Song 1 – Blessed Be Your Name

Hear God call you to worship:

1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
   my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
   my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
   and I am saved from my enemies.

Psalm 18:1-3

Let us worship our God together!

Song 2 – Come Thou Fount

Lord, thank you that you are our solid ground even when everything around us changes and moves and shakes and trembles. Thank you for the trust that we can have in you, our mighty fortress, our comfort and safety, our hope and our future. In light of that eternal hope, Holy God, we come before you now and bring you all our fears and our faults with this prayer of confession which we read together.

Confession of Faith
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.
We pray this by your Holy Spirit
and through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

Assurance of Pardon
1 John 1:7 tells us that “…if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Let us pray.

Song 3 – When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Song 4 – Show Us Christ

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 join our Sunday school classes! 

The Scripture reading for today is taken from the book of 1 Samuel 7:3-17. Hear the Word of God:

³ And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.

⁵ Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶ So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. ⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸ And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. ¹⁰ As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. ¹¹ And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen^[a] and called its name Ebenezer;^[b] for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” ¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴ The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵ Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶ And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. ¹⁷ Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Return: Reviving Relationship with the Lord
-1 Samuel 7:3-17

1. Return to the Lord
2. Repent of Idolatry
3. Raise an Ebenezer

Song 5 – Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

Song 6 – All Glory Be To Christ

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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