Song 1 – I Believe (The Creed)

Hear God call you to worship:

Colossians 1: 15–17

15 He [that is, Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Let us worship the Lord!

Song 2 – Jesus, Only Jesus

Song 3 – In Tenderness 

Song 4 – My Worth is Not in What I Own

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

Before we move into a time of confession, let’s begin with words of praise and worship by St. Augustine. Please read with me: 

Great are you, O Lord, 
and exceedingly worthy of praise; 
your power is immense, 
and your wisdom beyond reckoning. 
And so we, as part of your creation, 
long to praise you. 

You have made us and drawn us to yourself, 
and our hearts are restless until we rest in you.

Even as we praise you, o Lord,
we also carry our mortality about with us. 
We are constantly affected by the brokenness of this fallen world.
We carry the weight and consequences of our sin 
and with it the conviction of our guilt. 
The burden is heavy, Lord; the restlessness is real. 

In this, we look to you alone, Jesus Christ, 
because you invite us in with the words of life.
You invite us to lay down our burdens; 
you invite us to take upon us your yoke and learn from you;
 you promise us rest for our souls. 

We lift our voices together as your people, Holy God, 
and prayerfully consider our brokenness 
before each other and before you, our Triune God.

Confession of Sin
Triune God,
You have made us and drawn us to yourself, 
and our hearts are restless until we rest in you.

We long for the fullness of your rest, o Lord. 
Help us to lay down our burdens, 
Help us to confess in spirit and truth
Help us to repent of our sin:
what we have done, 
and what we have left undone.
Help us to lay down our guilt and our shame
and step into the righteous freedom of your grace.

Gentle and tender-loving Jesus, 
Help us find our rest in you, 
Our hope in you, 
Our peace in you, 
And all our life in you. 

By your Spirit and in your perfect timing,
Take what we now surrender, 
and take what we cannot yet surrender. 
Lead us and guide us, 
and mould us further into your likeness. 
Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness
Romans 5:1-2 remind us of the peace, hope and grace which we have through Christ our Lord. Hear and be encouraged by these words:
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Let us pray.

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 3:1 – 4:1. Hear the Word of God:

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.

² At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” ⁵ and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

⁶ And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

⁸ And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” ¹¹ Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. ¹² On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ¹³ And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.¹⁴ Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

¹⁵ Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. ¹⁶ But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” ¹⁷ And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” ¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.”

¹⁹ And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. ²⁰ And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. ²¹ And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

4:1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek.

This is the Word of the Lord.

A Coming Prophet
       -1 Samuel 3:1-4:1

1. The Word of God is Rare
2. The Word of God Comes
3. The Word of God Comes Today

Song 5 – A Christian’s Daily Prayer

Song 6 – In Christ Alone

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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