Crown Him With Many Crowns: A festive service celebrating our Lord's ascension.

We Gather to Worship

 

Prelude: "Jesus Shall Reign"

[Callahan]

Introit: "Lift Up Your Heads"

[from Messiah, Handel]

The Greeting

People of God, the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ, sends his greeting to you. And his greeting is this: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, through the working of the Holy Spirit. This is the greeting of Christ, who arose from the grave.

He died and rose that we might have eternal life. All thanks be to him!

 

This same Christ has ascended to the Father.

He ascended that we might experience God's presence and power. All praise be to him!

 

The Scripture: Acts 1:1-11

Response: "Alleluia, Sing to Jesus"

[PH 144,PsH 406,RL 346]

We Hear the Word of the Lord

 

The Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 47

Response: Psalm 47

[PH 194, PsH 47, RL 103, TH 73. Concertato setting of "Psalm for Ascension" by Valerie Sterk, CRC Publications #2410-4700]

The New Testament Lesson: Luke 24:28-50

Response: "Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise"

[PsH 409, RL 331, TH 290]

The Sermon: "Ascension: The Temple Fulfilled"

We Respond in Praise, Prayer, and Service

 

Hymn: "Crown Him with Many Crowns"

[PH 151, PH 410, RL 600, TH 29S. Hymn concertato by Walter Pelz for choir, organ, and trumpets. Augsburg 11-9093.]

The Confession

People of God, Let us believe in our heart and confess with our mouths that which concerns the ascension of Christ. What do we mean by saying, "He ascended into heaven?"

That Christ,

while his disciples watched,

was lifted up from the earth to heaven

and will be there for our good

until he comes again

to judge the living and the dead.

 

How does Christ's ascension to heaven benefit us?

First, he pleads our cause

in heaven

in the presence of his Father.

Second, we have our own flesh in heavenó

a guarantee that Christ our head

will take us, his members, to himself in heaven.

Third, he sends his Spirit to us on earth

as a further guarantee.

By the Spirit's power

we make a goal of our lives,

not earthly things, but the things

above where Christ is,

sitting at God's right hand.

[Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 18]

Pastoral Prayer

Offering

Offertory: "The King of Glory Comes"

[PH 177, PsH 370, TH 240]

Hymn: "At the Name of Jesus"

[PH 148, PsH 467, RL 336, TH 163. Setting by Ralph Vaughan Williams (with trumpets playing the descant along with the sopranos). Oxford 40.100.]

We Go Out to Serve God

 

Benediction:

He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

 

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.

AMEN!

 

Postlude: Crown Him with Many Crowns

[Young]

 

This service was planned by Karen De Mol, chair of the Department of Music at Dordt College and member of the First Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Center, Iowa, for a joint service for the four Christian Reformed churches in Sioux Center.

This was a community service not only in the sense of assembling several congregations as the worshiping body, but also because it incorporated several resources of the community. The introit, from Handel's Messiah, was sung by those members of the Sioux County Oratorio Chorus that belonged to the participating churches. The twenty-eight such members were distributed among the voice parts to form a balanced choir.

The other choral pieces, concertato hymn settings, were sung by a vt choir composed of the church choirs of the four congregations. The two trumpeters were from the Sioux County Orchestra.

 

The offertory, "The King of Glory Comes," was sung by the children in grades 3-5.

 

The hymns in this service were selected from the most recent editions of the following hymnals: The Presbyterian Hymnal (PH), Psalter Hymnal (PsH), Rejoice in the Lord (RL), and Trinity Hymnal (TH).

 

This service is available on computer disk. See p. 48 for more information.

 

Karen DeMol is co-chair of the worship committee of First Christian Reformed Church (Sioux Center) and professor of music at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Reformed Worship 23 © March 1992, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Used by permission.