Order of Worship
28th of January | 10:30 (Espoo) & 16:00 (Helsinki)
Song 1 – A Christian’s Daily Prayer
Hear God call you to worship:
8 Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. 25 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise.
1 Chronicles 16:8-10, 23-25a
Let us worship the Lord!
Song 2 – Indescribable
Song 3 –Great Are You, Lord
Song 4 – Take My Life
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 for more info on giving online, or giving specifically towards out Stewardship Campaign.
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
It’s such a joy to be together in worship – what a privilege that we can come freely and openly to worship! Part of our gathered worship at UCC is to come together in a moment of confession, to acknowledge that we all fail to live up to the standards of holiness that God has set for us, and to joyfully accept his grace and mercy by the blood of Christ who as paid for all our sin. So as we come now to confession, let’s ask that the Holy Spirit would illuminate in our hearts the unspoken sins that we need to repent of; and please pray with me this prayer of confession:
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 astounding truth according to Romans 8:1 is that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!”
In light of this glorious truth, let us pray together with grateful hearts.
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 Chronicles 29:1-20 . Hear the Word of God:
29:1 And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God. 2 So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble. 3 Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God: 4 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house, 5 and for all the work to be done by craftsmen, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the Lord?”
6 Then the leaders of fathers’ houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king’s work. 7 They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron. 8 And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, in the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
10 Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. 19 Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.”
20 Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Money and Devotion
– 1 Chronicles 29:1-20
I. Wholehearted Devotion
II. Complete Consecration
III. Joyful Giving
IV. Thankful Praise
Song 5 – Give Thanks
Song 6 – Build My Life
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
Stewardship Sunday, Study Questions
Introduction:
1. Reflecting on your journey, what has been your prevailing attitude toward giving in the context of the church?
Into the Text:
1. In the context of 1 Chronicles 29, what events are taking place, and what is the purpose of the offering mentioned?
2. How does King David’s personal commitment to contribute to the construction of the temple establish the foundation for understanding the principles of financial stewardship and giving in this passage?
3. Explore instances in the text where the concept of consecration (setting people or things aside from other uses and purposes to be wholly available to God and to His purposes.’) is evident in the offering, especially in dedicating people and resources wholly to God’s purposes.
4. In the sermon, it was said: “So consecration is about money, yes, but it’s about more than that. It’s about gifts, skills, time, talents, expertise, availability, professional and artistic talents, and all the other resources we control. It means holding nothing back; it’s saying to the Lord it’s all yours. What would you have me do with it. That, I think, is the point of the end of verse 11, “for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.“ Or, the end of verse 14, “For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. “ Its also at the end of verse 16, “ we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.“ Three times this theme is spelled out.”
What does it mean for your giving that everything you have is from God and belongs to Him.
5. Analyze David’s prayer and praise to God in verses 10-20, focusing on his response to the generosity of the people. What observations can be made about his expressions of gratitude and acknowledgment of God’s character?
Application:
1. When it is said that giving is an extension of worship during Sunday offerings, what does this concept mean to you? Additionally, when we sing the Doxology with the opening line, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow,” what do you believe is being conveyed in that moment?
2. Considering your “time, talent, and treasures” is there anything you are reluctant to give to God?
3. The stewardship team’s theme for 2024 at UCC is “pray, plan, partner.” Discuss your interpretation of this theme and then explore its personal implications for your life.