Sunday August 23, 2026

Prelude
Announcements
Opening Hymn – #361 Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me (4 verses)
Opening Prayer
1st Scripture Reading – Genesis 15:1–6
Special Music – #370 Victory in Jesus (3 verses)
Children’s Time
Joys & Concerns / Pastoral Prayer / Lord’s Prayer
Hymn – #357 Just as I Am, Without One Plea (6 verses)
Mission & Ministry Moment – Nominations
Loving the Wider World through Our Giving (Doxology #95)
2nd Scripture Reading – Romans 5:1–11
Pastor’s Message “The Doorway” – Pastor Devin
Praise Music – “No Longer Slaves”
Benediction
Postlude

1st Scripture Reading – Genesis 15:1–6
God’s Covenant with Abram
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I
am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you
give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3 And Abram
said, “You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.”
4 But the
word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue
shall be your heir.”
5 He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars,
if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
6 And he
believed the Lord, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
2nd Scripture Reading – Romans 5:1–11
Results of Justification
1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, 2
through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast
in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions,
knowing that affliction produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character
produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into
our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7
Indeed, rarely will
anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually
dare to die. 8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
9 Much more surely, therefore, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved
through him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God
through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his
life. 11 But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom
we have now received reconciliation.