Virtual Worship – Sunday, February 28, 2021

First Presbyterian Church

Delavan, Illinois

Service for the Lord’s Day

28 February 2021

2nd Sunday in Lent

Prelude    “Little Prelude in C by Bach”    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omxWaEP1MAE

Welcome and Announcements

Good morning everyone. We continue to do a new thing in this time of social distancing. We are still a community of faith, even though we are separated for the safety of ourselves, our families, our congregation, and our communities. We will continue to offer this service for the foreseeable future. 

In this bulletin, you will find links to the hymns which also show the lyrics (or are shown below). If you get an ad (and you likely will) you can skip it by clicking the SKIP AD usually found in the lower right corner of the video. There are also links to the Gospel reading and the sermon.

For inclusion in next week’s service, please email or phone the church or Pastor Jean (who can also receive texts) with any prayer requests.

We have resumed LIMITED in-person worship. Please read the guidelines below!

We offer praise and prayer to God

^Call to Worship

If any want to become my followers,

let them deny themselves

and take up their cross daily

and follow me.

^Opening Prayer

God of mercy, you are full of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in mercy, and always ready to forgive. Grant us grace to renounce all evil and to cling to Christ, that in every way we may prove to be your loving children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

^Hymn     “The God Of Abraham Praise” # 24   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvTgzJ2nZGo

Call to Confession

For God so loved the world … God sent Jesus, not to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. With faith and hope, let us confess our sin.

Confession of Sin

Create in me a clean heart, O God; put a new and right spirit within me. 

Have mercy on me, O God,  according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 

Create in me a clean heart, O God; put a new and right spirit within me. 

You are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. 

Create in me a clean heart, O God; put a new and right spirit within me.

Time of Silent Confession

(Lord, have mercy on us) #300

Assurance of Pardon

Our help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. The LORD will keep you from all evil; God will guard your life, from this time on and forevermore. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Thanks be to God!

^Gloria Patri (Glory be to the Father) #35

^Passing the Peace

Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us forgive one another. The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

And also with you.

We listen to God’s Word

Prayer for Illumination

Gracious God, we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from your mouth. Make us hungry for this heavenly food, that it may nourish us today in the ways of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, the bread of heaven. Amen.

First Reading   Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16  

(God’s covenant given to Abraham)

¹When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. ²And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” ³Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, ⁴“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. ⁵No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. ⁶I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. ⁷I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. ⁸And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God.”

¹⁵God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

The Word of The LORD.  Thanks be to God.

Psalm 22:23–31 (A plea for deliverance)  Responsive

You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.

From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.

The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.

For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.

To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.

Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,

and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,

saying that he has done it.

Second Reading     Romans 4:13–25 Pew Bible, NT, pgs.  

(God’s promise realized by faith)

¹³For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

¹⁶For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, ¹⁷as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. ¹⁸Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. ²²Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” ²³Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, ²⁴but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

The Word of The LORD.  Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading   Mark 8:31–38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Mny34Vxb0

(The cost of following – Jesus foretells His death and resurrection ) 

³¹Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³²He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

³⁴He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. ³⁶For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? ³⁷Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? ³⁸Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

The Word of The LORD.  Thanks be to God.

Sermon                  The Road To The Cross – What, Me Suffer? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqpijR1Ahfw

^Affirmation of Faith  Apostle’s Creed 

I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come again to judge the quick and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  Amen.

^Hymn     “Be Still, My Soul” #566   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqgC1tqifV8

Prayers of the People

Almighty God,  who taught us to pray not only for ourselves but for people everywhere, hear us as we pray for others, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Inspire the whole church with your power, unity, and peace. Grant that all who trust you may obey your Word, and live together in love.

Lead all nations in the way of justice and goodwill. Direct those who govern, that they may rule fairly, maintain order, uphold those in need, and defend oppressed people; that this world may claim your rule and know true peace.

Awaken all people to the danger we have inflicted upon the earth. Implant in each a reverence for all you have made that we may preserve the delicate balance of creation for all coming generations.

Give grace to all who proclaim the gospel through Word and Sacrament and deeds of mercy, that by their teaching and example they may reveal your love for all people.

Comfort and relieve, O Lord, all who are in trouble . . . sorrow . . . poverty . . . sickness . . . grief . . . especially those known to us, whom we name before you in silence. . . . We especially name those battling the Covid virus in any way.

Heal them in body, mind, or circumstance, working in them, by your grace, wonders beyond all they may dream or hope.

We ask for the miracle of growth in this congregation, the revitalization of the main street, and your blessing on this community and its schools,

Bring to our remembrance all those who, having served you on earth, now sing your praises eternally. May their endurance give us courage and their faithfulness give us hope; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Offering Invitation

Offertory “Close To Thee”   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEhw-zBVk6E&t=9s

^Doxology (Praise God from Whom all blessings flow)     #46

^Prayer of Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks to The LORD our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

 God of mercy, we praise you that in love you have reached across the abyss of our sin and brought us into your embrace. We thank you for the sacrifice of your Son on the cross, for the breaking of his body for our sakes, and for the spilling of his blood to seal us in the covenant of your love. By your Spirit, give us the grace of repentance, and guide us in ways of righteousness. Take our humble offerings as tokens of our commitment to follow Jesus Christ, our crucified and risen Lord. Amen. 

