Call to Worship
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High (Psalm 9:1–2).
May the grace, peace, and mercy of Almighty God be with us, poor sinners, at all times. Amen (Heinrich Bullinger).
Confession
Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you (Psalm 143:2).
I, a poor sinful (wo)man, confess myself before you, my Lord God and Maker, that sadly I have sinned much, with my senses, thoughts, words, and deeds, as you, eternal God, know very well. I regret them and beg your grace.
Almighty, eternal and merciful God, forgive us our sin and lead us to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray as follows (Heinrich Bullinger):
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.
Thanksgiving
I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!
O Lord, be my helper!”
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever! (Psalm 30).
Proclaiming the Word
The Lord passed before [Moses] and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6–7).
1. Make a list of God’s attributes from this passage.
2. What surprises you? What challenges you? What comforts you? What causes you to worship?
3. In what ways do we portray God as only a superior human?
4. Reflect on the following from the London Baptist Confession (1689):
The Lord our God is one, the only living and true God. He is self-existent and infinite in being and perfection. His essence cannot be understood by anyone but Him. He is a perfectly pure spirit. He is invisible and has no body, parts, or changeable emotions. He alone has immortality, dwelling in light that no one can approach. He is unchangeable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty,in every way infinite, absolutely holy, perfectly wise, wholly free, completely absolute. He works all things according to the counsel of His own unchangeable and completely righteous will for His own glory. He is most loving, gracious, merciful, and patient. He overflows with goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. He rewards those who seek Him diligently. At the same time, He is perfectly just and terrifying in His judgments. He hates all sin and will certainly not clear the guilty (LBC 2.1 [modernized]).*
5. Make a list of all the attributes listed in this paragraph.
6. How does this “definition” of God differ from modern portrayals? How does it differ from how you think about God?
7. Spend some time in prayer, praising God for each of these attributes. For example, “Lord, you are unchanging, and that is so good to know in an always changing world. I praise you for your consistency, and I trust you.”
Going into the World
Almighty and everlasting God, who has given us your servant’s grace by the confession of a true faith to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the unity; we ask you, that through the steadfastness of this faith, we may evermore be defended from all adversity, who live and reign, one God, world without end. Amen (Collect for Trinity Sunday).
He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen (1 Timothy 6:15b–16).
*For a study guide on the London Baptist Confession, go to the resources page.