Good morning and welcome. This is Sunday, November first, two thousand twenty-six. You are tuned to the live broadcast of a service for the worship of God, which is coming to you from the sanctuary of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia. A live audio stream is available at the Grace Covenant website, which can be found at grace-covenant.org. Just select the radio button, then listen live.
The. Oh, oh, Oh, oh, Oh, oh, Oh, oh, This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Good morning. And welcome to Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church.
This Lord's Day, we welcome all who come to visit or worship with us, whether in person, whether listening on the radio, or watching live stream. We greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We're happy to have with us Richard and his lovely wife Martha Barnett. We'll hear from them later today for a moment of mission. That said, I'd like to turn your announcements, your attention to the announcements printed in the bulletin.
You may follow along. Tonight, the Young Adults and Families Circle will meet at the home and backyard of Anne Randolph and Everett Reevley. Enjoy a time of fellowship over potluck dinner and s'mores from five to seven p.m. For more information, contact Nelson Reevley and Randolph Reevley, Akina Wanamaker, or Libby Chris. Join us for Wednesday night supper this Wednesday, November fourth, at 6 p.m.
for food from Sticks Kabobs. Also, our guest speaker will be Mieshan from Shalom Farms. We look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday. You are cordially invited to a retirement/slash going away dinner for Tanya and Ray Pacheco at church in the Fellowship Hall this Thursday, November the fifth. It will begin at 6:30 p.m.
The main meal will be provided, but you are welcome to bring an appetizer or dessert. Don't fail to turn out. This is a retirement and going away celebration, and we just want to show our love to them as they sail into the sunset.
Next Sunday is Pledge Dedication Sunday, November eighth. Please bring your pledge card to worship that morning and place it in the designated offering basket. You may also mail in your pledge card. The Stewart Circle Parish Council is starting a Joy Circle ministry, a free weekly gathering for neighbors living with early, mid-stage memory loss, and for family members who care for them. This will happen once a week, and participants will spend time in music and art and conversation with trained volunteers, while the partners take a break or join a concurrent support group.
If you are interested in joining the Joy Circle as a volunteer or participant, you may contact me at jw.sidnor@gcpcrva.org.
Next Sunday, November eighth, following worship is the annual Crop Hunger Walk. This is a three-mile walk to fight hunger, and it begins and ends here at Grace Covenant. And registration begins at one thirty. If you need more information, you may contact me or Nelson Reevley. Finally, friends, let us remember to keep one another in prayer.
We know that prayer changes things. And if you have a prayer request, use the card in your bulletin. Write out your prayer. You may place that on the offering plate during offering, or you may place it in the prayer box in the Northex.
Now let us prepare our hearts and minds to worship the Lord. Please stand for the call to worship. Our hearts are ready, O Lord. Our hearts are ready. We will sing and make melody.
We will awaken the dawn. We will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples. We will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great as the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Once again, welcome to the live broadcast of a service for the worship of God, which is coming to you from the Sanctuary of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church at 1627 Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia.
This is the 103rd year of radio ministry at Grace Covenant, and today's broadcast is number 5,269. This morning's sermon, entitled "The Ultimate Upgrade," will be delivered by the Reverend Calvin H. Sidnor IV. Assisting in the service today are Sharon Foida, guest organist. The Chancel Choir, Dana McKnight, Moment for Stewardship, Richard Burnett, Moment for Mission, and the Reverend Joanna W.
Sidnor, Co-Pastor. Our opening hymn is "To God Be the Glory," which is number four hundred eighty-five in the Presbyterian Hymnal. Jesus Christ, Christ Come now, let us reason together, says Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
Trusting in God's faithfulness and compassion, let us confess our sins before God and one another using the prayer of confession printed in the bulletin. Lord God, we have given more weight to our successes and our happiness than to you will. We have eaten without a thought for the hungry. We have spoken without an effort to understand others. We have kept silent instead of telling the truth.
We have judged others, forgetting that you alone are the judge. We have acted rather in accordance with our opinions than according to your commands. With your church, we have been slow to participate our love in our neighbors and in the world of the love. Forgive us and help us to live as disciples of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Savior. Amen.
Hear the good news. Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. Thanks be to God. Please be seated.
