Luke 24:44-53
Links to the scriptures and hymns used during this service are provided below. Click on the hymn title to be taken to a page with sheet music.
Order of Service
Call to Worship:
"22 I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD!
May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
28 For kingship belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation:
31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it."ESV
Hymn: I Sing the Mighty Power of God
Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Forgiveness:
Holy God, your name is excellent, your glory high, your compassion unfailing, your condescension wonderful, your mercy tender. We bless you for your promises of the gospel, for in them is pardon for rebels, liberty for captives, health for the sick, salvation for the lost. May your approval be our only aim, your Word our only rule. In many things we have offended, in all come short of your glory; pardon our iniquity, for it is great. This we ask in the name of Jesus our Savior and Mediator.
Adapted from The Valley of Vision, 104-105
Scripture Readings:
“1 The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 The LORD sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
3 Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power,
in holy garments;
from the womb of the morning,
the dew of your youth will be yours.
4 The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
he will shatter chiefs
over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the brook by the way;
therefore he will lift up his head." ESV
"14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." ESV
Affirmation of Faith: The Apostles' 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 Spirit; born of the virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate: was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended to the dead; the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; whence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy catholic* church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
*Small-c catholic refers to the church universal—God’s people in all times and places—and should not be confused with the capital-C Roman Catholic church.
Hymn: The Sands of Time are Sinking
Sermon: Luke 24:44-53
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for3 the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
The Ascension
50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Closing Hymn: Doxology