The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me

A service for Epiphany built around Isaiah 61, Luke 4, and I Peter 1

Worship Service

posted on June 1, 2004

(* invites all who are able to stand)

Gathering Music

*Greeting and Call to Worship

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.

Hear the Word of the Lord:
"I, the Lord, have called you in saving justice,
I have grasped you by the hand and shaped you;
I have made you a covenant of the people
and light to the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to free captives from prison,
and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.
I am the Lord, that is my name!
I shall not yield my glory to another,
nor my honor to idols."

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

*Hymns of Praise: Holy, Holy, Holy (inspired by Isaiah 6) PsH 249

Surely It Is God Who Saves Me (from Isaiah 12) SNC 74

Call to Confession

The Psalmist testifies:
The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
-Psalm 147:2-3, 5

Prayer of Confession

Merciful God,
you pardon all who truly repent and turn to you.
We humbly confess our sins and ask your mercy.
We have not loved you with a pure heart,
nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves.
We have not done justice, loved kindness,
or walked humbly with you, our God.

Quiet Reflection

Have mercy on us, O God, in your loving-kindness.
In your great compassion,
cleanse us from our sin.
Create in us a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within us.
Do not cast us from your presence,
or take your Holy Spirit from us.
Restore to us the joy of your salvation
and sustain us with your bountiful Spirit.

Assurance of Pardon

Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you, you are my servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
I have swept away your transgression like a cloud,
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.
-Isaiah 44:21-22

*Response: "Give Thanks" SNC 216

Prayer for Illumination

Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life!
By the power of your Spirit,
help us now to hear and obey what you say to us today.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-John 6:68

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 61

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

*Hymn: Hark, the Glad Sound! The Savior Comes PsH 335

New Testament Readings: Luke 4:14-21, 1 Peter 1:13-16

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Sermon

Quiet Reflection

*Proclamation in Song: Arise, Your Light Has Come!
Test: Ruth Duck, © 1992 GIA Publications, Inc.
Music: Festal Song, William H. Walter

*Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.

Prayers of the People

Lord's Prayer
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.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

*Sung Prayer: Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service PsH 603

*Charge and Blessing

Lead a life worthy of the calling
to which you have been called,
with all humility and gentleness,
with patience, bearing with one another in love,
making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit,
just as we were called to the one hope of our calling,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all,
who is above all and through all and in all.
—Eph. 4:1-6

Now to him who by the power at work within us
is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.
—Eph. 3:20-21

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. Amen.
—Phil. 4:23

Passing of the Peace

Organ Postlude: Fuga-Energico Frantisek Musil

SNC refers to Sing! A New Creation (CRC Publications, 2001)
PsH refers to Psalter Hymnal (CRC Publications, 1987)