At this time, children ages three through six are invited forward for children's chapel. They may be picked up in the fellowship hall immediately following worship. Also invited forward are youth seven through twelve for youth chapel, and they will return to worship after the sermon. We also have childcare for babies and children up to three in room one hundred and one. Praise God for our little children.
Let us pray. Gracious God, we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from Your mouth. Make us hungry for your word, that it may nourish us today and always for eternal life. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord, the Bread of Heaven. Amen.
Our Old Testament reading comes from Psalm thirty-four, verses eight through ten and twenty-two. Listen for the word of the Lord. O taste and see that the Lord is good. Happy are those who take refuge in Him. O fear the Lord, you His holy ones, for those who fear Him have no want.
The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. The Lord redeems the life of His servants. None of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Good morning. It is indeed good to be back. Our second text, our preach text, comes from First John chapter three, verses one through three. Listen again for the Word of the Lord. See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are.
The reason the world does not know us is that they did not know Him. Beloved, we are God's children now. What we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when He is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. And all who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Let us pray. O Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of Your Holy Spirit, that as Your Word is proclaimed today, we may hear what You are saying to us.
Now let the words of Your servants' mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing. In your sight, O Lord, our rock and our Redeemer, through Christ, Amen. The sermon title of this morning is the ultimate upgrade. Right at the very beginning of this passage, the Apostle John drops words of absolute certainty: "We are God's children now." He writes this letter to a church threatened by false teachers who left the community after adopting a distorted view of Christ. Many view the spirit as good and the body as evil, leading them to deny that Christ was genuinely incarnate in human flesh.
This teaching created instability in the church, and John wanted to set things straight. He aims to protect his readers from this false doctrine by showing them that being God's children leads to righteous living and love for one another, and by assuring them of eternal life. And yet, despite this glorious truth, living in the confidence that we are God's children now can be difficult when we consider the realities of the world around us. Today we see the horrors of war on the news, homelessness, hopelessness all around us. The brokenness of this world isn't just something we observe from afar.
Many of us experience it firsthand. As I think about the many young people and families, I think about how the traditional markers of adulthood seem to be out of reach, like buying a home. Achieving financial success, independence, or saving for retirement—too many feel that their chance at a better life is out of reach. Older adults can feel that same economic weight, whether it's the cost of medical expenses, or the cost of groceries, or gasoline. For some, life's greatest challenge is not financial adversity.
Or life instability, but the persistent feeling that there must be something more. Our culture offers countless ways to self-discovery and personal transformation, promising enlightenment, healing, purpose, and fulfillment. We've all seen those retreats. Yet many find themselves continually searching, never quite arriving at the identity and assurance they seek. Yet as I look back, I couldn't help but think about the cultural ideal that seems to have started it all—the classic American dream.
It had the tangible milestones that marked success. But when I look back on it, even those who attained that found something missing. This is where the Apostle John's words bring clarity. He offers a divine reality check. Believers can have the assurance of anchoring their lives in the unshakable, status redefining love of Christ, which has eternal consequences.
God's love transforms believers, enabling them to live as His children now and anticipate the glorious future to be fully realized when Christ returns. While the world offers countless upgrades, promising a better version of ourselves, John points first to the upgrade we have already received. See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. The greatest transformation does not come from again improving ourselves, but from knowing that we have been adopted into God's family. John was basically saying to the hearers here, "Behold the Father's love." In other words, God's love is amazing, and no matter what anyone says, you ought to reflect on it and look for it in the world.
It is probably fair to say that we can behold God's love easily during the good times when life upholds, unfolds everything that we've hoped for. But when life speed bumps challenge us, or life's problems seem to consume us, sometimes even feel like it chases us down, we don't always see that love clearly. Too often, we see love through a worldly lens. We look through materialism, where pursuits leave no room for the divine. We look through superficial judgment, labeling people based on their outward appearances.
We look through the lens of sin and distraction, harboring hidden habits, guilt in past history that Christ has already washed away, and that only numbs our spiritual awareness. And too often, we try to see God's love through the smeared lens of busyness, impatience, the distraction of social media, and even constant complaining. All of these cloud. Our vision. We may be even tempted by our experiences with our biological father's love, whether good or bad, to determine what God's love is like.
For some, it is marked by wonderful memories, advice, and encouragement. And I'm the first to say that I'm grateful for those great memories. But I know that everyone hasn't experienced that.
