Order of Worship
2nd of June | 10:30 (Espoo) & 16:00 (Helsinki)
Song 1 – Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Hear God call you to worship:
Psalm 104:47–48
48 Save us, Lord our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
48 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord.
Let us worship the Lord!
Song 2 – Indescribable
Song 3 – His Glory & My Good
Song 4 – Knowing You, Jesus
Our welcome team members will pass an offering basket during this song.
For information about giving online, please visit ucclife.fi/give or follow the QR code on the screen. You can also speak to our pastors or leaders for more information about giving and generosity. You can also ask the welcome team or any of our staff team members for more info on giving online.
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 join our Sunday school classes!
Our Scripture reading today is 1 Samuel 31:1–13 (ESV). Hear the Word of God:
31:1 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
This is the Word of the Lord.
The Death & Legacy of King Saul
1 Samuel 27–31
I. The tragic death of Saul vv 1–6
II. Saul’s name dishonoured vv 7–10
III. The courage of Jabesh-Gilead
Application
Confession of Sin
God of everlasting love,
we confess that we have been unfaithful
to our covenant with you
and with one another.
We have worshipped other gods:
money, power, greed, and convenience.
We have served our own self-interest
instead of serving only you and your people.
We have not loved our neighbour
as you have commanded,
nor have we rightly loved ourselves.
Forgive us, gracious God,
and bring us back into the fullness
of our covenant with you
and one another.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Assurance of Forgiveness
The assurance of forgiveness comes from Ephesians 1:7:
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”
If you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, you are welcome to receive the elements of communion.
The bread and the cup will be distributed as we sing together. Please hold the elements until all have received; we will all partake together as one body.
Song 5 – Jesus Paid it All
Song 6 – May the Peoples Praise You
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.
“‘The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
– Numbers 6:24-26
For all church announcements, please see our digital announcements page: ucclife.fi/announcements
1 Samuel (The True King)
1. How would you describe the sin of Saul from the book of 1 Samuel?
2. Do you think the tragedy of Saul was a justification of God’s righteous wrath? Why or why not?
3. What are some differences in the characters of Saul and David?
4. How does 1 Samuel teach the LORD’s victory over idols? Why do you think it was an important message for the first readers? What does God’s victory over idols teach you today?
5. Jesus was dishonoured, betrayed and punished for our sins. Do you see that 1 Samuel points to this gospel in the redemptive history? How does 1 Samuel point you to the gospel of Christ?
6. From the sermon on 1 Samuel 31, what was the application?
7. If you desire to trust and follow God, how and why should you rely on the Holy Spirit?
8. What is a wasted life according to the sermon from Sunday? How can you not waste your life like Saul?