PRELUDE
Prelude and Fugue in e minor, J.S. Bach
Prelude on “Rhosymedre”, R. Vaughan-Williams
WELCOME
* CELEBRATION OF FRIENDSHIP
* SANCTUS (pew card)
* CALL TO WORSHIP AND SALUTATION, Christina Schaub
Leader: Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
People: Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Leader: Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
People: You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
Leader: Grace and peace to you from God our Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
ALL: Amen.
– from Psalm 32:1-2, 6-7
* HYMN No. 200: Lord, Who Throughout
* 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
ANTHEM: Forty Days, Dave Brubeck
Forty days alone in the desert, days and nights of constant prayer, seeking in the wailing wind an answer to despair, forty days of questioning: Why was he there? In the desert, in the lonely desert Forty days of fasting and prayer, searching for his destined role, thirsting after righteousness and nourishing his soul, seeking inward miracles to reach his goal. In the desert, in the lonely desert, after forty days in the desert, He and God became as One. Jesus found within Himself the Father's will is done. He must prove to doubting man: He is the Son. In the desert, in the lonely desert.
(Mark 1:12-13)
MORNING PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
Lord’s Prayer (pew card)
Prayer response, Johann Wolfgang Franck
O Jesus, grant me hope and comfort; O let me ne'er in sorrow pine. My heart and soul, yea, all my being, O Jesus, trust alone in Thee. Thou Prince of Peace, Thou Pearl from heaven, true God, true Man, my morning star! O come, Thou precious Sun most radiant,Thy beams illumine my heart and soul.
* HYMN No. 192: O Sing a Song of Bethlehem
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Pew Bible, page 2
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ “But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Matthew 4:1-11, Pew Bible, page 785
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
The Word of God for the people of God. Let the people of God say - AMEN!
THE SERMON: Dealing with Temptation: Whom Do You Trust?, Rev. Douglas Estella
WORSHIP OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS
Offering
Offertory: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, arr. Gilbert M. Martin
When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God! All the vain things that charm me most I sacrifice them to his blood. See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small. Love, so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all! Amen.
* The Doxology (pew card)
* Prayer of Dedication
* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
The Apostles’ Creed (pew card)
* HYMN No. 194: Jesus Came, the Heavens Adoring
* BENEDICTION
Response, Théodore Dubois
Thee we adore, O Saviour, bless Thee and praise Thee for ever, for on Thy holy cross Thou has the world from sin redeemed.
POSTLUDE: Prelude on “Hyfrydol”, R. Vaughan-Williams
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.
OUR APPRECIATION FOR TODAY’S VOLUNTEERS:
Van Driver: Jorge Alamilla
Coffee Hour Host: Rhoda Jabbour
Greeters: Virginia Andrews and Debra Rossi
Ushers: Mary and Andy Bow, Wai and Matthew Chu and Jerry Good
Children and Worship: Judie Kellaway and Yessenia Iovale-Perez
LARGE PRINT BULLETINS are available. Ask an usher if you need one.
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.
Christmas cards (with Forever Stamps on the envelopes) are collected in a basket at the back of the sanctuary. These cards will enable inmates at the Nassau County Correction Center to correspond with their loved ones.
PRAYER REQUESTS: Grace Attanasio, Ruth Bailey, Letty Delgardo, Ed Diercks, Dombrowski Family, Edythe Durney, Alfred Gessner, Lisa Gessner, Jenny Hampton, Robert Keller, Hope Kingman, Fritz Kunisch, Ann Martin, Irma Matzke, John Molino, Josephine Rivera, Janice Serra