Preparing for Worship: Third Sunday after the Epiphany - January 22

God Calls Us to Worship Him

Call to Worship Hymn: "Brethren, We Have Met to Worship"

Brethren, we have met to worship And adore the Lord our God; Will you pray with all your power, While we try to preach the Word? All is vain unless the Spirit Of the Holy One comes down; Brethren, pray, and holy manna Will be showered all around.

Brethren, see poor sinners round you Slumb'ring on the brink of woe; Death is coming, hell is moving, Can you bear to let them go? See our fathers and our mothers, And our children sinking down; Brethren, pray and holy manna Will be showered all around.

Sisters, will you join and help us? Moses' sister aided him; Will you help the trembling mourners Who are struggling hard with sin? Tell them all about the Savior, Tell them that He will be found; Sisters, pray, and holy manna Will be showered all around.

Let us love our God supremely, Let us love each other, too; Let us love and pray for sinners, Till our God makes all things new. Then He'll call us home to heaven, At His table we'll sit down; Christ will gird Himself, and serve us With sweet manna all around.

Hymn of Epiphany: "Joy Has Dawned"

Joy has dawned upon the world

Promised from creation

God's salvation now unfurled

Hope for every nation

Not with fanfares from above

Not with scenes of glory

But a humble gift of love

Jesus born of Mary

Sounds of wonder fill the sky

With the songs of angels

As the mighty Prince of Life

Shelters in a stable

Hands that set each star in place

Shaped the earth in darkness

Cling now to a mother's breast

Vulnerable and helpless

Shepherds bow before the Lamb

Gazing at the glory

Gifts of men from distant lands

Prophesy the story

Gold a King is born today

Incense God is with us

Myrrh His death will make a way

And by His blood He'll win us

Son of Adam Son of heaven

Given as a ransom

Reconciling God and man

Christ our mighty Champion!

What a Saviour what a Friend

What a glorious mystery

Once a babe in Bethlehem

Now the Lord of history

God Graciously Renews Us in Christ

Confession of Sin

Heavenly Father Have mercy on us. Lord Jesus Have mercy on us.

Holy Spirit

Have mercy on us.

Forgive us from our sin. From our errors From all evil Have mercy on us.

Forgiveness of Sin through Christ

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

For when I kept silent,

my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I did not cover my iniquity;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah Psalm 32:1-5 (ESV)

Hymn of Assurance: "Glorious Day"

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises One day when sin was as black as could be Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin Dwelt among men, my example is He Word became flesh and the light shined among us His glory revealed

Living, He loved me Dying, He saved me Buried, He carried my sins far away Rising, He justified freely forever One day He's coming Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary's mountain One day they nailed Him to die on a tree Suffering anguish, despised and rejected Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree And took the nails for me

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer One day the stone rolled away from the door Then He arose, over death He had conquered Now is ascended, my Lord evermore Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him From rising again

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming One day the skies with His glories will shine Wonderful day, my Beloved One bringing My Savior Jesus is mine

Thanking God for What He Has Done

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.

Scripture tells us, "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,' and, 'The laborer deserves his wages.'” (1 Timothy 5:17-18) When you give to Calvary, you support the ministry of the word. Approximately half of the budget goes to support pastoral and administrative staff. Through your generous contributions, these individuals can continue to advance the gospel in their respective ministries.

Hymn of Petition: "Shine on Us"

Lord, let Your light Light of Your face Shine on us Lord, let Your light Light of Your face Shine on us

That we may be saved That we may have life To find our way in the darkest night Let Your light shine on us

Lord, let Your grace Grace from Your hand Fall on us Lord, let Your grace Grace from Your hand Fall on us

That we may be saved That we may have life To find our way in the darkest night Let Your grace fall on us

Lord, let Your love Love with no end Come over us Lord, let Your love Love with no end Come over us

That we may be saved That we may have life To find our way in the darkest night Let Your love come over us Let Your light shine on us

God Instructs Us through His Word

Genesis 38 (ESV)

It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her, and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.

And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.

In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” she took off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send it—” He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, “Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.

When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.” So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’ ” And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.” About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.

When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez. Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

God Feeds and Nourishes Us through His Supper

Communion Hymn: "Behold the Lamb"

“Behold the Lamb who bears our sins away, Slain for us - and we remember The promise made that all who come in faith Find forgiveness at the cross. So we share in this bread of life, And we drink of His sacrifice As a sign of our bonds of peace Around the table of the King. The body of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Torn for you - eat and remember The wounds that heal, the death that brings us life Paid the price to make us one. So we share in this bread of life, And we drink of His sacrifice As a sign of our bonds of love Around the table of the King. The blood that cleanses every stain of sin, Shed for you - drink and remember He drained death’s cup that all may enter in To receive the life of God. So we share in this bread of life, And we drink of His sacrifice As a sign of our bonds of grace Around the table of the King. And so with thankfulness and faith we rise To respond, - and to remember Our call to follow in the steps of Christ As His body here on earth. As we share in His suffering We proclaim Christ will come again! And we’ll join in the feast of heaven Around the table of the King ”