November 3, 2019

We’re in week nine of Exodus at Park Church. The book of Exodus is about God’s mission to redeem a people for His Kingdom in the world. We’re in Part Two of this series. You can always go back and listen to sermons from Exodus Part One starting here!

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Exodus 32.

While Moses was with the Lord on Mount Sinai for 40 days, the people of Israel were growing impatient at the base of the mountain. The people had seen the Lord’s power to redeem; they had heard His voice from the mountain; they had committed to obeying His instructions. But when their journey didn’t proceed according to their desires, they immediately turned from Him. They demanded that Aaron make them a god that they could worship in place of the Lord, and he readily accommodated. He made them a golden calf, and they declared to one another “these are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” And they worshipped and made sacrifices to the golden calf, breaking the covenant by disobeying the first two commandments.

The Lord’s wrath burned against the people for their blatant disregard for His redeeming mercy and rejection of His good reign over them. He told Moses that he intended to consume them because of their sin and that He would accomplish His plan to build a great nation through Moses instead. Although God’s intention to wipe Israel out would have been entirely just, Moses interceded for the people, pleading for God to show mercy. His powerful plea for mercy was not merely for the sake of the people, but for the sake of God’s own reputation among the nations and for the sake of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of, but the people would experience judgment through Moses and through another devastating plague. Here we see that the ability to follow God’s instructions will require a transformation of the heart and that mercy for the unfaithful comes through the intercession of a Faithful One.


2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 105:1–4, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):

To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors
with a welcome from Jesus Christ,
the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty,
the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners,
Welcome!

Praise To The Lord The Almighty (Joachim Neander, Catherine Winkworth addl. verse Joel Limpic, JD Raab)
Great Is The Lord (Joseph Pat Barrett, Daniel Bashta, Ben Smith)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Every Season Prayers by Scotty Smith

Dear heavenly Father, we come into your presence this morning only because your mercies are new every morning. We stand before you in this place only because we stand firmly in your grace. We dare call you Abba Father only because you have made us your beloved sons and daughters. We freely confess our sins to you only because you fully gave Jesus for us.

For the ways we loved poorly this past week—in our families, at our vocations, and among our neighbors, forgive us. From the foolish idols to which we cling, the broken cisterns from which we drink, and the false lovers to which we turn, free us. For not believing Jesus is enough and your grace is sufficient, and for not trusting you to be really sovereign and really good, have mercy on us. Our hope rests alone in Jesus’ finished work and your steadfast love. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: John 10:10

King of Kings ((Jason Ingram, Brooke Ligertwood, Scott Ligertwood)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE

Give Us Clean Hands (Charlie Hall)

COMMUNION

Better (Pat Barrett, Ed Cash, Chris Tomlin
Living Hope (Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

Advent 2019 Artwork

The season of Advent begins on Sunday, December 1, running through Christmas Eve. Our artwork for Advent this year is by Jeremy Grant—keep reading to learn about the artist, the artwork, and its meaning.

Person

Jeremy Grant is an emerging artist and award-winning graphic designer. He was born in California in 1985. He studied Graphic Design and Illustration at John Brown University. Grant has exhibited his collage and assemblage work regularly across Colorado since 2008. An active member of local arts communities, Jeremy has been invited to participate in numerous group shows, donated art to charity, and been awarded a PPAC micro-grant. His work explores themes of destruction and creation, death and resurrection, and chaos and familiarity. Jeremy Grant currently lives and works in Denver, Colorado.

Piece

Isaiah 40 • Mark 1
Often during Advent, I contemplate the calling of John the Baptist—“to prepare the way of the LORD,” and to “make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” This calling feels just as relevant for us as it was for him. The people of God had been waiting for Messiah, their Savior King, for hundreds of years. Generations upon generations had lived and died and not seen the promise fulfilled. John’s prophetic calling took him on a difficult path through the desert to preach a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John was asked to clear the path for the coming Messiah, Jesus. The scriptures that refer to this calling paint a picture where “every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low.” The subject of the piece is a landscape that visualizes the work of John the Baptist—the transition from rough, mountainous terrain to open plains is making smooth the way of the LORD. The mountains are cut from pieces that I felt had a sense of static and a feeling of brokenness. We still live in a broken reality. Some brokenness is obvious and agonizing, and other times brokenness is characterized by the monotony of existence—the lack of joy, color, and celebration. The extra-long proportion of the piece is meant to convey the passage of time, a sense of waiting and of a long journey still ahead. The dark to light transition hints at the coming sunrise, our current reality is dim, but the bright light of the coming messiah is a dawn on the horizon. Click on an image below to enlarge.
The complete, final piece:
The sequential pieces, with Advent titles:

Process

Hand-cut paper collage inspired by the themes of the season of Advent. At first, I sought to express brokenness through fragmented pieces—tiny windows into pain. Ultimately, this felt a little one-dimensional and I left it in favor of the landscape idea which had a more rich meaning (see final artwork above). In another early concept, I envisioned cracks and a shattered pattern getting less and less cracked -the color getting brighter and brighter as the collage progressed. U;timately, I felt like it was—again—less robust of an idea, and cracks don’t really “heal themselves.” It’s difficult to express that idea, even though I liked the graphic potential of it. Lastly, an image of the final collage in-process, before I added the pink squares. The squares sort of came to symbolize markers in the passage of time, little ebeneezers if you will.
in Artwork • Blog

October 27, 2019

This is our eighth week in the book of Exodus this fall. The book of Exodus is about God’s mission to redeem a people for His Kingdom in the world. As a reminder, we’re in Part Two of this series. You can always go back and listen to sermons from Exodus Part One starting here!

