August 2, 2020
The Eighth Sunday after Trinity
10:30 a.m.
Welcome and Introduction
A prayer of preparation, said by all
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
As thou hast been thou forever wilt be.
Chorus
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
All I have needed thy hand hath provided;
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. (Chorus)
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! (Chorus)
Words: Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923; Tune: FAITHFULNESS, 1923; CCLI 11310292
The minister says
The Lord be with you.
The congregation replies
And also with you.
O Lord, open our lips.
And our mouths shall declare your praise.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
The congregation says a prayer of confession
Almighty and most merciful Father, we have strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts and have turned from your holy laws. We have left undone those things we ought to have done, and we have done those things we ought not to have done. But you, O Lord, are great in mercy. Forgive us, O God, and restore us, according to your promises in Jesus Christ our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, that we may hereafter live a godly and righteous life, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
The minister says
Hear these words of comfort spoken by the Apostle Paul:
I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.
Acts 13:38–39
The collect, said by the minister
O God, whose never-failing providence orders all things both in heaven and on earth, we humbly ask you to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things that are profitable to us in your service, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
First Bible Reading: James 1:19–27
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
The reader says
This is the word of the Lord.
The congregation replies
Thanks be to God.
The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again 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.
*Here “catholic” means universal
Announcements
Prayers
At the end of the prayers, the congregation says
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 sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Here I Am to Worship
Light of the world,
You stepped down into darkness,
Opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore You,
Hope of a life spent with You.
Chorus
So here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God.
And You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.
King of all days,
Oh so highly exalted,
Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly You came to the earth You created,
All for love's sake became poor. (Chorus)
Bridge
And I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross.
And I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross. (Chorus)
Words and Music: Tim Hughes, 2000; CCLI 11310292
Second Bible Reading—Psalm 112
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
1 Praise the LORD!
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
2 His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn is exalted in honor.
10 The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
the desire of the wicked will perish!
The reader says
This is the word of the Lord.
The congregation replies
Thanks be to God.
Sermon
Righteousness A–Z
Bernard Howard
Psalm 112
Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me
What gift of grace is Jesus, my Redeemer.
There is no more for heaven now to give.
He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom,
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace.
To this I hold: my hope is only Jesus.
For my life is wholly bound to his.
Oh how strange and divine, I can sing: all is mine!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me.
The night is dark, but I am not forsaken,
For by my side the Saviour, He will stay.
I labour on in weakness and rejoicing,
For in my need, His power is displayed.
To this I hold: my Shepherd will defend me.
Through the deepest valley He will lead.
Oh the night has been won, and I shall overcome!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me.
No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven,
The future sure, the price it has been paid.
For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon,
And He was raised to overthrow the grave.
To this I hold: my sin has been defeated.
Jesus now, and ever, is my plea.
Oh the chains are released, I can sing: I am free!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me.
With every breath I long to follow Jesus,
For He has said that He will bring me home.
And day by day I know He will renew me
Until I stand with joy before the throne.
To this I hold: my hope is only Jesus.
All the glory evermore to Him.
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me.
Words and Music: Jonny Robinson, Rich Thompson, and Michael Farren, 2018; CCLI 11310292
Benediction
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Announcements
Next Sunday—August 9, 10:30 a.m. YouTube Livestream
Please join us as we continue our summer sermon series on the Book of Psalms.
Virtual Coffee Time
You’re warmly invited to join us on Zoom after the service for a time to catch up with other church members. The link will be in the comments on YouTube as well as in the church email (sent out last Thursday).
Prayer Meeting
This Wednesday, August 5, our Zoom call will be a church prayer meeting. Among other things, we'll pray for the ministry partners supported by Good Shepherd. There will be time for fellowship at the end. Please join us if you can on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. A Zoom link will be sent out by email on Tuesday. If you don’t receive our emails and would like to join the prayer meeting, please email admin@goodshepnyc.org.
Giving to Good Shepherd
Our church relies on generous, regular giving. Even a small church is expensive to run in Manhattan! To find out how to give, please visit goodshepnyc.org/donate. Remembering the widow honored by Jesus (Luke 21:1–4), we are grateful for gifts of any size.