^Lord’s Prayer

We depart to serve Christ in the world

^Hymn “Standing On The Promises” # 552   vs. 1-3  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56e3XFRtmY8

^Charge

Go forth in the name of the Lord. This is God’s charge: to give our allegiance to Jesus Christ and to love one another as he commanded.

Benediction (A word of blessing)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Postlude

Please remember in your prayers: 

Marian Allen, Marge Donley (Pekin Manor), Helen Hopkins (shoulder surgery), Barb Day, Verbie Hoffman, Susan (Sinn) Funke, Glenn and Loretta (broken shoulder) Holmes, Meryl Place (Pastor Jean’s cousin), Diane Schlosser, Joyce Culbertson, Mardelle Neumann (Apostolic Christian Skylines), Donna Diekhoff, Dick Temple, Myrna and Don (blood clots) Brose, Margaret Altine, Blake Renner (Diane Allen Renner’s son), Joy Heaton, Lyndee Lewis’ niece, Jeremy Warner, Rose Goeken, Richard Hopkins (cancer), Dick Watts, Kyle Diekhoff (second spinal surgery), Rick Woodrow (Crohn’s)

The family and friends of Dick Place

All affected by the Covid-19 virus, those caring for them in any way, and those working to find a cure

WORSHIP RESUMES – I’m sure many of you are overjoyed to see these words but they come with some precautions. Please wear a mask to protect others, as it is astonishing to see the number of people who are ill but asymptomatic. (Masks will be available if you don’t have your own.) When you enter please use the provided hand sanitizer then pick up a bulletin. We will practice social distancing inside the sanctuary, asking that those who live in the same household sit together and to space yourselves out if you do not. Please keep your mask on throughout the service, especially when singing. We will not move around during the Passing of the Peace, instead wave, bow, or give air hugs. The offering plates will not be passed. Instead, they will be located at the rear of the sanctuary so you may make your offering as you enter or leave. Some may feel these restrictions are too much, others may feel they are not enough. Your Session has considered all the available information before resuming in-person worship. If you are uncomfortable in attending worship, please know we are continuing the virtual services. PLEASE, IF YOU FEEL AT ALL ILL, STAY AT HOME and use the virtual option.

Calendar:

Sun., 2/28: Sunday School, 9:30 a.m., Worship, 10:30 a.m. Pastor Jean Sparks, preaching. Virtual option available; Community Lenten Service, 6:00 p.m., at Dillon Mennonite, Steve Waggoner preaching

Wed., 3/3: NO Cro-Knits until further notice

Thurs., 3/4:  Lenten Bible Study, 10-11:30 a.m. or 6-7:30 p.m., or Zoom, if requested

Sat., 3/6:  Prayer Group, 9:00 a.m. or Zoom, if requested

Sun., 3/7:  Sunday School, 9:30 a.m.; Worship, 10:30 a.m., Pastor Jean Sparks preaching; Virtual option available. Community Lenten Service, 6:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s, Andy Goewey preaching

Tues., 3/9: Threads of Love, 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Thurs., 3/11:  NO Lenten Bible Study

Sat., 3:13:  NO Prayer Group

Sun., 3/14:  Daylight Savings Time begins (move your clocks forward), Sunday School, 9:30 a.m.; Worship, 10:30 a.m., Pastor Jean Sparks preaching; Virtual option available. Community Lenten Service, 6:00 p.m. at Crosswalk Fellowship, Jean Sparks preaching

Wed., 3/17:  Session, 6:30 p.m.

Thurs., 3/18:  Lenten Bible Study, 10-11:30 a.m. or 6-7:30 p.m., or Zoom, if requested

Sat., 3:20:  Prayer Group, 9:00 a.m. or Zoom, if requested

Sun., 3/21:  Sunday School, 9:30 a.m.; Worship, 10:30 a.m., Pastor Jean Sparks preaching; Virtual option available. Community Lenten Service, 6:00 p.m. at Baptist Church, Charlie Graul preaching

Mon., 3/22: 4^th Monday Free Meal, 5:30 p.m., probably will be drive-by pick-up, watch your newspaper for details

Thurs., 3/25:  Lenten Bible Study, 10-11:30 a.m. or 6-7:30 p.m., or Zoom, if requested

Sat., 3:27:  Prayer Group, 9:00 a.m. or Zoom, if requested

Sun., 3/28:  Sunday School, 9:30 a.m.; Worship, 10:30 a.m., Pastor Jean Sparks preaching; Virtual option available. Community Lenten Service, 6:00 p.m. at United Methodist Church, Father Tim Nolan preaching

First Presbyterian Church

P.O. Box 602, 201 W. Fourth Street, Delavan, IL 61734

(309) 244-7105

E-mail: firstpresdelavan@gmail.com

www.firstpresdelavan.org

Rev. Jean Sparks, Pastor

Linda Clauser, Organist