Some carry their father's absence, disappointment, and unmet expectations.
However, John points us to a father whose love is unmatched and penetrates the soul, giving us a brand new nature and a brand new title. As we live through life's joys and challenges, brothers and sisters, we must strengthen our spiritual vision. We do this by turning to Scripture, praying fervently, crying out to God, trusting God's plan for our lives, and letting the Holy Spirit clear the fog. No change may not come in a grand flash, but it will grow in the overlooked details of every of everyday life. I always think about the text messages from a friend who remembered me.
Or the strength to meet today's tasks, not seeing the troubles that came my way that I never saw coming my way, or the Holy Spirit's conviction in our hearts. Perhaps the most overlooked detail is that God is present with us. This is all God's work of love, and we can look for it each and every day. God desires for us to see Him in all that life has to offer—the good and the bad. I can't help but think about Job in Job nineteen verse twenty-six.
After all he had lost, he says, "And after my skin has been this destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God." When we truly see the Father's love and recognize that we are called God's children, we discover that our anchor is no longer attached to the shifting winds and values of this world. Our identity rests in the unchanging love of God. John is clear here that we do not belong to the world again. That keeps changing its mind. One day it says this is what's in.
The next day it says actually, never mind. A few decades later, it dusts off an idea and declares it's revolutionary. Bell-bottom jeans know exactly what I'm talking about. God's love in Christ does not go in and out of style. It does not depend on cultural approval or changing tastes.
God's declaration over us remains the same. We are God's children now. I love how John moves beyond the mere title called "Children of God" to the reality. Of who we are, we are God's children.
Now, of course, by nature we are God's creatures, all of us. But by God's grace, we become God's children. What a gift of certainty that is in a world that constantly asks us to prove ourselves. Being a child of God is more than a change in status; it is a transforming relationship through faith in Jesus Christ. Through spiritual rebirth, we become part of God's family, and family resemblance matters.
God's children are called to reflect their Father's character. John indeed develops this throughout the rest of his letter, and he challenges us a little bit later in First John chapter four, verses twenty through chapter five, verse two, where it says, "Those who say I love God and hate their brothers and sisters are liars. For those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen." The commandment we have from Him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. But because the world does not know God, it doesn't understand who we are. It can't identify with us.
It's constantly trying to sell us a counterfeit version of family or community connectedness. And rejects his. Paul reminds us in Romans chapter eight that it is the very spirit of God bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children of God, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. If we in fact suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.
That is good news. But how cool is it to be God's kids? That is a good thing. Living in this new family must go beyond words. We must live it out in truth and action.
When I think about our upgrade as children of God, I also think about upgrades that we are sold each year. If you've been like me, you've signed up for home improvement, vacation clubs, or travel membership. Programs, you quickly realize that it turns into a marathon sales pitch. It starts with one person, then a group of people, and they do this upsell to make you feel like you are a very important person, a VIP. This is just for you.
If you've ever been in that setting, the manufactured urgency is aggressive, and the pressure. Feels real because they want to lock you in right now, just by paying this fee, and your new status is secure. The upgrade to being children of God is not all about us. It is about God's grace. It doesn't require a hustle or constant working for righteousness.
In Christ, we do not have to earn it or negotiate our way for the upgrade. It is securely and freely and permanently secure by His love. Being children of God is indeed an upgrade over anything the world can offer. But if you think this is the peak that we're living right now, the heavenly upgrade will blow you away. John writes, "We will be like Him." This is the upgrade yet to come.
Right now, we stumble, we struggle to understand what it means to love well. But a day is coming—a day where Christ will appear. The process will be over, and we will be like Him. Again, not just a change in our status, but a total transformation of glory. Tomorrow.
Of course, wanting to be like Christ should be every Christian's goal. It should be our goal in our devotions, our worship, prayers, mission work, and how we love our neighbors. The goal is to become more like Him. But transformation doesn't come from relying on our own understanding or Manufacturing our own righteousness, it is rooted, brothers and sisters, in Christ's perfected righteousness poured out for us on the cross and in His resurrection. Glory to God!
