Welcome
Please use this link for the
Zoom Service August 9 , 2026 at 8:30 AM
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81188368778?p30wd=QzZNMlFNNWVRVFIyUXZieWtNWkV0UT09
Acton Community Presbyterian Church
1888 – 2026 Celebrating Heritage and Sharing Hope
P.O. Box 177, 32142 Crown Valley Rd, Acton, CA 93510 Message: 661-208-8032 www.actonpc.org
August 9, 2026
“Praise is the rent we owe to God, and the larger the farm the greater the rent.”
— Charles Spurgeon
WELCOME, ANNOUNCMENTS, GUESTS AND SPECIAL DAYS
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: Come, let us lift our voices in joyful praise to the living God.
All: We come with glad hearts to honor the One who made us and calls us His own.
Leader: The Lord is faithful through every generation; His goodness never fails.
All: With thankful hearts we draw near to worship Him.
Leader: Let every voice rise in gratitude and every heart rejoice in His presence.
All: To the Lord our God belong all praise, honor, and thanksgiving forever
OPENING HYMN #9 - Praise the Lord! Ye Heaven, adore Him.
1 Praise the Lord! ye heav'ns, adore Him; Praise Him angels in the height;
Sun and moon, rejoice before Him; Praise Him, all ye stars of light.
Praise the Lord! for He hath spoken; Worlds His mighty voice obeyed;
Laws which never shall be broken For their guidance He hath made.
2 Praise the Lord! for He is glorious; Never shall His promise fail;
God hath made His saints victorious; Sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise the God of our salvation! Hosts on high, His pow'r proclaim;
Heav'n and earth and all creation, Laud and magnify His name.
3 Worship, honor, glory, blessing, Lord, we offer unto Thee;
Young and old, Thy praise expressing, In glad homage bend the knee.
All the saints in heav'n adore Thee; We would bow before Thy throne:
As Thine angels serve before Thee, So on earth Thy will be done.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH: A Brief Statement of Faith
We trust in God, whom Jesus called Abba, Father. In sovereign love God created the world good and makes everyone equally in God’s image, male and female, of every race and people, to live as one community. But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator. Ignoring God’s commandments, we violate the image of God in others and ourselves, accept lies as truth, exploit neighbor and nature, and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care. Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation. In everlasting love, the God of Abraham and Sarah chose a covenant people to bless all families of the earth. Loving us still, God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant. Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child, like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home, God is faithful still.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Merciful God, You have made us and claimed us as Your own, yet we often live as if we belong to ourselves. You call us to enter Your presence with thanksgiving, but we come distracted, half-hearted, or silent. You are good and Your steadfast love endures forever, yet we grumble, compare, and withhold our praise. Forgive us for cold worship, for forgetfulness of Your faithfulness, and for the pride that refuses to give You thanks. Restore to us the joy of belonging to You, and teach us again to bless Your name with glad and honest hearts. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SILENT CONFESSION PRAYERS FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
Old Testament Reading Psalm 100, Page 552
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations. The Word of the Lord, Thanks Be To God
New Testament Reading Hebrews 13:10-15, Page 228
We have an altar from which those who officiate in the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood. Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. The Word of the Lord, Thanks Be To God
SERMON : “The Gate Stands Open”
CALL FOR OFFERING–Congregation sings Doxology - Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
HYMN # 220 - He Lives
I serve a risen Savior He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living, Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy; I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I need Him He’s always near.
(Refrain) He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.
2 In all the world around me I see His loving care,
And though my heart grows weary, I never will despair;
I know that He is leading, Through all the stormy blast;
The day of His appearing Will come at last. (Refrain)
3 Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs To Jesus Christ the King!
The Hope of all who seek Him, The Help of all who find,
None other is so loving, So good and kind. (Refrain)
HOLY COMMUNION
CLOSING HYMN # 483 Lead on, O King Eternal
1 Lead on, O King Eternal, The day of march has come;
Henceforth in fields of conquest Thy tents shall be our home.
Through days of preparation Your grace has made us strong,
And now, O King Eternal, We lift our battle song.
2 Lead on, O King Eternal, Till sin's fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper The sweet Amen of peace;
For not with swords loud clashing, Nor roll of stirring drums,
With deeds of love and mercy The heav'nly kingdom comes.
3 Lead on, O King Eternal, We follow, not with fears;
For gladness breaks like morning Where'er Your face appears;
Thy cross is lifted o'er us; We journey in its light:
The crown awaits the conquest; Lead on, O God of might.
BENEDICTION – The Lord Be With You
Congregation sings
God be with you till we meet again, By his counsels guide, uphold you, With his sheep securely fold you God be with you till we meet again.
**Offerings 1. May be deposited in the Offering Box by the Narthex.
2. Processed through “E-Give” online at actonpc.org
3. Send a check to Acton Presbyterian Church P.O. Box 177 Acton, Ca. 93510
Don’t forget the Food Pantry - donations may be left in the basket located in the Church Narthex or in the Hall. Below is an example of items needed Canned tomatoes, Peanut Butter, Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Canned meat or beans Canned soup, Canned fruit or vegetables, Cereal, Dried beans or rice, Pasta, Diapers, Deodorant, Shampoo and Bar Soap, Toothbrush and toothpaste
