❖ Athanasian Creed, Part 2

Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith:

that we worship one God in Trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confounding their persons nor dividing the essence…

The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten from anyone.

The Son was neither made nor created; he was begotten from the Father alone.

The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten;

he proceeds from the Father and the Son.

Accordingly, there is one Father, not three fathers;

there is one Son, not three sons;

there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.

None in this Trinity is before or after, none is greater or smaller;

in their entirety the three persons are coeternal and coequal with each other.

So in everything, as was said earlier, the unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in unity, is to be worshiped.

Anyone then who desires to be saved should think thus about the Trinity.

❖ Assurance of Pardon

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

[Psalm 34:8]

❖ Confession of Sin

Cleanse me from my secret faults, O Lord, and forgive those offenses to your servant which he has caused in others. I contend not in judgment with you, who are truth; I fear to deceive myself, lest my sin should make me think that I am not sinful. Therefore I contend not in judgment with you; for if you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall abide it? Amen.

[Augustine]

❖ Reading of the Law

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

[John 15:9–12]

❖ Adoration

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not the good he has done to me, who forgives all your sins and heals all your infirmities, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with grace and mercy. The Lord is merciful, patient, and of great goodness. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor does he repay us according to our offense. For as high as the heaven is above the earth, he shows his grace toward those who fear him. As far as the rising of the sun is from its setting, so far he removes our transgression from us. As a father takes pity on his children, so the Lord takes pity on those who fear him. Who also did not spare his own Son, but has delivered him up for us all and has given us with him all things. In this way, God shows his love toward us, that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. So we will all the more be saved by him from wrath, after we have been justified by his blood. For if we are reconciled to God by the death of his Son while we were still enemies, how much more will we be saved by his life, after we have been reconciled to him. Therefore, my mouth and heart shall proclaim the Lord’s praise, from now on and forevermore. Amen.

[Zacharius Ursinus]

❖ Call to Worship

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory.”

[Revelation 19:6–7]

☩ The Valley of Vision: Paradoxes

❖ Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name;

your kingdom come;

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.

Amen.

❖ Prayer of Intercession

Let your mighty hand and outstretched arm, O Lord, still be our defense;

your mercy and loving kindness in Jesus Christ your dear Son, our salvation;

your true and holy Word, our instruction;

your grace and Holy Spirit, our comfort and consolation unto the end, and in the end. Amen.

[John Bradford]

❖ Scripture Reading

• Exodus 15

• Luke 18

• Job 33

• 2 Corinthians 3

❖ Prayer for Illumination

O, make your Word a swift Word,

passing from the ear to the heart,

from the heart to the lip and conversation;

that, as the rain returns not empty,

so neither may your Word,

but accomplish that for which it is given. Amen.

[George Herbert]

❖ Catechism

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Question 31

❖ Praise

Glory be to the Father

and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit:

As it was in the beginning,

is now and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen.

[Gloria Patri]

❖ Athanasian Creed, Part 1

Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith:

that we worship one God in Trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confounding their persons nor dividing the essence.

For the person of the Father is a distinct person,

the person of the Son is another,

and that of the Holy Spirit still another.

But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.

Such as the Father is, such is the Son and such is the Holy Spirit.

The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated.

The Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable, the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.

The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal.

And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but one eternal being.

So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings;

there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being.

Similarly, the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty.

Yet there are not three almighty beings; there is but one almighty being.

Thus, the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God.

Yet there are not three gods; there is but one God.

Thus, the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord.

Yet there are not three lords; there is but one Lord.

Just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually as both God and Lord,

so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords.

❖ Assurance of Pardon

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

[John 3:16]

❖ Confession of Sin

O Lord, you have mercy upon all—take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of your Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore you, a heart to delight in you, to follow and to enjoy you, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

[Ambrose]

❖ Reading of the Law

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

[Matthew 5:3–10]

❖ Adoration

We bless you for your preservation of us during the past night; and we desire to acknowledge again our dependence upon you, and our unfeigned obligations toward you. We thank you for having poured down upon us so many blessings of this life; we thank you for our health and strength; for our food and dress; and for all the comforts and conveniences which we enjoy. But, above all, we praise you for the inestimable privilege of being born in a land of religious light and knowledge. For these, and for all your various and great mercies, we would render unto you a grateful heart; and we would endeavor to show our gratitude, not with our lips only, but with our lives; by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you, in holiness and righteousness, all our days on earth. Amen.

[Henry Thornton]

❖ Call to Worship

We give thanks to you, O God;

we give thanks, for your name is near.

We recount your wondrous deeds.

[Psalm 75:1]

☩ The Valley of Vision: The Dark Guest