Order of Service - September 14

GOD CALLS
CALL TO WORSHIP
—Psalm 95:1-3, 2 Samuel 7:22
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.

You are great, O Lord God.
For there is none like you,
and there is no God besides you.

SONG — Doxology (Amen)
(Louis Bourgeois, Phil Wickham, Thomas Ken /© 2016 Phil Wickham Music) CCLI #22022177

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above you heav'nly host
Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost

Amen Amen Amen
God we praise You
God we praise You

Praise God for all that He has done
Praise Him for He has overcome
The grave is beaten love has won
Praise God our Savior Christ the Son

Oh we're singing

Amen amen amen
Amen Amen Amen
We praise You we praise You

SONG — Here I Am to Worship
(Tim Hughes /© 2000 Thankyou Music Ltd)CCLI #22022177

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes let me see
Beauty that made
This heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You

So here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You're my God
And You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me

King of all days
Oh so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came
To the earth You created
All for love's sake became poor

And I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
And I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross

GOD CLEANSES
CONFESSION
—Hebrews 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

ASSURANCE
—Hebrews 7:26-27
Such a high priest truly meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

GOD COMMUNES 
PRAYER FOR CHURCH AND CITY

OFFERING
If you wish to give financially to The Vine Presbyterian Church, we have online giving available, visit: www.thevine.to/give.

PASSING THE PEACE

SERMON
Life Together
By Kiernan Stringer
Ezra 2, selected verses

1 Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel: 3 the sons of Parosh, 2,172. 4 The sons of Shephatiah, 372. 5 The sons of Arah, 775. 6 The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812. 7 The sons of Elam, 1,254. 8 The sons of Zattu, 945. 9 The sons of Zaccai, 760. 10 The sons of Bani, 642. 11 The sons of Bebai, 623.

36 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973. 37 The sons of Immer, 1,052. 38 The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. 39 The sons of Harim, 1,017.

40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74. 41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128. 42 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, in all 139.

43 The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 44 the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon, 45 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, 46 the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shamlai, the sons of Hanan, 47 the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah.

61 Also, of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name). 62 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 63 The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim.

64 The whole assembly together was 42,360, 65 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 200 male and female singers. 66 Their horses were 736, their mules were 245, 67 their camels were 435, and their donkeys were 6,720.

68 Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. 69 According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests' garments.

70 Now the priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of Israel in their towns.

The word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

THE LORD'S SUPPER

We welcome all baptized Christians to receive Holy Communion with us. If you are exploring the Christian faith, please use this time to meditate on the following prayers.

Prayer for Those Searching for Truth

Jesus, you claim to be the way, the truth, and the life. As I consider the reasons to follow you, help me to discern your calling. If what you claim is true, open me to the reality of who you are. Give me an understanding of you that is coherent, convincing, and that leads to the life that you promise. Amen.

Prayer of Belief

Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weak and sinful, but through you I am loved and accepted. Thank you for paying my debt on the cross. Thank you for taking my sins and granting me complete forgiveness. I believe that you have been raised from the dead, and I now turn to you as my Saviour and Lord. Amen.

SONG - We Crown You
(Jeremy Riddle | Lindy Cofer | Tayla Rede /©2022 Capitol CMG Genesis) CCLI #22022177

To the One who wore
A crown of thorns
To the One who took
The lash and scourge
For the hands and feet
That were pierced by nails
For the sacrifice
That has torn the veil

We crown You
We fall face down
We worship
We all cry out You are worthy God
You are worthy God
You are worthy God

To the One who gave
His very life away
Who took upon Himself
All our guilt and shame
Hanging on a cross
For the world He loved
And with His precious blood
Purchased men for God

To the One who endured
All the shame of the cross
To the Lamb who was slain
As atonement for us
To the Son who overcame
All the power of death we praise
For the stripes for the wounds
For the beating You bore
For the tears for the blood
That was willingly poured
For the merciful wonderful majesty of Your love

GOD SENDS
WORD & PRAYER THIS WEEK
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 9-13

Let's pray for the candidates for Elder and Women's Shepherding Committee, who are now discerning their sense of calling to these roles. May the Lord call people of character to serve.


COMMUNITY LIFE ANNOUNCEMENTS
We would love to connect. You are welcome to approach any of the service volunteers, and you can fill out a visitor card or contact office@thevine.to.

Volunteer Fair: After the service today, visit our volunteer fair and hear how you can serve on one of these teams: Sunday Ops, Kids Ministry, Audio, and Connections.

Prayer Meeting: Saturday, Sept 20, at Olivet Baptist Church from 10 AM - 12 PM. Childcare and a free pizza lunch will be provided for children ages 1+. Contact Jenn by Friday, Sept 19 to reserve your child’s spot: jenn@thevine.to. For all who can stay after, we will have a potluck lunch together from 12-1 PM. Sign-up at tinyurl.com/vine-prayer.

Small Group: Sign ups for the 2025-26 season are now open! Please see https://www.thevine.to/small-groups.

Fall Potluck: On Sunday, September 28, join us for a festive Fall Potluck in the Atrium! Mains will be catered. We are looking for volunteers and potluck contributions. Sign-up today to volunteer to serve or bring food: tinyurl.com/vine-potluck.

DOXOLOGY

(Thomas Ken / Public Domain)
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

BENEDICTION
—Romans 15:5
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.