PRELUDE:
Prelude and Fugue in d, Johann Sebastian Bach
Air, Johann Sebastian Bach
WELCOME
* CELEBRATION OF FRIENDSHIP
* SANCTUS (pew card)
* CALL TO WORSHIP AND SALUTATION (Psalm 23), Sue Nicholas
Leader: The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
People: He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
Leader: He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
People: Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.
Leader: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
People: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.
Leader: Grace and peace to you from God our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
ALL: Amen.
* HYMN No. 22: Come, We That Love the Lord
* PRAYER OF CONFESSION (unison)
Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts: Cleanse us from all our offenses, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires, that with reverent and humble hearts we may draw near to you, confessing our faults, confiding in your grace, and finding in you our refuge and strength; through Jesus Christ your Son. Amen.
* KYRIE (pew card)
* ASSURANCE OF PARDON
* SUMMARY OF THE LAW
* Gloria Patri (pew card)
JUNIOR SERMON
ACT OF PRAISE: Sweet Hour of Prayer
Elizabeth Mahowald, soprano
MORNING PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
Lord’s Prayer (pew card)
Prayer Response
* HYMN No. 310: O Word of God Incarnate
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Isaiah 25:1-9, Pew Bible, page 568
O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the palace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt. Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm, the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless was stilled.
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Philippians 4:1-9, Pew Bible, page 955
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
The Word of God for the people of God. Let the people of God say - AMEN!
THE SERMON: An Antidote for Anxiety, Rev. Douglas Estella
WORSHIP OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS
Offering
Offertory: Elizabeth Mahowald, soprano
* The Doxology (pew card)
* Prayer of Dedication
* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH: The Heidelberg Catechism, Q/A 1
Pastor: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
All: That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
* HYMN No. 568: Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated
* BENEDICTION
Response
POSTLUDE: We All Believe in One God, Johann Sebastian Bach
ANNOUNCEMENTS
WE WELCOME back the Rev. Douglas Estella to the pulpit. Rev. Estella served as pastor of the Sunnyside Reformed Church from 2000 to 2006. Currently he is a teacher at the Academy of Urban Planning in Brooklyn. Doug and his wife, Janet, live in Sunnyside with their daughter, Renee.
SYNODICAL ASSESSMENT (Pink Offering Envelope)
Last installment is due. If you have not given a special offering for your assessment ($95.00 per member), please help us by making the payment. The Synodical and Classical Assessment is the amount we owe Reformed Church in America for your membership.
SAVE THE DATE: ANNUAL AUCTION – Saturday, January 10, 2015
LOOKING AHEAD – Mark your calendars!
- Sat. Oct. 18 1:00 PM WCC Luncheon
2:00 PM Elder Law speaker – Gessner Hall (insert)
- Sun. Oct. 19 12:00 PM Coffee Hour celebrating October Birthdays
- Sun. Oct. 26 9:30 AM Men’s Communion Breakfast (insert)
- Sat. Nov. 15 10:00 AM HARVEST FESTIVAL (inserts)
OUR APPRECIATION FOR TODAY’S VOLUNTEERS:
Coffee Hour Host: Rhoda Jabbour
Greeter: Irma Schubert
Ushers: Sally Ann Castle, Marilyn Cooney, Nancy Gessner, Jayne Halley
Children and Worship: Christina Schaub and Michael Iovale
VAN SERVICE: If you need a ride to church on Sunday, speak with Gerry Mendler at (917) 362-6284 (day) or (718) 464-3464 (evening).
CHILDCARE during the worship hour
Children thru age 3 in the Educational Building, 1st floor, in Room 1A.
Children ages 3 thru 2nd grade will share in the service through the Junior Sermon, then go to Room 2E for the Children and Worship Program.
COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – To host a coffee hour after church, speak with Rhoda Jabbour.
YEAR-ROUND COLLECTIONS –
- Donations for the Food for Kids Ministry should be brought to the Church office. This food will be given to families in need in Jamaica, New York.
- Donations for pets brought to the church office will be given to Worthy Pause to be distributed to local animal shelters.
PRAYER REQUESTS: Grace Attanasio, Ruth Bailey, Kenneth Cornwell, Letty Delgardo, Ed Diercks, Dombrowski Family, Edythe Durney, Jenny Hampton, Robert Keller, Fritz Kunisch, Harvey Moder, John Molino, Marge Renstrom, Josephine Rivera, Janice Serra, Evelyn Stuedly.