This day will indeed come. To truly be like Jesus, John moves from our present reality to this glorious future reality in which all believers again will be fully like Him, revealed in the direct vision of His glory. For we will see Him as He is. Right now, as the Apostle Paul says in one Corinthians chapter thirteen, verse twelve, we see Christ through a dimly lit mirror. But one day we will see him face to face.
This is the ultimate upgrade, and the ultimate upgrade has consequences for us today. Because this future likeness isn't passive waiting. We're not just sitting around waiting for something glorious to happen. It calls us to live today in light of the glory of what tomorrow holds. When I first moved to Richmond, I drove down Arthur Ashe Boulevard.
I was intrigued by the name, and as I drove further north, I saw a worn-out stadium and mostly asphalt. I imagine others saw the same thing. Maybe if you lived here long enough, they just kind of put it out of your mind. But I would imagine that city planners, developers, and visionaries—they saw something new. In that same plot of land, they drew up a master blueprint for the Diamond District, complete with a brand new stadium, mixed-income housing, and bustling retail spaces.
It is beautiful. If you drove through the site mid-construction, you'd see heavy machinery and lots of dirt and dust and steel beams. It was messy. It was incomplete. Yet, the builders don't operate on the dirt they see today.
They work from the master blueprint, and the future of what they put on that blueprint dictates present action. Right now, we live in the dust, dirt, and complexity of a broken world. If we fix our eyes only on current struggles, our hearts can grow insecure. But God has given us a heavenly blueprint, promising we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. Our future likeness of Christ is the Master's plan.
So today we must start laying the foundation of love and grace. And forgiveness, right in the messiness where we are, stepping confidently into our ultimate upgrade. For those who know that God stands with us now, and He does, and at the end of this earthly road, the ultimate upgrade demands a faithful response. The upgrade that changes us today. John specifically wants to protect his believers from false teachers who gave him the theological excuses to sin.
After all, if the heretics believe that the body was inherently evil, what harm would it be to sin at the fullest?
So John says to that: live, living in hope is not optional. The word hope in our text here isn't wishful thinking; it means a deep, confident expectation and anticipation. The hope we carry grows out of the ultimate certainty that God cannot fail. As Paul reminds us in Titus chapter two, verse thirteen, it is a blessed hope. Notice the exact order of John's words in our text.
He doesn't say, "Purify yourself so that you can finally earn hope." He says, "All who have this hope in Him purify themselves." Living in hope means resisting the temptation thrown our way. We must refuse to engage in things that lead to sin and do not glorify God. And thus, in hope, as the Spirit works in us, we must actively purify ourselves. We must live as believers, as if our lives depended on it. Do we make every effort today to dwell with Christ?
Do we make efforts to live a holy life?
Well, we will never be entirely perfect or without flaw in this life, as our Savior was. But holiness still must be our aim, knowing that one day, because of His finished work, our transformation will be fully accomplished, and thus. In our hopeful, purifying walk with Christ, we are connected to the true vine, as Jesus tells us in John fifteen and five. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me, and I in them, they bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
Brothers and sisters. Believers are transformed by God's love, enabling us to live as His children now, and anticipating the glorious future to be fully realized when Christ returns. We don't have to doubt God's love or chase the world's exhausting temporary upgrades. We have been given the ultimate upgrade. We are adopted as His children.
Call to live in hope today, knowing that we will one day be like Christ. Abide in Jesus and live in His love, knowing that you belong to Him. To God be the glory. Amen. Let us please stand if you are able, as we sing hymn eighty-five in the Blue Hymnal.
What wondrous love is this? You are listening to the live broadcast of a worship service at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church. You have just heard this morning sermon entitled "The Ultimate Upgrade." Which was delivered by the Reverend Calvin H. Sinner, the fourth. The congregation will now join in singing, "What wondrous love is this," which is number eighty-five in the Presbyterian hymnal.
I will see. I will see. I will see. I will see. I will see.
I will see. I will see. I will see. I will see. Mercy on us, have mercy on us, mercy on us, mercy on us, have mercy on us.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, you have heard the word and responded in song. Let us now respond by stating what we believe, using the Nicene Creed as printed in the bulletin. We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. Of all that is seen and unseen, we believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through Him, all things were made.
For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary, and became truly human. For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day, he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven.
And is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. And His kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. Please be seated. We are grateful again to have our friends.
