Nov. 8 Livestream

We had originally hoped to take the first steps toward in-person worship today. However, with the increase in COVID-19 cases, it’s best to put these plans on hold for the health of our members and the community. Please continue to stay safe as we all work together to find the healthiest way forward.

Responsive Call to Worship/ Pastor Dan
One: We come to worship, because we want to know God,
All: who helps us to leave behind the past, and to walk ahead on a path to new life.
One: We pause on this Sabbath day, because we want to know Jesus,
All: who offer us grace, and who inspires us to be givers.
One: We share in joyful acts of praise, because we want to know the Spirit,
All: who guides us to serve God with gladness!

Prayer of Invocation / Pastor Dan
One: Let us pray together.
All: God of this new day; we rejoice that you are God of all the earth! We worship you, Christ Jesus. Singing your praises fills us with joy, and blesses us beyond words. In you, Jesus, we find a treasure. In you, we experience a pure goodness that cares for and affirms everyone. In you, we receive a comfort that delivers us from all our fears.
In you, we come in contact with an exceptional love that surrounds and encourages, reassures and calms.
You are a true refuge, O God, in time of trouble. Your faithful support strengthens us in our weakness, fills us in our hunger, and finds us when we are lost. During every sacred time of worship, you bless us anew. Here and now, we are found.
Thank you, Gentle Shepherd, for watching over us and for leading us. Amen.

Hymn/ “Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling” #389

1. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling for you and for me;
   See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching, Watching for you and for me.

REFRAIN
Come home, come home, Ye who are weary, come home;
Earnestly tenderly, Jesus is calling. Calling, O sinner, come home!

2. Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading, Pleading for you and for me?
   Why should we linger and heed not His mercies, Mercies for you and for me?

REFRAIN

3. Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing, Passing from you and from me;
   Shadows are gathering, death’s night is coming, Coming for you and for me.

REFRAIN

4. O for the wonderful love He has promised, Promised for you and for me!
   Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon, Pardon for you and for me.

REFRAIN

Children’s Message/ Ashton

Prayers of the Church concluding with the Lord’s Prayer/ Pastor Dan

Special Music/ “Keep Your Lamps” Anna and Aaron DiVesta

Scripture Reading/ Pastor Dan Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon/ Pastor Dan

Prayers of God’s Church concluding with the Lord’s Prayer/ Pastor Dan

Hymn/ “Hymn of Promise” #277

1. In the bulb there is a flower; In the seed, an apple tree;
   In cocoons, a hidden promise: Butterflies will soon be free!
   In the cold and snow of winter There’s a spring that waits to be,
   Unrevealed until its season, Something God alone can see.
2. There’s a song in every silence, Seeking word and melody;
   There’s a dawn in every darkness, Bringing hope to you and me.
   From the past will come the future; What it holds, a mystery,
   Unrevealed until its season, Something God alone can see.
3. In our end is our beginning; In our time, infinity.
   In our doubt there is believing; In our life, eternity.
   In our death a resurrection; At the last, a victory.
   Unrevealed until its season, Something God alone can see.

Benediction/ Pastor Dan

Postlude/ Anna

August 30 Virtual Worship

Celebrate with us this week as we take one more step toward live worship!

Here is the order for worship:

Prelude / Anna DiVesta

Invocation (Responsive Call to Worship; and Unison Prayer) / Rev. Dan Wilson

Responsive Call to Worship
One: How majestic is God’s name in all the earth!
All: God is alive in all creation!
One: Everything which God makes is a reflection of God’s goodness.
All: Together, we praise God our Creator!
One: Thanks be to God for this day of life!
All: Let us rejoice and worship God!

Unison Prayer of Invocation
One: Let us pray.
All: God of life, you are a joy to behold! You are always near. Your constant closeness is a blessing. Realizing that you are close by each moment fills us with joy and peace. Every breath we breathe is a gift from you. Our every step, our every word, our every action is visible to you, God. You alone know the burdens that we are carrying. Sometimes our journey seems to go on forever, and we feel as though we never get any rest. Yet you are aware of our fatigue, God. This opportunity to receive nourishment from you fills us with gladness.

We thank you, God, that your revelation does not come to us because we are worthy. No, the truth is, you simply reveal things to people because you are a Gracious and Loving God.

Open our hearts to receive the gifts you would like to offer your Church during this time of worship. Jesus, you are our Risen Savior. We have heard your invitation to come to you. We long to walk in your footsteps and to live in your ways, Jesus. May we follow your lead and get behind you.

O Spirit of Christ, breathe upon us and breathe within us now as we worship you. Amen.

Hymn / “Majesty” (#4)

Majesty

Majesty, worship His majesty. Unto Jesus be all glory, honor and praise.
Majesty, kind authority flow from His throne unto His own; His anthem raise.

So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus. Magnify, come, glorify Christ Jesus the King.

Majesty, worship His majesty. Unto Jesus be all glory, honor and praise.
Majesty, kind authority flow from His throne unto His own; His anthem raise.

So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus. Magnify, come, glorify Christ Jesus the King.

Majesty, worship His Majesty; Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings.

Children’s Message / Linda Lowry

Special Music / Anna

Scripture Reading / Dan Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon and Prayer / Dan

Hymn / “Wherever He Leads I’ll Go” (#543)

Wherever He Leads I’ll Go

1. “Take up thy cross and follow me,” I heard my Master say;
   “I gave My life to ransom thee, Surrender your all today.”

REFRAIN
Wherever He leads I’ll go, Wherever H leads I’ll go,
I’ll follow my Christ who loves me so, Wherever H leads I’ll go.

2. He drew me closer to His side, I sought His will to know,
   And in that will I now abide, Wherever He leads I’ll go.

REFRAIN

3. It may be through the shadows dim, Or o’er the stormy sea,
   I take my cross and follow Him, Wherever He leaders me.

REFRAIN

4. My heart, my life, my all I bring To Christ who loves me so;
   He is my Master, Lord, and King, Wherever He leads I’ll go.

REFRAIN

Benediction / Dan

Postlude / Anna

August 30 Livestream!

Last week, your Ivy Chapel worship team experimented with a new way (for us) to create a more engaging, communal online worship. We produced a short live online worship with special music, a prayer and a children’s message.

This week, we’d love for you to join us online for a full, live worship service. 

The service will start at 10 a.m. (or a little after – you know Ivy) on Ivy Chapel’s Facebook page. You do notneed to have a Facebook account to watch.

Head to www.facebook.com/IvyChapel. You can use your smart phone, tablet or computer.

If you have an account and are logged in, you should be all set. If not, it will seem like Facebook is demanding you to login, but you can ignore these boxes and scroll down the page. You may need to click on “not now” if it asks you to login again.

As you scroll down the page, if we’re live, you’ll see the video. Click on the video to join the live worship in progress. You can click on the small icon with two diagonal arrows to expand the video to your whole screen.

Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the live worship. We will post a link to the video here on the Ivy Chapel website later in the day.

If you do tune in, please let us know what you think.