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday, titled Instructions for Sacrifice:

1. Read through our text, Exodus 29:1–46.

The priests were not allowed to approach the holy presence of God casually. As humans who had themselves rebelled against God, they were marked by impurity and would require cleansing and atonement. Exodus 29 gives instructions for a consecration ceremony through which the priests could be made ritually pure. The rituals of the consecration ceremony may seem bizarre or even barbaric to modern readers, but they carried profound meaning in their historical context.

The rituals prescribed here for the priests would also preview the rituals that the priests would eventually be instructed to perform for all the people. The ceremony would include rituals of preparation where the priests would be washed with water to represent their need for cleansing and anointed with oil to represent their need for God’s power and presence. Then a bull and two rams would be sacrificed, each having its own purpose. The bull was a “sin offering,” and its blood would be poured on the altar to purify it for its use in the temple. The first ram was a “burnt offering” that would atone for the sins of the priests. The second ram was “a ram of ordination,” and its blood was used to purify the priests and to set them apart for their service in the temple. In all their details, the rituals demonstrate the fact that for sinful people to be in a covenant relationship with a Holy God, the people will need a means of atonement and that atonement would come through the sacrifice of an Innocent Other.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 99:1–3, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):

To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors
with a welcome from Jesus Christ,
the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty,
the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners,
Welcome!

Great Is The Lord (Joseph Pat Barrett, Daniel Bashta, Ben Smith)
The Stand (Joel Houston)

CONFESSION OF SIN:

Heavenly Father,
Jesus taught us that He came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.
We confess that we would often prefer
A world without the Law,
Yet You have given us the Law and its perfect keeper, Jesus.
We confess that it’s easy to see You
Either as cold, demanding, and hard to please,
Or as merely annoyed by our sin against You,
When truly You are both utterly holy and utterly merciful.
Turn our eyes not away from Your demands,
Your holiness, or the weight of our sin,
But to Jesus and to His righteousness
in light of these things.
Give us eyes to see Your love, Father,
And the love of Jesus who is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters.
Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 5:8–10

Jesus What A Savior (Kirby Kaple) / Psalm 32:6–7 (Mark Wilkins)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE &COMMUNION

It Is Finished—Part II (Hark, The Voice Of Love And Mercy) (Jonathan Evans, William Owen)
Nothing But The Blood (Robert Lowry)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

October 20, 2019

We’re in our seventh week of Exodus this fall at Park Church. The book of Exodus is about God’s mission to redeem a people for His Kingdom in the world. As a reminder, we’re in Part Two of this series. You can always go back and listen to sermons from Exodus Part One starting here.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday, titled Instructions for the Priesthood:

1. Read through our text, Exodus 28:1–30:38.

Right in the midst of the instructions about the design of the tabernacle and its furnishings, the Lord gives specific instructions about the priesthood. The book of Leviticus will elaborate on the priestly responsibilities and rituals, but here in Exodus, the instructions focus on the creation of the priestly garments and the ceremony where the priests would be consecrated to serve the Lord and represent the people in the tabernacle.

The Lord chose Aaron, the brother of Moses, and his sons to serve as Israel’s first priests. The elaborate design and the holy appearance of the priestly garments serve to highlight the holiness, the glory, and the beauty of Aaron’s responsibility to enter into the presence of the Lord on behalf of the 12 tribes of Israel.

The consecration ceremony was designed to ordain Aaron and his sons for their priestly office. They were washed with water to represent their need for cleansing and anointed with oil to represent their need for God’s power for the priestly duties in the tabernacle.


2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 16:8–11, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):

To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors
with a welcome from Jesus Christ,
the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty,
the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners,
Welcome!

Walk Among Us (Joel Limpic)
King of Kings (Jason Ingram, Brooke Ligertwood, Scott Ligertwood)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:

Holy and merciful God,
in Your presence we confess
our sinfulness, our shortcomings,
and our offenses against You.
You alone know how often we have sinned
in wandering from Your ways,
in wasting Your gifts,
in forgetting Your love.
Have mercy on us, O Lord,
for we are ashamed and sorry
for all we have done to displease You.
Forgive our sins,
and help us to live in Your light
and walk in Your ways,
for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Hebrews 9:11–14

Before The Throne Of God (Charitie Lees Bancroft, arr. Shane & Shane) / Break Every Chain (Will Reagan)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE

O Come To The Altar (Brock, Brown, Furtick, Joye)

COMMUNION

To Him Who Loves Us (Sean Brage)

VOCATIONAL COMMISSIONING: NON-PROFITS

All Glory Be To Christ (Dustin Kensrue arr. Kings (MHM))

