ORDER OF WORSHIP

CHIMIMG OF THE HOUR

PRELUDE   

WELCOME  

SCRIPTURES

Deuteronomy  30:15-20

¹⁵ See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. ¹⁶ For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.¹⁷ But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, ¹⁸ I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. ¹⁹ This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰ and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For  the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Deuteronomy 1:6-10

⁶ The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. ⁷ Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. ⁸ See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”⁹ At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. ¹⁰ The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.

 SERMON  “Wandering in the Wilderness”

 PASTORAL PRAYER AND THE LORD’S PRAYER

 HYMN   Breathe on Me Breath of God

Breathe on me breath of God, fill me with life anew.

That I may love what Thou hast loved.

And do what thou wouldst do.

 BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE

 Additional Worship elements:

 PRAYER OF CONFESSION

 Gracious God, there are so many times when our hearts turn away from you: when we become angry or judgmental; when we speak falsehoods; when we squander your blessings; and when we covet the things that are not ours. Forgive us. Help us speak words of encouragement. Help us follow your ways that we may be your faithful followers. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

 ASSURANCE OF PARDON

 Our loving God has said, “I have set before you today, life and prosperity, death and adversity….Choose life.”

We will choose life, and turn our hearts toward God! Thanks be to God! We are forgiven!

 HYMN   Love the Lord Your God

 Love the Lord your God with all your heart.

Love the Lord your God with all your soul.

Love the Lord your God  with all your mind.

Love the Lord your God with all that you are.

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH     

In life and death we belong to God.  We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life.  The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves, and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in one body of Christ, the church.  In a broken and fearful world, the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.  With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our Affirmation of Faith is a portion of our 80 line A Brief Statement

of Faith, 1990 Presbyterian Church (USA)

HYMN   Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

 Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak, but thou art mighty. Hold me with thy powerful hand.

Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more;

Feed me till I want no more.

 Open now the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream doth flow.

Let the fire and cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through.

Strong deliverer, strong deliverer, be thou still my strength and shield;

Be thou still my strength and shield.

 When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside.

Death of death, and hell’s destruction, land me safe on Canaan’s side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to thee;

I will ever give to thee.

 Dear YPPC Family, 

When I look back on 2020, the word that will come to mind is unprecedented.  How many times have we heard that word used in press conferences, news shows, and interviews? The pandemic, an “H” named hurricane in July, public schools teaching online and parents trying to homeschool and work from home, the great toilet paper shortage and so much more have all been unprecedented.  As a result, many of us are feeling anxiety and struggling to make sense of this uncertain world where every choice seems to be difficult.  The past few months have forced us to change the way we do things and we are being told that we are looking toward a “new normal”.  I don’t know about you, but I was pretty happy with the old normal and feel a bit uncertain about what is to come.  As Christians, this is when we must rely on God and His wisdom.  He has given us the capacity to cope and learn the new skills we need to survive and thrive in our current situation.  When everything is going well, it is easy for us to take God for granted, but in times of trouble, we are reminded how much we need Him.  I know we are all still missing each other and our opportunity to gather for worship.  Hopefully, during this difficult time we can say that we have an unprecedented strength in our faith, unprecedented frequency and sincerity in our prayers, and unprecedented love for each other and the Lord.  These things can be a part of our “new normal”. 

FROM THE SESSION