Watchword for the Week

For dominion belongs to the Lord,

and he rules over the nations. (Psalm 22:28)

(Moravian Daily Texts 2016)

ORGAN PRELUDE

WELCOME and CALL to WORSHIP

(Verses from Psalms 42-43)

As a deer longs for a stream of cool water,

so I long for you, O God. I thirst for you,

the living God; where can I go

and worship in your presence?

Day and night I cry, and tears are my only

food; all the time my enemies ask me,

“Where is your God?”

My heart breaks when I remember the past,

when I went with the crowds to the house of God

and led them as they walked along, a happy

crowd, singing and shouting praise to God,

Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled?

I will put my hope in God, and once again

I will praise him, my saviour and my God.

Here in exile, my heart is breaking, and so I turn

my thoughts to him. He has sent waves of

sorrow over my soul; chaos roars at me like a

flood, like waterfalls thundering down to the

Jordan from Mount Hermon and Mount Mizar.

May the Lord show his constant love during

the day, so that I may have a song at night,

a prayer to the God of my life.

Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled?

I will put my hope in God, and once again

I will praise him, my saviour and my God.

Send your light and your truth. Then I will go

to your altar, O God; I will play my harp and

sing praise to you, O God, my God.

Hymn 189 * Be still…

People’s Choice Hymns are marked with an asterisk (*)

PRAYER of APPROACH

We are looking for you, God.

Sometimes we look for you in the rushing wind,

the tempest that takes hold of us,

the storm that rages around us,

but you are not there.

Sometimes we look for you in the earthquake,

in the thundering upheaval,

in the turmoil of moving places,

but you are not there.

And sometimes we look for you in the fire,

in the burning brightness,

crackling and sparkling,

but you are not there.

We seek you, God, in the spectacular,

in displays of power and glory.

We long for your help

as we stand in the doorway of our caves,

sheltering from the demanding, critical world,

caught between our fears and our faith,

remembering our failures, our regrets, our loss.

We are looking for you but we do not find

you; we seek forgiveness, if it is possible,

if it may be possible – even for us.

Hymn 97 O God, you search me

WORDS of ASSURANCE

Worn out by our hopelessness, in the stillness,

and in quietness, and in silence… we begin to

feel your presence and hear your voice within us

and around us, calling us out of turmoil into

peace, out of fear and into freedom, calling us to

step out of the darkness and into the light, for

the world and all within it belong to you and

you are with us always, within and without.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

CHILDREN’S TIME

SHARING GOD’S PEACE

(Children may join the Kids’ Church programme)

SCRIPTURE READINGS

1 Kings 19:1-4, 8-15 a OT p. 355 (354)

Hymn 800 * Thuma mina (Send me, Lord)

(Hymn of the Month, June 2016)

St. Luke 8:26-39 NT p. 86

People may stand for the Gospel reading.

The word of God: Thanks be to God!

Hymn 606 Lord, you sometimes speak in…

SERMON Prof. Dr. Mark Burrows

(United Church of Christ, USA)

Hymn 528 * Make me a channel of your peace

(Offerings are gathered and brought forward)

DEDICATION PRAYER

Your generous gifts to us, O God,

are more than we can count.

With grateful hearts we dedicate to you

our work, our talents, our time,

and pray that you will use us

in the service of your kingdom;

for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Amen.

NOTICES and PRAYERS for OTHERS

Whatever our journey, O Lord:

walk with us on the way.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be

thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be

done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this

day our daily bread. And forgive us our

trespasses, as we forgive those who

trespass against us. And lead us not into

temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine

is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

Hymn 622 * We sing a love…

BLESSING and Threefold Amen (No. 819)

ORGAN POSTLUDE