Called to be a light on the hill, we boldly proclaim and serve Christ,

the Hope of our changing world.

The Call to Worship and Prayer of Confession are reprinted by permission from The Worship Sourcebook,

Second Edition, © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources.

The Reformation and Church Music Today's Hymn: Ein neues Lied wir beben an (A New Song We Raise) Published in Erfurt Enchiridion, 1524 Melody & Text: Martin Luther

This ballad, subtitled "A Song of the Two Christian Martyrs burnt at Brussels by the Sophists of Louvain in the year MDXXII," is Martin Luther's first known hymn composition. He was inspired to write it after hearing news of the brave martyrdom on July 1, 1522 of two young monks protesting against the Catholic Church. The hymn recounts the tale in twelve stanzas from the arrest and questioning of Br. Johannes van Esschen and Br. Heinrich Vos, through their statement of faith and martyrdom, ending with the futile effort by Church authorities to conceal and spread lies about the young men's final act of faithful witness.

Today's prelude is a set of improvised variations on the hymn tune, heard first as harmonized by Michael Praetorious in 1610.

GATHERING

PRELUDE Martin Luther/Praetorius/Lee Jeannie Lee, organist

A New Song We Raise

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS (Please sign the Friendship Pad and pass it to others.)

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

FIRST UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 695 E. Calvin Street Fayetteville, AR 72703

fupcfay.org 479-442-4411

September 24, 2017, 11:00 a.m.

*CALL TO WORSHIP

*HYMN 13 Glory to God The Mighty God with Power Speaks

*CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE 829

ASSURANCE OF PARDON Friends, believe the good news of the gospel: in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!

PRAYER OF CONFESSION (seated, unison)

* Please stand as you are able.

Rev. Phil Butin

My Faith Looks Up to Thee (verses 1-2) Glory to God My faith looks up to thee, thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine! Now hear me while I pray; tall all my guilt away; O let me from this day be wholly thine!

May thy rich grace impart strength to my fainting heart, my zeal inspire; as thou hast died for me; O may my love to thee pure, warm, and changeless be, a living fire!

Ken Mays

Mighty God, we do not always see the glory you plan for all humanity, but in faith we do see Jesus. We thank you for the humility and holiness in which he lived and died. We praise you that he freed us from our sin, that he comforts and strengthens us through our struggles, and that he gives us courage to follow him. For this, we now join with all creation and shout for joy: Holy, holy, holy are you, Lord! Amen!

Evan Blanz Show us the way to fullness of life, Lord Jesus, that our hearts might be filled with faith, hope, and love, we pray; that we might respond to opportunities, we pray; that we might be strengthened to face challenges, we pray; that we might become the people we are called to be, we pray; that we might learn to respect our sisters and brothers, we pray; that we might see the needs of others and help, we pray. (silent confession) We do not always do these things. Help us to do better, we pray. Amen.

*PASSING OF THE PEACE The peace of Christ be with you! And also with you.

STRIKING THE BELL AND LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES Elliot Eichmann and Harley Frazier

INTROIT Dear Christians, One And All Rejoice

Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice, with exultation springing, And with united heart and voice and holy rapture singing,

Proclaim the wonders God has done, how His right arm the vict'ry won; What price our ransom cost Him!

TIME WITH CHILDREN

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD

CHILDREN’S SONG 2233 Where Children Belong This, this is where children belong, welcomed as part of the worshiping throng. Water, God’s Word, bread and cup, prayer and song, this is where children belong.

Sing the Faith

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Rev. Phil Butin

Ephesians 2:8-10 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

James 2:14-26 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. 23 Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.

Romans 3:23-26 23All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26 it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.

ANTHEM I Bind Unto Myself Today Glory to God

I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity by invocation of the same, the Three in One and One in Three.

I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead, God’s eye to watch, God’s might to stay, God’s ear to harken to my need,

The wisdom of my God to teach, God’s hand to guide, God’s shield to ward, the word of God to give me speech,

God’s heavenly host to be my guard.

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the name, the strong name of the Trinity By invocation of the same, the Three in One and One in Three,

Of whom all nature has creation, eternal Father, Spirit, Word. Praise to the Lord of my salvation;

Salvation is of Christ the Lord!

SERMON Faith Alone

OFFERTORY

RESPONSE TO THE WORD

PRESENTATION OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS

Reflection: We Walk by Faith James Biery

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER

SENDING

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION

*CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE 561 Threefold Amen

*BENEDICTION

*HYMN 684 Faith Begins by Letting Go Glory to God

Glory to God

Al Hanna

POSTLUDE Partita: O God, Thou Faithful God J.S. Bach

Rev. Jan Butin

*CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE 606 Glory to God

God, in your grace … You hear our prayers.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below; praise God above, ye heavenly host; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (The Heidilberg Catechism, Questions 60 and 61) How are you righteous before God? Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God’s commandments, of never having kept any of them, and of still being inclined toward all evil, nevertheless, without any merit of my own, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I have never sinned nor been a sinner, and as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me. All I need to do is access this gift with a believing heart. Why do you say that through faith alone you are righteous? Not because I please God by the worthiness of my faith. It is because only Christ’s satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness make me righteous before God, and because I can accept this righteousness and make it mine in no other way than through faith.