CCLI Number: 2880734
September 6, 2026
Words of Welcome Rev. John Hill
Centering Music “Great Is the Lord”
Call to Worship Karen Hattan
God chose a people and promised to them a land.
God anointed leaders to guide them in the ways of justice.
We too are a chosen people, a royal priesthood.
May we give ourselves to lives of righteousness.
Opening Hymn “How Firm a Foundation” (UMH #529)
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
for I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
for I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
my grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
The soul that on Jesus still leans for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake.
Opening Prayer (by Steffie Misner-Wampler) Karen Hattan
Great Creator God,
the same God who humbled yourself before all humanity,
teach us what it means to be chosen by you.
Let us remember,
as we hear the stories of your beloved people of Israel,
the words spoken to Joshua
before he crossed the River Jordan into the promised land:
“Be strong and courageous;
do not be frightened or dismayed,
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Amen.
Children’s Moment Rev. John Hill
Prayer of Confession (Book of Worship #480) Karen Hattan
We confess to you, all-knowing God, what we are.
We are not the people we like others to think we are.
We are afraid to admit, even to ourselves,
what lies in the depths of our souls.
But we cannot hide our true selves from you.
You know us as we are, and yet you love us.
Help us not to shrink from self-knowledge.
Teach us to respect ourselves for your sake.
Give us the courage to put our trust in your guiding power.
Raise us out of the paralysis of guilt
into the freedom and energy of forgiven people.
And for those who through long habit find forgiveness hard to accept,
we ask you to break their bondage and set them free;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. 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 “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks” (UMH #724)
On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand,
and cast a wishful eye
to Canaan’s fair and happy land,
where my possessions lie.
I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
oh, who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.
O’er all those wide extended plains
shines one eternal day;
there God the Son forever reigns,
and scatters night away.
I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
oh, who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.
No chilling winds or poisonous breath
can reach that healthful shore;
sickness and sorrow, pain and death,
are felt and feared no more.
I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
oh, who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.
When I shall reach that happy place,
I’ll be forever blest,
for I shall see my Father’s face,
and in his bosom rest.
I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
oh, who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.
Prayer for Illumination Karen Hattan
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 (Joshua 1:1-9) Karen Hattan
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’s assistant, saying, “My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall lead this people to possess the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Response to the Scripture Reading Karen Hattan
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 “Chosen: Joshua” Rev. John Hill
Musical Reflection
Pastoral Prayer Rev. John Hill
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 Holy Communion
The Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth.
You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life.
When we turned away, and our love failed, your love remained steadfast.
You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our sovereign God, and spoke to us through your prophets.
And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy are you and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.
Your Spirit anointed him to bring good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
and to announce that the time had come when you would save your people.
He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners.
By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your church,
delivered us from slavery to sin and death,
and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.
On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:
“Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
When the supper was over, he took the cup,
gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
“Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and cup.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet.
Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty God, now and forever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Holy Communion
Prayer After Communion
Invitation to Discipleship
Habitat for Humanity Commissioning
Closing Hymn “Standing on the Promises” (UMH #374)
Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
through eternal ages let his praises ring;
glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God my Savior;
standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
by the living Word of God I shall prevail,
standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God my Savior;
standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
bound to him eternally by love’s strong cord,
overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God my Savior;
standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,
resting in my Savior as my all in all,
standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God my Savior;
standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
Benediction Rev. John Hill
Benediction Song “Standing on the Promises” (UMH #374, Chorus only)
Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God my Savior;
standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.