ORDER OF WORSHIP APRIL 12TH, 2026-
- Union Church
- 49 minutes ago
- 4 min read
ORDER OF WORSHIP
APRIL 12TH, 2026 10:30 AM
SECOND SUNDAY IN EASTER
**Kindly stand if you are able
**PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR PHONE before Worship
PRELUDE “O Worship the King” - Robert Grant John Coates
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP (Adapted from Psalm 16)
LEADER: Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
PEOPLE: I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
LEADER: I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
PEOPLE: I keep the LORD always before me because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
LEADER: Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
PEOPLE: You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
INVOCATION
Lord, send your Spirit to us this morning as we gather to worship and praise. With you, all things are possible.
**OPENING HYMN “Joyful Joyful, We Adore Thee” Red #20
CALL TO CONFESSION
As we stumble through our lives, we make mistakes and err against the teachings of our Lord. We confess together so that our sins may be forgiven.
PRAYER FOR UNDERSTANDING
Lord we come to you knowing that we are sinners in need of your grace. Even after the miracle of the resurrection, we still live as if we ae in control of all things. We excuse all manner of sins in our own behavior. We focus more on the sins of others than our own. Help us to find the strength to overcome our sinful ways. Send your Spirit to guide us as we seek to live more in line with your Son Jesus.
(A moment for silent personal confession)
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
Jesus says that we are all equally guilty in the eyes of God, but his sacrifice and the miracle of his resurrection provide us with the assurance that regardless of our sins we will be forgiven if we ask.
**GLORIA PATRI “Glory to the Father” Red #806
**HYMN OF PRAISE “Crown Him with Many Crowns” Red #92
**PASSING OF THE PEACE
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from the Declaration of Faith 1977)
We believe in one true and living God. We acknowledge one God alone, whose demands on us are absolute, whose help for us is sufficient. That One is the Lord, whom we worship, serve and love. God is greater than our understanding. We do not fully comprehend who God is or how God works. God’s reality far exceeds all our words can say. The Lord’s requirements are not always what we think is best. The Lord’s care for us is not always what we want. God comes to us on God’s own terms and is able to do far more than we ask or think. To worship God is highest joy. To serve God is perfect freedom.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
God, we thank you for the wisdom that comes from understanding your word. Let us hear the word with clear hearts.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
NEW TESTAMENT 1 Peter 1:3-9 Mary Whidden
GOSPEL John 20:19-31
SERMON MESSAGE A Bunch of Thomases James Philips
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
And Lord we pray for those in our own hearts whose names you already know, for their own healing and comfort, in your name and that of our redeemer Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying:
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.
OUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS
Let us return to God the offerings of our life and the gifts of the earth. May our gifts be a blessing to those who receive them. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
OFFERTORY “In the Presence of Your People” Red #19
DOXOLOGY Avery & Marsh (Back of the Red hymnal)
PRAYER OF THANKS
We thank you, our Lord for those gifts to us that we send to you for your work and ours in congregation, community, and culture. Guide us in good use as we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
HYMN OF PARTING “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” Red #845
BENEDICTION
No one can come back and start over, but everybody can move forward and decide the ending.
― Karl Barth
POSTLUDE “Christ Arose!” Red #235
James Phillips
Union Church
44 Balmville Rd, Newburgh NY 12550
(845) 562-0954