July 4, 2021 - Don't Be Afraid. Only Believe
“Tested by families, for families (and others too). Church at Home is an interactive, weekly worship service to be held from the safety of your own home. Each service will be centered around one theme and will have 3 songs, readings, and prayers, a short (4-5 min) message for children, and a longer (10 min) message for the whole family.”
Thank you for joining us for our Church at Home service!
Directly below in English and here in Spanish is an at-home worship service to be held with the family or as an individual or small group. Included are links to songs and pastoral messages (English, Spanish, Bilingual, and children's message) which will be made available every Saturday on Youtube. The head of the household can lead (L) and others can respond (C) or everyone can take turns. Use the links for the songs and messages at the appropriate time. Please do not feel pressured to go through the whole thing in one sitting. Rather, use each element of this service so that it serves as a blessing to you and your family.
If you have any prayer requests, or if you worship in this way this weekend, please use or fill out our online connect card, or linked below in the service. Comment to let us know how it went and any suggestions you may have!
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May God bless your Church at Home worship service this week.
Pastor William Dunn
Don’t Be Afraid. Only Believe.
Our God is both almighty and merciful. What a comforting combination for the believer! In the readings for this morning we see the almighty and merciful God who can bring his people back from his captivity, without his deserving it, and that he can still make a dead person live. In every problem, God will always be our helper, as the psalm says for this morning.
Opening Song - Brothers, Sisters, Let Us Gladly
Invocation
L. In the name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C. Amen.
Confession and Absolution
We begin the service by recognizing how we have fallen short of God’s will and desire for our lives, and we receive the good news that we are forgiven in Jesus Christ.
L. Let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us.
C. Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin. For faithless worrying and selfish pride, for sins of habit and sins of choice, for the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do, you should cast me away from your presence forever. O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake.
L. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. In his great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sins. Hear the word of Christ just as he proclaimed to the paralytic: "Take heart, your sins are forgiven.” Let us take this forgiveness to heart and proclaim it to each other in the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer of the Day
L. O God, you have prepared joys beyond understanding for those who love you. Pour into our hearts such love for you that, loving you above all things, we may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C. Amen.
First Lesson - Lamentations 3:22-33
In the midst of the ruins of Jerusalem and seeing the ashes that used to be the temple of the Lord, Jeremiah does not despair, but writes this song of confidence. Such confidence is based solely on the grace and promises of almighty God, who after seventy years would deliver his people from captivity, fulfilling his promises.
22 By the mercies of the LORD we are not consumed, for his compassions do not fail.
23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
24 My soul says, “The LORD is my portion. Therefore, I will hope in him.”
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good to hope quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man that he bears a yoke early in his life.
28 Let him sit alone and be silent, because the LORD has laid this upon him.
29 Let him stick his face in the dust. Perhaps there still is hope.
30 Let him turn his cheek toward the one who strikes him. Let him be filled with disgrace.
31 For the Lord will not push us away forever.
32 Even though he brings grief, he will show compassion on the basis of his great mercy.
33 Certainly it is not what his heart desires when he causes affliction,
when he brings grief to the children of men.
Psalm of the Day - Psalm 30
A psalm. A song for the dedication of the Temple. By David.
1 I will exalt you, O LORD,
because you lifted me up.
You did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried out to you,
and you healed me.
3 LORD, you snatched my life from the grave.
You kept me alive so I did not go down into the pit.
4 Make music to the LORD, you his favored ones,
and give thanks when you remember his holiness,
5 for we spend a moment under his anger,
but we enjoy a lifetime in his favor.
In the evening, weeping comes to stay through the night,
but in the morning, there is rejoicing!
6 But I—I said in my security,
“I will never be knocked down.”
7 LORD, in your favor you made strength
stand like a mountain for me.
Then you hid your face. I was terrified.
8 To you, O LORD, I call.
To the Lord I cry for mercy:
9 “What gain is there in shedding my blood,
in sending me down to destruction?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your truth?
10 LORD, hear and be merciful to me.
LORD, be a helper for me.”
11 You turned my mourning into dancing.
You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my whole being may make music to you
and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I thank you forever.
Second Lesson - 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13, 14
Seeing the mercies of our almighty God, who humbled himself by coming into this world as a poor human being and dying as a common criminal, we will naturally want to share all the riches, spiritual and material, that God has granted us with those in need.
8:1 Now brothers, we want you to know about the grace of God that was given in the churches of Macedonia: 2 In a severe test of trouble, their overflowing joy and their deep poverty overflowed into an abundance of their generosity. 3 I testify that of their own free will they gave according to their ability, and even beyond their ability, 4 pleading with us with an urgent request for the gracious privilege of joining in this service to the saints. 5 And they did this not as we had expected, but in keeping with God’s will they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us. 6 As a result we urged Titus, since he had already made a beginning, to bring to completion this gracious gift on your part. 7 But just as you overflow in every way—in faith, in word, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you also overflow in this gracious gift.
8 I do not say this as a command, but to test how genuine your love is, by comparing it with the eagerness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich.
13 Certainly, our goal is not that others take it easy while you are burdened, but that there may be equality. 14 At the present time, your abundance will provide what they lack, in order that their abundance will also provide what you lack—in this way there will be equality.
Gospel - Mark 5:21-24a, 35-43
The greatest fear in this world that man has is the fear of death. By his conscience, man knows that when he dies he will face judgment. What a comfort it gives us then that our God not only has the power over death, but that he is also merciful to help us in everything. Through his own death and resurrection, he has freed us from slavery to death.
21 When Jesus had again crossed over in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him near the sea. 22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and repeatedly pleaded with him, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place your hands on her so that she may be healed and live.”
24 Jesus went with him.
35 While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue ruler’s house arrived, saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher anymore?”
36 But when Jesus heard this report, he told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” 37 He did not allow anyone to follow him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 They went into the house of the synagogue ruler, and Jesus saw a commotion with people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.”
40 They laughed at him. But after he put everyone out, he took the father of the child, her mother, and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Grasping the hand of the child, he said to her, “Talitha, koum”! (When translated, that means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”) 42 Immediately the little girl stood up and began to walk around. (She was twelve years old.) They were completely and utterly amazed. 43 Then he gave them strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and he told them to give her something to eat.
Children's Message
Song - If God Had Not Been on Our Side
English Sermon -or- Bilingual Sermon
Confession of Faith - The Apostles' Creed
We speak the truths of the faith that have united the church for thousands of years.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his 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 into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into 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 Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Offering
Out of thanksgiving for God’s message of grace and forgiveness, if you would like to support our ministry with a financial gift you may do so with zero fees through our Facebook page or with a small fee included through Paypal. We thank you for your gracious support.
Online Connection Card
Please use the link to connect with us online! Let us know that you worshiped with us or submit a prayer request.
General Prayer
Use this time to pray to God about anything that is on your heart and mind. Remember who God is and how he describes himself in the Bible. Focus on his eternal perspective. Consider not only your own life, but also the lives of others. Finally, pray with confidence knowing that God hears you, and pray in the name of your savior, Jesus Christ.
The Lord's Prayer
Pray the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.
The Blessing
Just as God told Aaron to bless his people in this way, we ask God’s blessing on us as we go forth in our lives.
L. The Lord bless us and keep us.
The Lord make his face shine on us and be gracious to us.
The Lord look on us with favor and ☩ give us peace.
C. Amen