Welcome to Richmond ’ s First Baptist Church

2709 Monument Avenue • Richmond, VA 23220 • 804-355-8637

August 28, 2022 • 11 a.m.

T W E L F T H SU N DAY A F TER PENT ECO ST

Preparation for Worship

When my friend’s daughter got married, she wanted to invite their entire church, but
budgetary constraints prohibited that. Instead, after the service, they had the local
police block off the main street in downtown Waco, Texas. Guests danced in the streets
and enjoyed refreshments from a Baskin Robbins ice cream cart. The gazebo in the
park next to the theatre sheltered the wedding cake. The groom had made friends
with a number of homeless men who lived under a nearby bridge. “Coyote,” the
leader of his homeless friends, attended the wedding in his standard attire of jeans
with holes in the knees, a scraggly beard, and unwashed hair. He organized his friends
to clean up the streets after the wedding, then sat on the curb with a big smile and
smoked a cigar. Sounds like a parable of the Kingdom, doesn’t it?

 —Dan Clendenin

The Chiming of the Hour

Welcome and Invocation Ann Carter

Organ Prelude, “Someone’s Singing, Lord” John Benkhe

Call to Worship (from Psalm 112, NRSV) Ann Carter

Leader: Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord,
who greatly delight in his commandments.
People: Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Leader: Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
People: They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
Leader: It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
Unison: For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered forever.

Hymn No. 312, “Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart” MARION

Rejoice, ye pure in heart, rejoice, give thanks and sing

Beneath the standard of your God, the cross of Christ your King.
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing.
Bright youth and snow-crowned age, strong men and maidens fair,
Raise high your free, exulting song, God’s wondrous praise declare.
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing.
Yes, on through life’s long path, still singing as ye go;
From youth to age, by night and day, in gladness and in woe.
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing.
At last the march shall end; the weary ones shall rest;
The pilgrims find their heavenly home, Jerusalem the blest.
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing.
Praise God, who reigns on high, the Lord whom we adore,
The Father, Son, and Spirit blest, one God forevermore.
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing.

Children’s Sermon Jim Somerville

The Epistle Lesson, Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16, (Pew Bible NT page 276) Lynn Turner

Call to Prayer “Prayer for Humility”  Mark Patterson

Adult Choir

Mighty God and gentle Lamb, Lord of all creation,

How we long to know you,
How we strive to serve you,
Help us now to love you even more.
Give us humble hearts to praise you and listening ears to hear your voice,
Willing hands to serve you, thankful spirits to rejoice.
Lord of all, we adore you, and we bring this prayer before you:
Create in us humble hearts.

Pastoral Prayer Lynn Turner

Hymn No. 662, “The Mission God Has Given” NYLAND

The mission God has given, to tell the world of grace,

Must start by seeing Jesus in every human face.
Each time we feed the hungry or shelter those in need,
The love of Christ, our Savior, is present in the deed.
When acts of true compassion accompany God’s word,
The message of salvation is seen as well as heard.
The bounty of our blessings we all must freely share
So those who need the Savior will know we really care.
Our call to share the gospel with people near and far
Begins with those around us, no matter where we are.
To spread the global message that Jesus is the Way,
Then we must mirror Jesus in how we live each day.

Sharing the Faith  Douglas Johnson


Offertory “They’ll Know We Are Christians” ST. BRENDAN’S
Justin Pierson, soloist

Please join on the final stanza when indicated.

All Praise to the Father, from whom all things come.
And all praise to Christ Jesus, His only Son.
And all praise to the Spirit, who makes us one.
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
Doxology OLD 100TH

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Prayer of Gratitude Matthew Hensley


The Gospel, Luke 14:1, 7-14, (Pew Bible NT page 94) Matthew Hensley

Anthem “Be Thou My Vision” arr. Dan Forrest

Adult Choir

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart,

Nought be all else to me, save that Thou art,
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be thou my Wisdom, and Thou my True Word,
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son,
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not, nor men’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always,
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, or bright heav’ns Sun.
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Be my Vision, Lord.

Sermon Learning as We Go: Jim Somerville

Taking Our Places

Hymn No. 503, “Lord, Speak to Me, That I May Speak”  CANONBURY

Lord, speak to me, that I may speak in living echoes of Your tone;
As You have sought, so let me seek Your erring children, lost and lone.
O teach me, Lord, that I may teach the precious things that You impart;
And wing my words, that they may reach the hidden depths of many a heart.
O fill me with Your fullness, Lord, until my very heart o’erflow
In kindling thought and glowing word, Your love to tell, Your praise to show.
O use me, Lord, use even me, just as You will, and when, and where,
Until Your blessed face I see, Your rest, Your joy, Your glory share.

The Life of the Community Jim Somerville

Charge and Benediction Jim Somerville

Organ Postlude, “Trumpet Tune in D” David Johnson

The worship services at Richmond’s First Baptist Church are planned around the weekly
readings from The Revised Common Lectionary. This biblically based approach to worship
can be strengthened and enhanced by the awareness and preparation of our church family
as we ready ourselves to meet God and each other in worship each week.
Lectionary Readings for Sunday, September 4, 2022: Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18;
Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Philemon 1:1-21; Luke 14:25-33

The flowers today are given to the glory of God in memory of

Al Astle by Glen and Julia Scott;
Dot and Doc Ankers by Dottie Gardner;
Margaret and Lewis Tysinger by Charles Tysinger.

The 11 a.m. worship service is streamed on Sundays at fbcrichmond.org /live,

on Facebook at facebook.com/firstbaptistrichmond, and on YouTube at fbcrichmond.org /youtube.
For more information about next Sunday, visit fbcrichmond.org /worship.

Wireless personal receivers are available for those who need assistance hearing in the Sanctuary.
If your hearing aid is equipped with a T-switch, please activate it to utilize our hearing loop.

When You Give, You Make an Impact! When you partner with Richmond’s First Baptist Church
financially, you help love and serve our neighbors here in Richmond and around the world.
Use the QR code to give now or go to fbcrichmond.org /give.