Welcome
Please use this link for the
Zoom Service July 12 , 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
July 12, 2026
“David does not simply say that he desires God, but he expresses the intensity of his desire by the similitude of thirst, which is more intolerable than hunger. He had been accustomed to worship in the sanctuary, and now that he was banished from it, he felt as if he were perishing from thirst in a dry and barren land.”
WELCOME, ANNOUNCMENTS, GUESTS AND SPECIAL DAYS
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: O God, you are our God;
People: Earnestly we seek you.
Leader: Our souls thirst for you;
People: Our flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Leader: Because your steadfast love is better than life,
People: Our lips will praise you.
Leader: We lift up our hands and bless your name.
People: Come, let us worship the living God who satisfies our souls.
OPENING HYMN # 8 - Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, Now to His temple draw near; Join me in glad adoration!
2 Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yes, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen How all thy longings have been Granted in what He ordaineth?
3 Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew What the Almighty can do, If with His love He befriend thee.
4 Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen Sound from His people again: Gladly for aye we adore Him.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH: Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 1
Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in
death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all
my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny
of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair
can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in
fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong
to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and
makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Gracious God, we confess that we have often tried to quench our thirst with things that cannot satisfy. We have sought comfort, approval, success, and pleasure more than we have sought you. We have neglected your presence and grown spiritually dry. Forgive us for treating you as an afterthought instead of our greatest treasure. We have valued other things more than we have valued you. Restore to us a holy thirst
for your presence. Help us to believe that your steadfast love is truly better than life.We come to you thirsty, trusting that you are the living water who alone can satisfy our souls. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
SILENT CONFESSION PRAYERS FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
Old Testament Reading Psalm 63, Page 549
O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
The Word of the Lord, Thanks Be To God
New Testament Reading Philippians 3:7–14, Page 198
Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 1 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. The Word of the Lord, Thanks Be To God
SERMON : “God'sSteadfast Love Is Better Than Life”
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 # 435 - What a Friend We Have in Jesus
1 What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!
2 Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness, Take it to the Lord in prayer.
3 Are we weak and heavy-laden, Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our Refuge - Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer;
In His arms He'll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there.
HOLY COMMUNION
CLOSING HYMN # 393 - Nearer my God to thee verses 1, 2, 3 and5
1 Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee!
E'en though it be a cross That raiseth me;
Still all my song shall be, Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee.
2 Though like the wanderer, The sun gone down,
Darkness be over me, My rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I'd be Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee.
3 There let the way appear, Steps unto heav'n;
All that thou sendest me In mercy giv'n;
Angels to beckon me Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee.
5 Or if on joyful wing, Cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, Upward I fly,
Still all my song shall be Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee.
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