The Burnets here, Richard and and Martha, and so we will have Richard come on up here and give us a a moment for mission before we do our moment for Stuart. We are grateful again for his presence. He is the executive director of Theology Matters and the Foundation for Reformed Theology, and we have a couple of our church members who also hold significant seats. Within the foundation of Reformed theology, so Richard, thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much, Calvin and Joanne, and and thank you as a congregation.
On behalf of the boards of Theology Matters and the Foundation for Reform Theology, I want to thank you for your faithful and generous support of this ministry. Our mission is to equip the saints for the work of ministry, and you all you all are helping to fulfill that mission. You're helping to equip and to encourage and to inspire congregational leaders and pastors. Throughout the United States and throughout the world, theology matters publishes a quarterly journal, which we distribute free to 15,000 people, both in this country and nearly 40 foreign countries. We create and distribute educational materials, provide seminars, and we sponsor a annual conference, national conference.
And the foundation for reform theology, as many of you know, or at least some of you know, was established by John Leith to equip and encourage and inspire ministers to fulfill their calling by providing opportunities for ministers to gather together in small groups to study reform theology and to have fellowship and to hold each other accountable as they seek to. Preach and to teach and to provide pastoral care, and to develop lifelong theological friendships. Finally, through a partnership with the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary that Joanne and Calvin know, we have established a Master of Arts in Reformed Theology program, and we are helping to raise up a new generation of ministers, and so. None of this would be possible without you. You have made this possible.
You are helping to deepen the faith, to sharpen the minds, and to feed the souls of pastors and congregational leaders throughout this country and the world. You're helping them to think through and to meet some of the greatest challenges, and temptations, and opportunities that are facing the church today, and there are many. Many temptations, many challenges, and many opportunities, and congregational leaders and pastors need the opportunity to think these through. You are helping to raise up a new generation of pastors who are spiritually mature, biblically solid, and theologically sound. And so it's not only that you have been providing your treasure, but also some of your talent and your time through the members of your this church.
It's been a great, great privilege to have on our board people like Tom Miller, Caroline Leith, Rob Turner, Jake Savage, and also a former pastor here, Jim Goodlow. We have these individuals have contributed so much to these ministries, and we are just so grateful to you as a congregation. You have been a tremendous blessing to thousands of people, disciples of our Lord throughout. The world, and you have helped to transform and to renew the hearts and minds of many, many, many congregational leaders and pastors.
So thank you, thank you, Joanne and Calvin, and and thank you, as a congregation, for standing faithfully in support of us. As we seek to stand faithfully in support of congregational leaders and pastors who stand faithfully for Jesus Christ, our Lord. Thank you. Thank you so much, Richard. All right.
At this time, we'll have a moment of stewardship by Dana McKnight. Thank you, Richard. For the past two weeks, we've heard from different different groups in the congregation discussing their particular work in the life of the church. Rusty Stadler spoke on the work of the Safety and Security Committee, and Carol Wagner reviewed the activities of the Ladies Bible Study Group. Today, I would like to review some of the other ongoing activities in the life of the church.
The discipleship committee focuses on Christian education for both youth and adults, as well as outreach programs such as Shalom Farms, Feed More, Red Cross blood drives, Meals on Wheels, Step, and other areas serving the needs of the community. The worship committee arranges for and supports the weekly service of divine worship, in conjunction with the Sidners and Chris Martin. He, of course, enables the choir, junior choir, handbell choir, August musicals, and other musical aspects during the year. The finance stewardship committee works with our treasurer Everett Revely to develop a budget, monitor income and expenses. And ensure weekly offerings are properly posted and deposited.
The property committee focuses on the upkeep and maintenance of our beautiful but aging facilities. There's, of course, there are of course a myriad of other groups and activities during the year as well, such as Wednesday night supper, vacation Bible school, and the Christmas pageant. All this is to say that we have a lot going on. To accomplish this. We obviously need the help of lots of volunteers.
We also need the financial support of the congregation, so that these various ministries can continue to flourish. Pledge dedication Sunday is next Sunday, November eighth. Please consider carefully what Grace Covenant and its work means to you, as you consider your pledge for 2027, and please plan to attend worship next Sunday for this important part of the life of our church. Thank you. Thank you, Dana.
