Call to Worship
(Congregation reads underlined portion aloud together)
All who thirst, come to the water.
Come, all who are weary;
come, all who yearn for forgiveness.
The Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ has washed over us,
and our gracious and holy God beckons and blesses us.
Drink deeply of these living waters.
Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you.
Song of Adoration
Christ Our Hope In Life and Death
What is our hope in life and death?
Christ alone, Christ alone
What is our only confidence?
That our souls to him belong
Who holds our days within his hand?
What comes, apart from his command?
And what will keep us to the end?
The love of Christ, in which we stand
O sing hallelujah!
Our hope springs eternal
O sing hallelujah!
Now and ever we confess
Christ our hope in life and death
What truth can calm the troubled soul?
God is good, God is good
Where is his grace and goodness known?
In our great Redeemer's blood
Who holds our faith when fears arise?
Who stands above the stormy trial?
Who sends the waves that bring us nigh
Unto the shore, the rock of Christ?
O sing hallelujah!
Our hope springs eternal
O sing hallelujah!
Now and ever we confess
Christ our hope in life and death
Unto the grave, what will we sing?
"Christ, he lives; Christ, he lives!"
And what reward will heaven bring?
Everlasting life with him
And we will rise to meet the Lord
Then sin and death will be destroyed
And we will feast in endless joy
When Christ is ours forevermore
O sing hallelujah!
Our hope springs eternal
O sing hallelujah!
Now and ever we confess
Christ our hope in life and death
O sing hallelujah!
Our hope springs eternal
O sing hallelujah!
Now and ever we confess
Christ our hope in life and death
Now and ever we confess
Christ our hope in life and death
Song of Confession
Death Was Arrested
Alone in my sorrow and dead in my sin
Lost without hope with no place to begin
Your love made a way to let mercy come in
When death was arrested and my life began
Ash was redeemed only beauty remains
My orphan heart was given a name
My mourning grew quiet my feet rose to dance
When death was arrested and my life began
Oh Your grace so free washes over me
You have made me new
Now life begins with You
It's Your endless love pouring down on us
You have made us new
Now life begins with You
Released from my chains
I'm a pris'ner no more
My shame was a ransom He faithfully bore
He cancelled my debt
And He called me His friend
When death was arrested and my life began
Oh Your grace so free washes over me
You have made me new
Now life begins with You
It's Your endless love pouring down on us
You have made us new
Now life begins with You
Our Savior displayed on a criminal's cross
Darkness rejoiced as though Heaven had lost
But then Jesus arose with our freedom in hand
That's when death was arrested and my life began
Oh Your grace so free washes over me
You have made me new
Now life begins with You
It's Your endless love pouring down on us
You have made us new
Now life begins with You
Oh we're free free forever we're free
Come join the song of all the redeemed
Yes we're free free forever amen
When death was arrested and my life began
Oh we're free free forever we're free
Come join the song of all the redeemed
Yes we're free free forever amen
When death was arrested and my life began
When death was arrested and my life began
When death was arrested and my life began
Confession / Assurance of Pardon
Corporate Confession (congregation reads underlined portion together):
Merciful God,
you pardon all who truly repent and turn to you.
We humbly confess our sins and ask your mercy.
We have not loved you with a pure heart,
nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves. We have not done justice, loved kindness, or walked humbly with you, our God.
Have mercy on us, O God, in your loving-kindness.
In your great compassion, cleanse us from our sin.
Create in us a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within us.
Do not cast us from your presence,
or take your Holy Spirit from us.
Restore to us the joy of your salvation and sustain us with your bountiful Spirit
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
—based on Psalm 51:10-12
Assurance of Pardon
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion for his children,
so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him.
—Psalm 103:8-13, NRSV
Song of Faithfulness
Foundations
I hear the Father say
You’re my beloved one
Nothing can prize away
A covenant built on love
When I feel like ruins
You see foundations
You see foundations
To build Your Kingdom here
I’ll stop second guessing you
Even when failures come
Redemption is what you do
You’re the God who makes weak things strong
When I feel likе ruins
You see foundations
You see foundations
To build Your Kingdom here
When I feel likе ruins
You see foundations
You see foundations
To build Your Kingdom here
My brokenness made beautiful
It’s like you said all things made new
My heart cries out, build your kingdom here
Let faith like fire burn in our bones
Let hope arise from weary souls
Our hearts cry out, build your kingdom here
When I feel like ruins
You see foundations
You see foundations
To build Your Kingdom here
Scripture Reading
Ruth 1:18–22 (ESV)
18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
Naomi and Ruth Return
19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
Sermon
Title: Pleasantness for Bitterness
Sermon Text: Ruth
Song of Redemption
Living Hope
How great the chasm that lay between us
How high the mountain I could not climb
In desperation I turned to heaven
And spoke Your name into the night
Then through the darkness Your loving-kindness
Tore through the shadows of my soul
The work is finished the end is written
Jesus Christ my living hope
Who could imagine so great a mercy
What heart could fathom such boundless grace
The God of ages stepped down from glory
To wear my sin and bear my shame
The cross has spoken I am forgiven
The King of kings calls me His own
Beautiful Savior I’m Yours forever
Jesus Christ my living hope
Hallelujah praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There’s salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ
My living hope
Then came the morning that sealed the promise
Your buried body began to breathe
Out of the silence the Roaring Lion
Declared the grave has no claim on me
Then came the morning that sealed the promise
Your buried body began to breathe
Out of the silence the Roaring Lion
Declared the grave has no claim on me
Jesus Yours is the victory
Hallelujah praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There’s salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ
My living hope
Hallelujah praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There’s salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ
My living hope
Jesus Christ
My living hope
Jesus Christ
My living hope
Announcements
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Mark your calendar’s for Monday, August 8th! We’re having a Redeemer Pizza & Pool party from 5-9PM at the Padgett’s neighborhood pool. More details to come.
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100% of all donations to our Benevolence Fund will go to support people in need in the Stillwater area.
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You can support Afghan refugees moving to Stillwater by donating to our Refugee Resettlement Fund. 100% of all donations to this account will go to support Afghan refugees in Stillwater.
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Follow us on social media for Redeemer updates. Links are listed at the bottom of this page.
Benediction
(Congregation reads underlined portion aloud)
May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
— Romans 15:13 (NRSV)