9th Sunday after Pentecost
August 10, 2025
Loving God and loving neighbor here in central Vermont
and to the ends of the earth—all to the glory of God.
Prelude
Deborah Shofstahl
Welcome and Announcements
Listen for upcoming events and ways you can get involved.
Scott Puopolo
Lighting the Candles Jesus is the light of the world.
Acolytes
Statement of Faith—Based on Colossians 1:15-20 Confess what you believe about the Christian faith.
Scott Puopolo
L: Christian, what do you believe?
C: I believe that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible. All things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
Greeting Your Neighbors Greet your neighbors in the name of the Lord.
Congregation
Call to Worship—Based on Ps, Rom, and Rev Hear God call you to worship through his word.
Scott Puopolo
L: God calls us to worship and we respond. The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us;
C: We dwell in him and he in us.
L: Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name;
C: Make known his deeds among the peoples.
L: Sing to him, sing praises to him, and speak of all his marvelous works.
C: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was and is and is to come!
Opening Prayer Invite God to work in you as you worship today.
Scott Puopolo
Worship Songs Join with the congregation in praise to God.
Deborah Shofstahl and Charlie Stabolepszy
#34—Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Verse 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
Verse 2
Praise to the Lord Who o’er all things
So wondrously reigneth
Shelters thee under His wings
Yea so gently sustaineth
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Verse 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
Verse 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
#247—And Can it Be, That I Should Gain
Verse 1
And can it be that I should gain
An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Chorus
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God,
shouldst die for me!
Verse 2
‘Tis mystery all! Th’Immortal dies!
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine!
‘Tis mercy all! let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
Verse 3
He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace;
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race;
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me.
Verse 4
Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.
Verse 5
No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
#322—My Hope is Built on Nothing Less
Verse 1
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Chorus
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
Verse 2
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
Verse 3
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
Verse 4
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
Scripture Meditation—Genesis 15:1-6 Hear a reading from the Gospel that relates to the sermon text.
Rachel Puopolo
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Confession and Assurance—Prayer of Bonhoeffer
Scott Puopolo
L: Let us confess our sins together.
C: O God, early in the morning I cry to You. Help me to pray And to concentrate my thoughts on You: I cannot do this alone. In me there is darkness, But with You there is light; I am lonely, but You do not leave me; I am feeble in heart, but with You there is help; I am restless, but with You there is peace. In me there is bitterness, but with You there is patience; I do not understand Your ways, But You know the way for me… Restore me to liberty, And enable me to live now That I may answer before You and before me. Lord, whatever this day may bring, Your name be praised. Amen.
L: Here now this promise from God right out of Romans 5:1: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Congregational Prayer
Scott Puopolo
The Lord’s Prayer In closing, pray the words that Jesus taught us to pray.
Congregation
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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Children Dismissed for Children’s Program
Rebekah Suddens
Scripture Reading—Romans 5:1-11 Read this portion of God’s word.
Scott Puopolo
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
L: The grass withers and the flower fades.
C: But the word of our God will stand forever.
Sermon—The Facts and Fruits of Justification Hear God’s word proclaimed and explained.
Pastor Bob Bove
Bob and his lovely wife Mary Lynne are native Vermonters born and raised in Rutland, Vermont. Educated in Catholic schools, Bob graduated from the College of Saint Joseph with a degree in Special Education. In their late twenties, Bob and Mary Lynne were saved by the grace of God. They attended Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, where Bob graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies. After serving for four years as associate pastor at Green Mountain Baptist Church in Center Rutland, Vermont, he was called to serve as pastor of Brandon Baptist Church, where he and his wife have served since 1990. They have five children and three grandchildren. Bob has retired as pastor but continues to serve as an elder at Brandon Baptist Church.
Song of Response—#35 To God Be The Glory Respond to the preaching of the word with song.
Deborah Shofstahl and Charlie Stabolepszy
Verse 1
To God be the glory great things He has done
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin
And opened the life gate that all may go in
Chorus
Praise the Lord praise the Lord
Let the earth hear His voice
Praise the Lord praise the Lord
Let the people rejoice
O come to the Father thro’ Jesus the Son
And give Him the glory great things He has done
Verse 2
O perfect redemption the purchase of blood
To every believer the promise of God
The vilest offender who truly believes
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives
Verse 3
Great things He has taught us
Great things He has done
And great our rejoicing thro’ Jesus the Son
But purer and higher and greater will be
Our wonder our transport when Jesus we see
Extinguishing the Candles You are the light of the world.
Acolytes
Benediction Receive a parting blessing.
Pastor Bob Bove
Postlude
Deborah Shofstahl