Song 1 – God the Uncreated One

Hear God call you to worship:

“May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise! You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.”   –Nehemiah 9:5-6

Let us worship the Lord!

Song 2 – 10,000 Reasons

Song 3 – Indescribable

Lord, the way you love us truly is an indescribable, incomparable mystery of grace. While we were still sinners, you died on the cross for us; you see the depths of our heart, and still you love us. You paid the price of sin once and for all; you died the death we deserve so that you could invite us out of our sin and shame into your life of perfect love, grace and light. Thank you for the cross, Lord! 

But while we are surrounded by brokenness in this fallen world, Lord, we still struggle with sin. So together as your people, we consider the many ways we have sinned against you and each other. Trusting in your grace, we pray this prayer of confession, to you, our most merciful God:

Confession of Sin
Most merciful God, 
we confess that we have sinned against you 
in thought, word, and deed, 
by what we have done, 
and by what we have left undone. 
We have not loved you with our whole heart; 
we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. 

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, 
for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, 
have mercy on us and forgive us; 
that we may delight in your will, 
and walk in your ways, 
to the glory of your Name.
Amen.         

Assurance of Pardon
Hear, receive, and rejoice in God’s promises of forgiveness from the book of Isaiah:

“With everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer. I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”
(—Isaiah 54:8; 43:25; 44:22)

Let us pray.

Song 4 – Sovereign Over Us

Our welcome team members will pass an offering basket during this song.

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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

A warm welcome to all, and especially to any visitors joining us today – if you’d like to get connected or find out more about UCC, please see our digital visitors card or speak to us after the service!

If you have children, they are welcome to now join our Sunday school classes! 

Our Scripture reading today is 1 Samuel 2:11-26, and 3:1. Hear the Word of God:

^{” 11} Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.

¹² Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. ¹³ The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, ¹⁴ and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. ¹⁵ Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” ¹⁶ And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” ¹⁷ Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

¹⁸ Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. ¹⁹ And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. ²⁰ Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.

²¹ Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.

²² Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²³ And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. ²⁴ No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. ²⁵ If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.

²⁶ Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.

3:1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.“

This is the Word of the Lord.

A Coming Priest
        1 Samuel 2:11-26, 3:1

1. Moral decay in Israel: indulgent Eli and his wicked sons

2. God’s provision: a righteous branch and the rise of Samuel

Song 5 – Heart of Worship

Song 6 – Holy

Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name;
your kingdom come;
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread. 
And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. 
For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.

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Introduction 

1. Begin the study by discussing what you remember of the previous study and recalling what was significant for them. 

Into the Text

1. Read the whole passage out loud: 1 Samuel 2:12–26, 3:1. Next, either in smaller groups or as a larger group examine Eli’s sons and Samuel and fill out the following comparison chart. (concentrate on 2:11–26 and 3:1): 

2. How does God respond to Eli’s sons (1 Samuel 2:30–34; cf. 3:11–14)? 

3. How does God respond to Eli? 

4. How does God respond to Samuel (1 Sam. 2:35–3:1)? 

Application

1. What have you learned from this passage about: What God despises? What God values?

2. Close in prayer. If possible, share prayer points related to the things that you’ve learned from the passage and areas in which you need help.