January 15

Lakeview Presbyterian Church
January 15, 2023
Second Sunday after the Epiphany

CCLI license #1913561

Prelude                 “All in All”                              Jernigan

Welcome:                                                                  

Call to Worship      (Based on John 1)                      Andy Meacham, Liturgist
To all searching for grace and truth,
Come and see!
To all searching for meaning and purpose,
Come and see!
To all searching for abundant life,
Come and see!
Let us worship God together.

*Hymn               “Come, Thou Font of Every Blessing”                        G #475

Call to Confession         (Based on Isaiah 49 and Psalm 40)
God, who knit us in the womb, knows us completely. God inclines towards us and hears our cry. Assured of God’s grace and steadfast love, let us confess our sin together.

Prayer of Confession
Merciful God,

We confess that we have been timid and unreliable witnesses of Jesus Christ.
Forgive us…
…for the times we have stayed silent in the face of injustice and hate,
…for the times our actions have not matched our beliefs,
…for the times we have hoarded our abundance,
…for the times we have turned away from your children in need.
For the many ways we fail to follow Jesus, forgive us. Invite us again to come and see, and to abide in your presence so that we may be transformed and renewed. Empower us to witness, with our words and lives, to the love and grace we’ve experienced in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon        (Based on Psalm 40)
Hear the good news of the gospel: God will not withhold mercy from us. The steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord is with us, now and forever. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Amen.

Prayer for illumination
God of wisdom, by the power of your Holy Spirit, invite us into your Word.
Give us ears to hear, wisdom to understand, and courage to answer your call to us today. Amen.

Reading from the Hebrew Scriptures                                     Isaiah 49:1-7

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.  He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.  He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.”  But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all.  Yet what is due me is in the LORD’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”  And now the LORD says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am[a] honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength—he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”  This is what the LORD says—the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers:  “Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Reading from the Gospel                               John 1:29-42

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”  Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”  The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

Hymn  please remain seated  “Your Only Son (Lamb of God)”       G #518

Sermon                                “Lamb of God”                                Peter Murray

*Affirmation of Faith
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.In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!” 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.

Sharing of Joys and Concerns

Pastoral Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer     (This is the Ecumenical Version; feel free to use the words of your choice)
    Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
    your will be done on earth as in heaven
    Give us today our daily bread.   
    Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
    Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
    For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen         

Statement about Offering our Gifts  Our generous giving is a witness to God’s abundance against a worldview of scarcity. These gifts point to and enable the ongoing work of Jesus Christ in our community and beyond. Freely we have received, now freely let us give.

 Donations can be placed in the offering plate near the baptismal font in the center of the sanctuary.
Or mailed to:
    Lakeview Presbyterian Church, 1310 22nd Av S, St Petersburg, FL, 33705
or given online at:    lakeviewpresbyterianchurch.org

Special Music               “Your Great Name”                                          Grant

Prayer of Dedication
Generous God, we offer these gifts in gratitude for all we have received.
Use them to strengthen the ministry of your church to meet the needs of your children. May these offerings bear witness to your love made known to us in Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

*Hymn                        “Lamb of God So Pure and Spotless”               Prime

Announcements

Charge and Benediction         (Based on 1 Corinthians 1 and John 1)
Gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the testimony of Jesus Christ has been strengthened in us today. Let us bear that witness into the world, inviting all to come and see what God is doing, and to come experience the grace and love of Jesus Christ.
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of our parent God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us, today and always. Amen.

Postlude          “The Lion and the Lamb”                                       Lewis

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