Come and bless the Lord / Come and bless the Lord
Come and bless the Lord, all you servants of God

Lift up your hands (Lift up your hands)
To the holy place (To the holy place)
Lift up your hands (Lift up your hands)
And bless his name

Praise our God, all peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;

he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.

God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.

Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me! (from Psalm 66)

Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature
O Thou of God and man, the Son
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands
Robed in the blooming garb of spring
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing

Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight
And all the twinkling starry host
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast

Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 5:1-7)

Merciful God,

we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you
with our whole heart and mind and strength.
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be,
so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your holy name.

The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. (from Psalm 145)

Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ, and Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. (from Romans 8)

Abide with me; falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers, fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, abide with me.

I need Thy presence, every passing hour.
What but Thy grace, can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless
Ills have no weight, tears lose their bitterness
Where is thy sting death? Where grave thy victory?
I triumph still, abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross, before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, Lord, abide with me.

May the grace of Christ renew you daily,
the love of God enable you to love everyone,
and the Holy Spirit unite us as one body under our Savior. Amen.

Let us go forth and serve our world as those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God!