Worship for August 30, 2026

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 30, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Prelude: Impromptu              Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome:                                    Rev. Eric S. Anderson

*Call to Worship (based on Romans 12:9-21)  Joyce Nakamoto

Leader:      Let love be genuine. Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.
People:     Love one another and outdo one another in showing honor.

Leader:      Be zealous and ardent in Spirit as you serve the LORD.
People:     Rejoice in hope, be patient in trouble, persevere in prayer.

Leader:      Bless those who persecute you: bless and do not curse them.
People:     Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

All:              Let us worship God!

* Hymn #572: When Israel Was in Egypt’s Land (v. 1 – 4)

* Invocation (based on Jeremiah 15:15-21)              Joyce Nakamoto

Remember us and visit us in this time of worship, O God. We found your words and ate them in their sweetness. They are the foundation of our joy. You are the delight of our heart, and so we worship you today, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: Joyful Peal                Bell Choir

Time with the Children       Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                                    Joyce Nakamoto

Exodus 3:1-15

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. Now go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’:

This is my name forever,
and this my title for all generations.

Matthew 16:21-28

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

“For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Sermon: Take a Closer Look                            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. Amen.

* Hymn #469: O Grant Us Light (v. 1-4)

Call to Offering                        Joyce Nakamoto

Jesus asks a great deal of us – most of all, to step away from the world we know to learn of blessings we do not know. When we share our resources, moral or financial, we help those blessings come to be. 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: Andante                  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                             Joyce Nakamoto

You have worked through so many people over so many years, O God, to bring your realm of love and light to be. Through these gifts, may we contribute to the blessings of the world, and may we share in those blessings ourselves. Amen.

* Hymn #459: Come, O Fount of Every Blessing (v. 1 – 3)

Please be seated

Announcements                     Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction                              Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: O Wondrous Day Kayleen Yuda

* Please stand if you are able.

PERMISSIONS

 

IMPORTANT DATES

Today, August 30 – Church Picnic after Worship Service
Saturday, September 19 – Walk to End Alzheimer’s, Lili`uokalani Gardens, registration at 7:30 AM; walk or donate a pledge to someone walking on behalf of our church (contact Nina or Anne)

Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. – One Song from Church of the Holy Cross streamed live
Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m. – Bible Study in person, in Pastor’s Study or via Zoom (see the link in our e-newsletter The Weekly Chime)
Interested in pickleball? Contact Connie at 808-936-7534 or Ruth at rnduponte07@gmail.com

Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross

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.