*Entire service available on video HERE
Call To Worship
(Scripture to set a tone for worshipping the Lord)
I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.
Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.
The Lord protects you;
the Lord is a shelter right by your side.
The sun will not strike you by day
or the moon by night.
The Lord will protect you from all harm;
he will protect your life.
The Lord will protect your coming and going
both now and forever.
-Psalm 121
Worship In Song
God Is Good
Rock Of Ages
The Reading Of God’s Word
Lamentations 3:1-33 (Jair Palacios)
Aleph
I am the man who has seen affliction
under the rod of God’s wrath.
2 He has driven me away and forced me to walk
in darkness instead of light.
3 Yes, he repeatedly turns his hand
against me all day long.
Beth
4 He has worn away my flesh and skin;
he has broken my bones.
5 He has laid siege against me,
encircling me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He has made me dwell in darkness
like those who have been dead for ages.
Gimel
7 He has walled me in so I cannot get out;
he has weighed me down with chains.
8 Even when I cry out and plead for help,
he blocks out my prayer.
9 He has walled in my ways with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.
Daleth
10 He is a bear waiting in ambush,
a lion in hiding.
11 He forced me off my way and tore me to pieces;
he left me desolate.
12 He strung his bow
and set me as the target for his arrow.
He
13 He pierced my kidneys
with shafts from his quiver.
14 I am a laughingstock to all my people,
mocked by their songs all day long.
15 He filled me with bitterness,
satiated me with wormwood.
Waw
16 He ground my teeth with gravel
and made me cower in the dust.
17 I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 Then I thought, “My future is lost,
as well as my hope from the Lord.”
Zayin
19 Remember my affliction and my homelessness,
the wormwood and the poison.
20 I continually remember them
and have become depressed.
21 Yet I call this to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
Cheth
22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for his mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!
24 I say, “The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in him.”
Teth
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the person who seeks him.
26 It is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is still young.
Yod
28 Let him sit alone and be silent,
for God has disciplined him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—
perhaps there is still hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek
to the one who would strike him;
let him be filled with disgrace.
Kaph
31 For the Lord
will not reject us forever.
32 Even if he causes suffering,
he will show compassion
according to the abundance of his faithful love.
33 For he does not enjoy bringing affliction
or suffering on mankind.
The Proclamation Of God’s Word
Lamentations 3:1-33 (Adam Southerland)
Songs Of Response
O Come To The Altar
It Is Well With My Soul
Rejoice
Worship Through Giving
Those who call Engage home are encouraged to worship through giving. In order to ensure minimal contact, those giving by cash or check are encouraged to drop in the collection box near the info table. To read more about what we believe about giving or to submit an offering online click HERE.
(also available on Venmo: @EngageAlbany)
Benediction
(Closing words from Scripture)
See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him. Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.
-1 John 3:1-2