Song 1 – Be Still for the Presence of the Lord

Hear God call you to worship:

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
   my soul knows it very well.
 –Psalm 139:14

Let us worship the Lord!

Song 2 – Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Song 3 – Wonderful, Merciful Saviour

Song 4 – Have Thine  Own Way, Lord

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

As we come now to our time of confession, we rejoice that we can come before a wonderful, merciful Saviour. He made us and he knows us better than we know ourselves, and he loves us more than we can imagine. Confident in his kindness and mercy towards us, we pray together this prayer of confession with the words on the screen:

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 confess that we have lived our days
forgetting your ever-living presence with us,
often turning to other sources of comfort and help
rather than turning to you in prayer.

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent,
and we ask that you would awaken in us
a desire for more of you in our lives.

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 Forgiveness:
Based on our faith in Jesus, and according to Scripture, we can be confident that through the blood of Christ our sins are forgiven. Let us joyfully proclaim and affirm this for ourselves and for one another by reading out loud the text on the screen, which is based on the Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 56:

My sins are forgiven.

I believe that God,
because of Christ’s atonement,
will never hold against me
any of my sins nor my sinful nature,
which I need to struggle against all my life.

Rather, in his grace
God grants me the righteousness of Christ
to free me forever from judgment.
—based on Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A56

Let’s 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 join our Sunday school classes! 

Our Scripture reading today is Luke 11:5-13 (ESV) . Hear the Word of God:

⁵ And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, ⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; ⁷ and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? ⁸ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. ⁹ And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹ What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; ¹² or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

This is the Word of the Lord.

VISION series part 1: Prayer
–Luke 11:5-13

I. A Parable (vv 5-8)
II. A Promise (vv 9-10)
III. A Principle (vv 11-12)
IV. A Premise (v 13)

Vision:
At UCC, we aspire to cultivate a prayer life characterized by shameless, persistent, hopeful, and confident communication with our Heavenly Father. We seek not only His blessings but also the ultimate gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit. Through this journey, we firmly believe that God will actively work to transform our lives and transform our communities.

Here’s how we’ll start on this vision:
1. Introducing a new monthly prayer meeting on the last Wednesday of every month.
2. Designating the third Sunday of each month as a special Prayer Emphasis Sunday.
3. Providing a convenient Prayer Request Form for our community.
4. Offering various opportunities for equipping in prayer and spiritual growth.
5. Launching our journey with a Lenten campaign: 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting.

Song 5 – What A Friend We Have in Jesus

Song 6 – Living Hope

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

Coming soon!