This time, we will prepare our hearts for the offering. Everything we have is a gift from God, and our offering is an opportunity to express our gratitude and reliance on Him. Announcers and brothers in Christ, I invite each of us to give as the Spirit leads, sustaining the vital ministries of this church. As the plate is passed, please place your attendance cards, any prayer requests, and offerings on them. For those worshiping with us at home, we thank you for your continued financial ministry.
You can send your offering by mail. Through the banker online at www.grace-covenant.org/give-online. Please give as the Spirit leads. All heaven honors to the Father, all heaven honors to the Son, all heaven honors to the Spirit, ever free and ever one. On the rise and on the roll, we are an enduring race.
Ah! Praise the Lord, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, praise His mighty arms. Praise the Lord, He rules. Praise the Son, the Holy Ghost.
God of wonder, we offer you these humble gifts, signs of your goodness and mercy. Receive them with our gratitude, that through us all people may be known, that we may know the riches of your love in the Word made flesh. Amen. Please be seated as we prepare our hearts for the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Brothers and sisters, this is the joyful feast of the people of God.
People will come from the north and south, and from the east and west, to sit at the table in the kingdom of God. According to Luke, when our risen Lord was at the table with his disciples, he took the bread, blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. This is the Lord's table, and our Savior invites those who trust Him to share the feast that He has prepared. The Lord be with you.
Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. Thank you, O God, for sending us Your Son. He lived among us and told your story.
He healed the sick and welcomed sinners. He shared our pain and died our death, then rose to new life, that we might live and all creation be restored. Remembering your boundless love revealed to us in Jesus Christ, we break bread and share the cup, giving ourselves to you to live for Him in joy and praise. Great is the mystery of faith. Christ has died.
Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, and upon these your gifts of bread and wine, that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ, and that we may be His body for the world. By your Spirit, unite us with Christ and one another, until we feast with Him and with all your saints in your eternal realm of justice and peace. Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, Almighty God, now and forever.
Amen. We give thanks that the Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, he took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood." Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Brothers and sisters in Christ, we ask that as you receive the bread and the cup, that you hold it that we might eat and drink together.
This is the table of God. For the people of God. While the members and friends of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church are being served the communion elements of bread and wine, let us turn to reflect on the significance of the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is one of two sacraments, both of which are visible signs instituted by Christ of God's invisible grace. The first sacrament is baptism.
Baptism signifies God's welcome of the individual into the household of faith. As such, it is a once-in-a-lifetime event. The second sacrament, the Lord's Supper, signifies and communicates God's continuing spiritual nourishment and support of believers. Thus, it is repeated frequently. Both of these sacraments are extensions of the Word of God read and preached, signs of the Gospel of the grace of God in Jesus Christ, as proclaimed in the sermon.
The communion service is at once a memorial of Christ's sacrificial death, a renewal of the spiritual relationship of believers with Him and with each other in the community of faith, and an anticipation of the great heavenly banquet yet to come. By this supper, we are brought into closer communication with God, and with other Christians, not only those present at this particular service, but also with those in all times and places, those spread around the world, and those who have gone on before us, the great communion of all the saints. That is why the sacrament of the Lord's Supper is also referred to as communion. The body of Christ, broken for you and for me, take and eat. For the past hour, you have been listening to the worship service at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia.
Please join us again next Sunday through our radio ministry or in our sanctuary at sixteen twenty seven Monument Avenue. Your announcers today have been Gary Flake and Ethan Reilly, and the audio technician was John Miller. This service streams live and can be accessed through the Grace Covenant website, which is grace-covenant.org. We now return you to the Truth Network on WLES five ninety AM and ninety seven point seven FM. Thank you.
Thank you. The blood of Christ shed for each of us. Take and Drink. Let us go to the Lord in prayer. Lord Jesus, we praise and thank you that you have fed us with your word and at the table.
Grateful for your gifts and mindful of the communion of your saints, we offer to you our prayers for all people. Lord God, we glorify you this day, and we are thankful for all that you have done for us. We're grateful for your incredible grace and mercy that calls us your children today. And though our future is not fully revealed, when you come again, we will know. We will not only know you; we will truly see you.
Give us the vision to see your glory in the world around us, in nature, in our interactions at home, at work, at school. And with our neighbors near and far, give us hearts of patience in the busyness of each day, and let us be an example of your love to those we encounter. Lord Jesus, help us to be thankful each day. Give us a spirit of contagious joy and peace in a world that carries heavy burdens. Lord, in your mercy, we lift up those who doubt your love.
