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"When the Lord returned the captives of Zion we were like those who dream" Psalm 126:1
Worship with us Sundays 10:00 am.
For those unable to come in person,
we stream online on YouTube
Sunday, August 16
Proper 15
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Edie Mae Herrel, Pathways to God, print (1986)
The multi-talented and award-winning artist, developed her distinctive style in etching and printmaking, characterized by delicacy and attention to detail. Her artwork, stimulated by biblical scripture, encourages her observers to connect deeply with spirituality and inspires them to live by the beliefs of love, truth, and joy
Greeting & Call to Worship
[Leader:] The Lord be with you!
[ALL:] And also with you!
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[Leader:] The Lord says: "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." [Isaiah 56:7]
[ALL:] A house for more than us alone — for everyone the world calls outsider, foreigner, unwelcome.
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[Leader:] Let the nations be glad and sing for joy! [Psalm 67:4]
[ALL:] May God be gracious to us and bless us, and make his face shine on us, that his way may be known on earth, his saving power among all nations. [Psalm 67:1-2]
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[Leader:] For God has bound us all together in our own hardness of heart — so that he might show mercy to all. [Romans 11:32]
[ALL:] Mercy to all. No one stands outside of God’s mercy.
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[Leader:] Even the crumbs from this table are enough to heal. Come — not because you've proven you belong, but because Christ has already made room.
[ALL:] We come to worship the God whose hope is wider than we imagined. O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! [Romans 11:33]
The First Testament //
The Law & the Prophets
Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 (NLT)
(verse 1)
This is what the Lord says: “Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you and to display my righteousness among you.
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(verses 6-8)
“I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord, who serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who hold fast to my covenant.
I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer.
I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
For the Sovereign Lord, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.”
The Psalms // Sacred Songs
Psalm 67 (NLT)
For the choir director: A song. A psalm, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us.
(Selah)
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May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere.
May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.
Let the whole world sing for joy, because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world.
(Interlude)
May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.
Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us.
Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him.
Prayers of the People
One of the central acts of worship is the intercessory prayer. We address God in a special way as priestly intercessors for each other and for the world at large.
This morning we take a moment to pray not just for our own congregation and for the people we know; we join with Jesus who lives to make intercession. Here's a prayer based on the Lord's prayer and the psalms.
[ALL:] Our Father in heaven,
[Leader:] You indeed are our Father, adopting us into an eternal family.
As an earthly father has compassion on his children, so you show compassion on those who fear you.
You know how we are made, and remember us in our weakness. [Ps. 103]
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[ALL:] Hallowed be your name.
[Leader:] You alone are holy, there is none like you; your glory is above the heavens.
Yet you stoop down to lift up the needy.
We exalt and worship you, for you are holy. [Ps. 113, 99]
[ALL:] Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
[Leader:] In Christ your kingdom has already come, even though rulers of this earth gather together against you,
thinking they can thwart your purposes.
They cannot, for you have installed Christ, your Anointed One, the everlasting, all powerful King over all creation. [Ps. 2]
[ALL:] Give us this day our daily bread.
[Leader:] All creatures look to you for their food at the proper time; when you provide, they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your Face, they are terrified.
Lord, help us be good stewards of the gifts of food you have given us so that all may have their daily bread. [Ps. 104]
[ALL:] Forgive us our sins, as we also forgive those who sin against us.
[Leader:] Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin is covered, and who know the joy of forgiveness. [Ps. 32]
As we have been forgiven, help us to become like Christ, forgiving those who sin against us.
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[ALL:] Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
[Leader:] In mercy, O God, answer the prayers of all who are in deep distress.
Hear their cries especially when they are tormented by those who deny you and act as if you do not care.
At the same time, save us from sinning in our anger.
Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. [Ps. 4]
[ALL:] For the kingdom, the power, and glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
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Jesus, the Light of the World by Khrystyna Kvyk
Prayer for Tithes and Offerings
Because God first loved us, we are made to love one another. For the sake of the life of the world, offer yourselves, your time, and your possessions as signs of love.
Generosity & Giving
The tithes and donations you make to DreamHouse Church make a difference to our church, our community, the people of Newport News, and world missions.
There are various ways you can donate. We pass a collection plate during services and electronic giving is available for 24/7 donations. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops” (Proverbs 3:9).
Prayers from the Cloud of Witnesses //
Robert Lawson (1883-1961)
O God, who has made humanity in thine own likeness, and who doth love all whom thou hast made, suffer us not because of difference of race, color, or condition to separate ourselves from others and thereby from thee; but teach us the unity of thy family and the universality of thy love. As thou, Savior, as a son, was born of a Hebrew mother, who had the blood of many nations in her veins, and ministered first to thy brethren of the Israelites, but rejoiced in the faith of a Syro-Phoenician woman and a Roman soldier, and suffered your cross to be carried by an Ethiopian, teach us also, while loving and serving our own, to enter into the communion of the whole human family, and forbid that from pride of birth, color, achievement, and hardness of heart, we should despise any for whom Christ died, or injure or grieve any in whom he lives. We pray in Jesus precious name. Amen.
The Second Testament // The Epistles
Romans 11:1–2a, 29–32 (NLT)
(verses 1-2a)
I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this?
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(verses 29-32)
For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.
Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead.
Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy.
For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.
The Second Testament // The Gospel
Matthew 15:10–28 (NLT)
Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear.
“Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?”
Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”
Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.”
“Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”
Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”
But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word.
Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”
Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”
But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”
Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”
“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.
The Lord's Supper // Communion
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
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​On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
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Take, eat.
This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
When the supper was over, he took the cup and gave thanks, saying:
Drink this, all of you.
This is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in remembrance of me.
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And so we declare what we know to be true:
Christ has died,
Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.
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​The body of Christ, given for you.
Thanks be to God.
The blood of Christ, shed for you.
Thanks be to God.
"Drink all of it, for it is My Blood",
icon art by Ulyana Tomkevych;
Medium: egg tempera, Material: gessoed wood, 2021, LINK
Doxology and Benediction // The Sending & the Blessing
As you leave this place this day,
may God’s love sustain you,
and may you love those who surround you.
May God’s Spirit empower you,
and may you empower all those you meet.
May God’s joy fill your hearts,
and may this joy overflow
to the ends of the earth for God’s glory, now and forever.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen