Worship Guide
February 23, 2025
Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
Creating Disciples of Jesus who Transform the World
ENTRANCE WITH PRAISE
Greetings:
Minister: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!
People: And also with you!
Special Music: “Redeemed” Charles
Centering Words:
Come into this place with a quiet heart. Be still before God and wait patiently, for the Lord is merciful.
*Call to Worship:
Leader: In these uncertain times, we come together, searching for peace.
People: We will be still before the Lord and wait patiently.
Leader: We will open our hearts and minds, that the Lord may show us mercy.
People: When we trust the Lord, we can do good things and live with one another in peace and security.
Leader: The Lord is our refuge in times of trouble. In God, we find forgiveness, mercy, and love.
People: We will be still before the Lord and wait patiently.
Leader: Let us pray.
ALL: Holy One, we come together to pause, pray, and praise. Be with us in this place, that we may touch your mercy. You provide for us; help us claim the power of your love for our lives. Help us to measure out grace, shaking it together with forgiveness and give them to others as you would have us do. Amen
Hymn: “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
Come thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.
Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.
PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD
Words of Assurance
God’s love and mercy are freely available to all. When we trust and delight in God’s mercy, we are better able to show this mercy to those around us.
Because God can do this, you can do it. We can do it together!
Amen and Amen.
*Old Testament Reading: Genesis 45:3-11, 15
1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’
15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.
Leader: This is the Word of God for the people of God
People: Thanks be to God.
WORD AND RESPONSE
Time with Young Friends: “Jesus Loves Me”
Children’s Message: “Love Your Enemy”
Hymn: “Hymn of Promise”
In the bulb there is a flower;
in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise:
butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter
there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.
There’s a song in every silence,
seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness,
bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future;
what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see.
In our end is our beginning;
in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing;
in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection;
at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season,
something God alone can see
Sermon: “Do to Others” Luke 6:27-38
27 “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
RESPONSE TO THE WORD
Hymn: “Freely, Freely”
God forgave my sin in Jesus' name
I've been born again in Jesus' name
And in Jesus' name I come to you
To share His love as He told me to
He said freely, freely You have received
Freely, freely give Go in My name
And because you believe
Others will know that I live
All power is given in Jesus' name
In earth and heaven in Jesus' name
And in Jesus' name I come to you
I come to you To share His power
as He told me to
He said freely, freely You have received
Freely, freely give Go in My name
And because you believe
Others will know that I live
Psalter: Psalm 37:1-11
1 Do not be angry because of the wicked, do not be envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will dwell in the land, and enjoy security.
4 Take delight in the Lord, who will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in God, who will act,
6 bringing forth your vindication as the light, and your right as the noonday.
7 Be still and wait patiently before the Lord; do not be angry because of those who prosper in their way, because of those who carry out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Do not be angry; it leads only to evil.
9 For the wicked shall be cut off; but those who wait for the Lord shall possess the land.
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look at their place, they will not be there.
11 But the meek shall possess the land, and delight in abundant prosperity.
Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen
Prayers of the People: Joys and concerns
Silent Prayer, Pastoral Prayer
SENDING FORTH
Hymn: “There’s Within My Heart a Melody”
There’s within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low:
Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,
in all of life’s ebb and flow.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know,
fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.
All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,
discord filled my heart with pain;
Jesus swept across the broken strings,
stirred the slumbering chords again.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know,
fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.
Though sometimes he leads through waters deep,
trials fall across the way,
though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,
see his footprints all the way.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know,
fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.
Feasting on the riches of his grace,
resting neath his sheltering wing,
always looking on his smiling face,
that is why I shout and sing.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know,
fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.
Soon he’s coming back to welcome me
far beyond the starry sky;
I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown;
I shall reign with him on high.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know,
fills my every longing, keeps me singing as I go.
Benediction
Hymn: “Until Jesus Comes”
Until Jesus comes,
Until Jesus comes,
I’ll be watching and waiting
Until Jesus comes.
Until Jesus comes,
Until Jesus comes,
I’ll be watching and waiting
Until Jesus comes.
