CCLI Number: 2880734
July 26, 2026
Words of Welcome Rev. John Hill
Centering Music
Call to Worship Jayce Arnette
I was glad when they said unto me,
“Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
The church is not a building. The church is not a steeple.
The church is not a resting place. The church is a people.
We, the people of God, are called to a purpose:
To be a church on the move and to share God’s love with the world.
Opening Hymn “Lift High the Cross” (UMH #159)
Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred name.
Come, Christians, follow this triumphant sign.
The hosts of God in unity combine.
Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred name.
Each newborn servant of the Crucified
bears on the brow the seal of him who died.
Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred name.
O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree,
as thou hast promised, draw the world to thee.
Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred name.
So shall our song of triumph ever be:
Praise to the Crucified for victory.
Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred name.
Opening Prayer (Book of Worship #460) Jayce Arnette
O God, our Guide and Guardian,
you have led us apart from the busy world
into the quiet of your house.
Grant us grace to worship you in Spirit and in truth,
to the comfort of our souls
and the upbuilding of every good purpose and holy desire.
Enable us to do more perfectly
the work to which you have called us,
when we shall resign into your hands
the tasks you have committed to us.
So may we worship you not with our lips at this hour,
but in word and deed all the days of our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Children’s Moment Rev. John Hill
Prayer of Confession (Book of Worship #479) Jayce Arnette
Almighty God,
we confess that we are often swept up in the tide of our generation.
We have failed in our calling to be your holy people,
a people set apart for your divine purpose.
We live more in apathy born of fatalism than in passion born of hope.
We are moved more by private ambition than by social justice.
We dream more of privilege and benefits than of service and sacrifice.
We try to speak your name without relinquishing our glories,
without nourishing our souls, without relying wholly on your grace.
Help us to make room in our hearts and lives for you.
Forgive us, revive us, and reshape us in your image. Amen.
Silent Confession
Words of Assurance Rev. John Hill
Hear the Good News: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. That proves God’s love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Glory to God. Amen.
Passing the Peace
Hymn “Take My Life and Let It Be” (UMH #399)
Take my life, and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be
filled with messages from thee.
Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use
every power as thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.
Prayer for Illumination Jayce Arnette
Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that, as the Scriptures are read and your Word proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.
Scripture Reading (Acts 19:23-27) Jayce Arnette
About that time no little disturbance broke out concerning the Way. A man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans. These he gathered together, with the workers of the same trade, and said, “Men, you know that we get our wealth from this business. You also see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost the whole of Asia this Paul has persuaded and drawn away a considerable number of people by saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be scorned, and she will be deprived of her majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her.”
Response to the Scripture Reading Jayce Arnette
For the Word of God we hear in scripture, for the Word of God we encounter among us, and for the Word of God at work within us,
Thanks be to God.
Sermon “Church on the Move: Pushing” Rev. John Hill
Musical Reflection
Pastoral Prayer Rev. John Hill
The Lord’s Prayer
Invitation to Offer Tithes and Gifts
https://onrealm.org/CrievewoodUMC/Give
Offertory
Doxology (UMH #95)
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise God, all creatures here below;
praise God, above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Invitation to Discipleship
Closing Hymn “Forth in Thy Name, O Lord” (UMH #438)
Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go,
my daily labor to pursue;
thee, only thee, resolved to know
in all I think or speak or do.
The task thy wisdom hath assigned,
O let me cheerfully fulfill;
in all my works thy presence find,
and prove thy good and perfect will.
Thee may I set at my right hand,
whose eyes mine inmost substance see,
and labor on at thy command,
and offer all my works to thee.
For thee delightfully employ
whate’er thy bounteous grace hath given;
and run my course with even joy,
and closely walk with thee to heaven.
Benediction Rev. John Hill
Benediction Song “Siyahamba” (TFWS 2235)
We are pushing in the light of God,
we are pushing in the light of God.
We are pushing in the light of God,
we are pushing in the light of God.
We are pushing,
we are pushing, ooo;
we are pushing in the light of God.
We are pushing,
we are pushing, ooo;
we are pushing in the light of God.