08/30/2026
Sunday Worship - August 30, 2026
This is the livestream of our Sunday worship from the church sanctuary.
Order of Worship
Prelude - Prelude in F Major (C.V. Stanford)
Philip Everingham
Ringing of the Church Bell
Ben Barton
Call to Worship - Psalm 139
Wallace W. Bubar
One: O Lord, where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
All: If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
One: If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
All: Even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
One: If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,”
All: Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.
Hymn 35 - Come, Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty
Praise ye the Lord,
the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him,
for he is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear,
now to his temple draw near;
join me in glad adoration!
Praise ye the Lord,
who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
shelters thee under his wings,
yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen
how thy desires e’er have been
granted in what he ordaineth?
Praise ye the Lord!
O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath,
come now with praises before him!
Let the amen
sound from his people again;
gladly for aye we adore him.
Prayer of the Day [unison]
O God beyond all seeing and knowing, we meet you in the night of struggle, and wrestle with you in the darkness of doubt. Give us the will and the spirit to live faithfully and to love as we are loved, with a love that will not let us go; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gloria Patri 581 - Glory Be to the Father
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
And to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end.
Amen, amen.
Exchange of Peace
One: The peace of Christ be with you.
All: And also with you.
Welcome and Announcements
Scripture Reading - Genesis 32:22-31
No’el Fortner
Anthem - Light of a Clear Blue Morning (Dolly Parton, arr. Craig Hella Johnson)
Chancel Choir
Melinda Lovern, soloist
Word With Children
Kristin Ream
Sermon - “In the Beginnings: Wrestling with God”
Hymn - Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown
Come, O thou Traveler unknown,
whom still I hold, but cannot see!
My company before is gone,
and I am left alone with thee.
With thee all night I mean to stay,
and wrestle till the break of day;
with thee all night I mean to stay,
and wrestle till the break of day.
Yield to me now, for I am weak,
but confident in self-despair!
Speak to my heart, in blessing speak,
be conquered by my instant prayer.
Speak, or thou never hence shalt move,
and tell me if thy name is Love.
Speak, or thou never hence shalt move,
and tell me if thy name is Love.
’Tis Love! ’Tis Love! Thou diedst for me,
I hear thy whisper in my heart.
The morning breaks, the shadows flee,
pure, Universal Love thou art.
To me, to all, thy mercies move;
thy nature and thy name is Love.
To me, to all, thy mercies move;
thy nature and thy name is Love.
Affirmation of Faith - Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral [unison]
We believe and trust in God who holds in existence all that is, and yet is father and mother to us all. We follow Jesus, God’s anointed, God’s beloved, who showed us the mind and the heart of God and whose love is stronger than death. Through him we have life, life in all its abundance. We open ourselves to the Spirit of God, who moved over the face of the waters at the beginning of time, the Spirit who now lives within us and by whom we cry out to God with sighs too deep for words, knowing ourselves to be God’s beloved children.
Prayers of the People
One: Lord, hear us:
All: Lord, graciously hear us.
The Lord’s Prayer [unison]
Offertory - Song Without Words (Felix Mendelssohn)
Give online at https://www.granpres.org/giveonline
Doxology 606 - Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication
Prayer of Dedication
Hymn 702 - Christ Be Beside Me
Christ be beside me,
Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me,
King of my heart;
Christ be within me,
Christ be below me,
Christ be above me
never to part.
Christ on my right hand,
Christ on my left hand,
Christ all around me
shield in the strife;
Christ in my sleeping,
Christ in my sitting,
Christ in my rising
light of my life.
Christ be in all hearts
Thinking about me;
Christ be on all tongues
Telling of me.
Christ be the vision
In eyes that see me;
In ears that hear me
Christ ever be.
Benediction
Postlude - Prelude in G Major (C.V. Stanford)
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