Your saving grace, the work that you've already done for us, that we might have unimaginable and certain hope. Be with those who have been scarred by abuse, unforgiveness, and evil, and who first see pain before they see your promises. Reveal your light in dark hearts and places, giving hope even to the hopeless. And where the devil even has to bow before you, Lord, we lift up this nation and this world before you. We lift all who have been impacted by violence—the violence across Europe, the continued violence in Ukraine and Russia, the Middle East, civil wars and insurgencies, and some African countries.
O God. We lift up prayers for those in Syria and Yemen, and even the violence in our own nation. We grieve the violence that wounds our communities, the hatred that divides neighbor from neighbor, and the fear that so often governs our hearts. Yet we also confess, O God, the violence within us. The harsh words, the quick judgments, the hidden resentments, and the lukewarm spirit that keeps us from loving our neighbors fully and loving and trusting you completely—forgive us.
Soften our hearts. Fill us anew with your holy Spirit, Spirit, that we might be peacemakers and reconcilers of your love in a hurting world. We pray for all those who are suffering in the wake of natural disasters, both here and around the world. Be near to those whose homes have been damaged by superstorms, whose communities have been overwhelmed by flooding, and whose lives have been disrupted by wildfires. Comfort those who have lost loved ones, and strengthen the weary as they try to make it each day.
Give them courage as they rebuild their communities. Watch over and sustain the first responders and volunteers, and continue to give them courage. Lord, we lift up your church throughout the world, and especially this congregation. Bless each member, each visitor, O God, and all who are searching for truth. Those who are searching for your love, strengthen the faith of those who believe.
Encourage the weary, O God. Comfort the burden. And draw near to those who feel far from you. Make your church a faithful witness to the gospel. A refuge for the hurting in a community marked by grace, truth, and compassion.
Holy Spirit, enter every heart that we may encounter the width and depth of Christ's redeeming love. Lord, bless our young families among us in the midst of busy schedules and competing priorities and the demands of life. Lord, grant them wisdom and courage to seek first your kingdom. In your righteousness, root their homes in your word, strengthen their marriages and relationships, and help parents reflect your love and grace and faithfulness to their children. Lord, bless our seniors.
Walk with them each day, and continually remind them of your abiding presence when they feel alone. Be their companion. Be their strength. Be their source of courage. Help us as a congregation to honor their wisdom and surround them with love and care.
Lord, be around all who mourn this day. Be their peace until their hearts are mended and their hope is renewed. And our Lord, we pray and lift up Ray Pacheco and Tanya Mays as. They are preparing, Lord, to move to Florida to new opportunities. Lord, we know that you will be with them, and so we ask for your loving mercy to be before them and to meet them there safely.
Continue their walk in faithfulness in their new location. As we continue to pray for them. Gracious God, now accept all of these prayers offered in Jesus' name, and give us now the strength to wait patiently for Your answer, and to live faithfully in response to Your call. Let us now pray the prayer Jesus taught His disciples: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come." Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Please stand again if you're able as we sing hymn 139 in the red hymnal, "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine." This is the story. This is the song.
This is the story. This is the song. This is the story. This is the song. Christ the Savior, all in all, Christ the Lord is blessed.
I receive every gift, watch me breathing through the mouth. This is the story. This is the song. Bring my name to the world. This is the story.
This is the song. Bring my name. We certainly invite you to the social room for fellowship and refreshments immediately following the worship service. We indeed have an opportunity to have hugs with Ray and Tanya. They're not leaving quite yet, but they are here, and also to greet our wonderful guests Richard and Martha Burnett.
Brothers and sisters, now hear God's blessing, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. Be with you now and forever. Amen. The. Oh, oh, For the past hour, you have been listening to the worship service at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia.
Please join us again next Sunday through our radio ministry or in our sanctuary at sixteen twenty-seven Monument Avenue. Your announcers today have been Gary Flake and Ethan Reilly, and the audio technician was John Miller. This service streams live and can be accessed through the Grace Covenant website, which is grace-covenant.org. We now return you to the Truth Network on WLES five ninety AM and ninety seven point seven FM.
