Worship for August 24, 2025

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, August 24, 2025. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Pastor

WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome                            Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship: (based on Psalm 71:1-6)         Mace Peng

Leader:   Take refuge in the LORD, let God protect you from shame.
People:  Let the righteousness of the LORD deliver us and rescue us.

Leader:   The LORD is our rock and our refuge, a fortress to protect us.
People:  May the LORD rescue us from the assaults of the unjust and the cruel.

Leader:   Let the LORD be your hope and your trust whether you are keiki or kupuna.
People:  We will rely upon God, who has protected us all our lives.

All:           Let us worship God!

* Hymn #13: O My Soul, Bless Your Creator (v. 1-5)

* Invocation (based on Jeremiah 1:4-10)              Mace Peng

Let your word come to us, O God; let your Holy Spirit fill us. You have known us since before we were born; you have called us as your people and your ministers. Let your words be in our mouths and your compassion in our fingers. May we be prepared to plant your grace in those nearby and proclaim it for those far away. In Jesus’ name we praise you. Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: How Did Moses Cross the Red Sea          Kayleen Yuda

Scripture: Isaiah 58:9-14         Mace Peng
Then you shall call and the Lord will answer;
    you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

If you remove the yoke from among you,
    the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
    and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
    and satisfy your needs in parched places,
    and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
    like a spring of water,
    whose waters never fail.
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
    you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
    the restorer of streets to live in.

 If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
    from pursuing your own interests on my holy day;
if you call the sabbath a delight
    and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
    serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs;^[a]
then you shall take delight in the Lord,
    and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Luke 13:10-17
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are set free from your ailment.’ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, ‘There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day.’ But the Lord answered him and said, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?’ When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

Sermon: Unlawful (Sort Of)     Rev. Eric S. Anderson

WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED

Pastoral Prayer              Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer         
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen

* Hymn #401: O God in Whom All Life Begins (v. 1-3)

Call to Offering                Mace Peng

God has given us life, talent, and a world of resources, and God has given us these things without regard to our notions of appropriate times. Let us give for the benefit of our neighbors and community without regard to artificial notions of the “right time.” All times are the right times to give. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.

Offertory: Chorale          Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology
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

* Offertory Prayer         Mace Peng

God who is so gracious to us, multiply these gifts which we share with our neighbors. May they find healing of body, mind, and spirit through these gifts and our sharing all week. Amen.

* Hymn #573: Lead On Eternal Sovereign (v. 1-3)

Announcements             Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: Chorale           Kayleen Yuda

PERMISSIONS

IMPORTANT DATES

Today, August 24 – Annual Hilo Style Picnic after Worship Service

Mondays, 11:30 a.m. -Pickleball lessons; contact Connie 808-936-7534 or
Ruth at rnduponte07@gmail.com to sign up.

Wednesdays, 5 PM – Bible Study in Pastor’s Study and via Zoom (The meeting link and Bible references will be in the Weekly Chime). Special Bible Study sessions will be held from Sept 17 – Oct 15 as part of our Open & Affirming (ONA) discussion (contact Rev Dr Jonathan Roach.)

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.