Worship Notes for Sunday, July 7, 2013
This morning we encounter the faithless generation seeking for a sign when in fact the Sign stands before them—the Lord Jesus Christ is the sign that was promised. God has indeed revealed Himself, and we will read, pray and sing to that end this morning. We begin with the Call to Worship from Psalm 65 and the awesome deeds of righteousness at which the earth stands in awe. We respond in grateful praise with singing For the Beauty of the Earth and the recognition that God and His attributes are continually pointed towards by the things He was made. We continue singing of the glories of the King with Come Ye that Love the Savior’s Name.The New Testament Reading from Mark 8 reveals the desire (and the blindness) of the Pharisees in seeking a sign even as Christ reveals to His disciples His forthcoming death and resurrection—the sign of Jonah. The Prayer of Confession from Romans 1 reveals how sin has blinded us to the revealed power and divine nature of who God is. The Assurance of Pardon from I Corinthians 1 reinforces the notion that Christ crucified and resurrected is the sign and wisdom for which we truly seek. In that truth, we sing Jesus, I My Cross, Have Taken.
The Communion Hymns, O Love of God and Alas and Did My Savior Bleed continue the theme of the sign of Jonah even as we conclude by singing Christ is Risen, Hallelujah—“in Him, forever, we have triumphed over all!”
