Welcome
Please use this link for the
Zoom Service January 19, 2025 at 8:30 AM
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81188368778?p30wd=QzZNMlFNNWVRVFIyUXZieWtNWkV0UT09
January 19, 2025
Acton Community Presbyterian Church
P.O. Box 177, 32142 Crown Valley Road, Acton, CA 93510
Message: 661-208-8032 w who ww.actonpc.org
1888 – 2024 Celebrating Heritage and Sharing Hope
“The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life. It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only, but it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart.” —John Calvin
WELCOME, ANNOUNCMENTS, GUESTS AND SPECIAL DAYS
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
People: Come, let us adore him!
Leader: He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
People: Come, let us adore him!
Leader: To proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, to comfort all who mourn.
People: Come, let us adore him!
Leader: The Lord has shown forth his glory: come, let us adore him.
People: Alleluia!
OPENING HYMN – # 410 - My Faith Looks Up to Thee (Brown Hymnal)
1 My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray, Take all my guilt away,
O let me from this day Be wholly Thine!
2 May Thy rich grace impart Strength to my fainting heart, My zeal inspire;
As Thou hast died for me, O may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be, A living fire!
3 While life's dark maze I tread, And griefs around me spread, Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day, Wipe sorrow's tears away,
Nor let me ever stray From Thee aside.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH: Heidelberg Catechism # 1 & 2
Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I am not my own, but belong— body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven;
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
Q. That must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?
A. Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Father in heaven, we need to be forgiven. We have tried to heal ourselves. Instead of trusting in the death of Jesus Christ, we have tried to work off our guilt. We have tried so hard to pile up good deeds that outweigh our sins. When this doesn’t work, we quickly turn to denial and distraction. Instead of trusting in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have tried to change through our own efforts. We have tried to change our hearts through sheer willpower. This has left some of us arrogant. This has left most of us anxious and depressed. Forgive us for trying to heal ourselves. Forgive us for neglecting your grace. Forgive us and heal us, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
SILENT CONFESSION PRAYERS FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
Old Testament Reading - Isaiah 43:1-7
But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
New Testament Reading - Romans 14:7-9
For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
SERMON : “We Belong to God”
CALL FOR OFFERING–Congregation sings - Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
HYMN #394 - In My Life Lord, Be Glorified (Brown Hymnal)
1. In my life Lord, be glorified, be glorified
In my life Lord, be glorified today
2. In my song Lord, be glorified, be glorified
In my song Lord, be glorified today
3. In your church Lord, be Glorified, be glorified
In your church Lord, be glorified today
HOLY COMMUNION
CLOSING HYMN #4 - How Great Thou Art (Brown Hymnal)
1.O Lord my God! when I in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed;
Refrain: Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
2. When through the woods and forest glades I wander And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze; Refrain:
3. And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin; Refrain:
4. When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration, And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art! Refrain:
BENEDICTION – The Lord Be With You
Congregation sings
God be with you till we meet again, By his counsels guide, uphold you, With his sheep securely fold you God be with you till we meet again.
**Offerings 1. May be deposited in the Offering Box by the Narthex.
2. Processed through “E-Give” online at actonpc.org
3. Send a check to Acton Presbyterian Church P.O. Box 177 Acton, Ca. 93510
FOOD PANTRY
Buy what you need and a little more, To help the needy and the poor.
Leave non-perishables in the barrel at the new Acton Market or the basket in the Narthex
