bless would become for us the bread of life and the cup of salvation. As we share in this meal, make us one with each other, with you, and with the world.
And hear us now as we say the prayer Jesus taught us:
Pastoral Prayer and The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
Words of Institution
On the night before the Lord Jesus died, he took bread, and after giving thanks, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way he took the cup, saying: This cup is the new covenant sealed with my life, given for you for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.
Receiving the Bread and the Cup
(Today, the congregation is invited to come forward to receive communion. Someone will hand you a piece of bread, which you will eat. You may then move to the next person, who will hand you a cup of juice, which you will drink. As you return to your pew, you may put your cup in the basket. For those unable to come forward, a pastor will bring you the elements.)
Communion Anthem “Let Us Break Bread Together” arr. William Hall
Let us break bread together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.
Let us drink wine together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.
Let us praise God together on our knees;
When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.
Prayer After Communion Rev. Junha Kim
Gracious God, we have been nourished at your table by your grace and hope, and so we will go to those who hunger for justice, bring healing to the broken among us, and do not what is easy, but what is difficult, through the power of Jesus Christ. Amen.
*Hymn #503 “Lord, We Have Come at Your Own Invitation” o quanta qualia
Lord, we have come at your own invitation,
chosen by you, to be counted as friends:
yours is the strength that sustains our vocation,
ours a commitment we know never ends.
Here, at your table, confirm our intention
ever to cherish the gifts you provide;
teach us to serve without pride or pretension,
led by your Spirit, defender and guide.
When, at your table, each time of returning,
vows are renewed, and our courage restored:
may we increasingly glory in learning
all that it means to accept you as Lord.
So, in the world where each duty assigned us
gives us the chance to create or destroy,
help us to make those decisions that bind us,
Lord, to yourself, in obedience and joy.
*Benediction The Choir
*Postlude “Entrance of the Queen of Sheba (Solomon)” G. F. Handel
(You may be seated for the postlude or you may depart.)