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

October 13, 2019

It’s week six of Exodus at Park Church. The book of Exodus is about God’s mission to redeem a people for His Kingdom in the world. We’re in Part Two of this series, and you can listen to sermons from Exodus Part One starting here.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday, Instructions for the Tabernacle:

1. Read through our text, Exodus 25:1–27:21; Exodus 30:1–31:11.

After the covenant ceremony in chapter 24, The Lord gives Israel seven chapters of detailed instructions for building the tabernacle. The tabernacle is essentially a portable temple, and a temple represents the sacred space where God’s presence dwells among His people—it is a place where heaven and earth meet. For Israel’s journey through the wilderness, the mobility of this sacred space is significant because it shows that God will be with them throughout their complicated journey.

Detailed instructions are given for the measurements and materials of the tabernacle. The instructions designate three different areas. First there was an outer courtyard around the tabernacle. Then the tabernacle itself would be divided into two rooms by a pair of large curtains. The first room was called the Holy Place which housed the table of showbread, the golden lampstand, and the altar of incense. Through the curtains was the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary where the Ark of the Covenant sat as the footstool of God’s heavenly throne.

The dimensions, materials, furnishings, and decor of the temple symbolically point to the Garden of Eden, the prototypical paradise where God dwelt among His people (see Genesis 2:9; 3:8). This tabernacle represents a new—though incomplete—place of God’s presence with His people. Even in its incompleteness, the tabernacle points forward to the time when the God Himself would come and make His home among us in order to redeem humanity, and lead His people to the joy of the new creation. In the new creation, heaven and earth will be one, God will dwell with His people in paradise, and the glory of the Lord will fill the earth like the waters cover the sea.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 27:1, 4, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):

To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors
with a welcome from Jesus Christ,
the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty,
the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners,
Welcome!

Come Thou Fount (Robert Robinson, John Wyeth arr. Charlie Hall)
Build My Life (Barrett, Kable, Martin, Redman, Younker)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Book Of Common Prayer:

Almighty God,
to You all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from You no secrets are hid.
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love You
and worthily magnify Your holy name,
through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Based on Revelation 5:5; 9–10:

Do not weep!
See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.
With His blood He has purchased people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
He has made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.

Is He Worthy? (Andrew Peterson, Ben Shive arr. Shane & Shane) / O Praise The Name (Anástasis) (Sampson, Hastings, Ussher, Equipo de Traducción de Hillsong)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE

Walk Among Us (Joel Limpic)

COMMUNION

Holy Spirit (Bryan Torwalt, Katie Torwalt arr. Jesus Culture) / Not In A Hurry (Michael Ketterer, Will Reagan)
Establish The Work Of Our Hands (Cunningham, Keyes, McCracken, Palmer, Vice, Wardell, Zach)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

October 6, 2019

It’s week five of Exodus at Park Church. The book of Exodus is about God’s mission to redeem a people for His Kingdom in the world. We’re in Part Two of this series, and you can listen to sermons from Exodus Part One starting here.

Last week in Preparing for Sunday, we published a couple of things in error. First, we gave you the Scripture from the previous week, Exodus 21:1–23:9, in the email. By now you’ve probably realized that was supposed to be Exodus 23:10–17; 31:12–18. Second, last week we also gave you the title and intro for this week’s message, Instructions for Holiness. That was supposed to be Instructions for Freedom, Rest, & Celebration. We made that as confusing as possible. But now that we’re up to speed—here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday, which is actually called Instructions for Holiness:

1. Read through our text, 23:20-24:18.

One of the key themes of the Mosaic Law is holiness. In the Law, the Holy God of Israel calls His people to conform their lives to His holiness. The word “holiness” has varying connotations for different people, but in the Bible it primarily refers to something’s “uniqueness” or “distinctiveness.” As the people live according the Lord’s instructions, they will be set apart from the other nations and set apart to the Lord. If they obey His instruction, they will be a holy nation, His treasured people who represent and spread His glory and righteousness to the world. However, three things will threaten their holiness: 1. Their own internal disposition to turn away from God; 2. Their own fear of the surrounding nations; and 3. Temptations from spiritual powers of darkness. The people of God are called to resist these threats, to draw near to God, and to trust in His word so that they will enjoy the blessings of life in His presence.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 99:1–5, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):

To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors
with a welcome from Jesus Christ,
the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty,
the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners,
Welcome!

Holy, Holy, Holy (Reginald Heber, John Bacchus Dykes)
In Tenderness (Garvey, Gordon, Walton)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:

Almighty and merciful God,
we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.
We have followed too much
the devices and desires of our own hearts.
We have offended against your holy laws.
We have left undone those things which we ought to have done;
and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.

O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Spare those who confess their faults.
Restore those who are penitent,
according to your promises declared to the world
in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
And grant, O merciful God, for his sake,
that we may live a holy, just, and humble life
to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 1 Peter 2:9–10

King Of Kings (Jason Ingram, Brooke Ligertwood, Scott Ligertwood)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE, & COMMUNION

Like Incense / Sometimes By Step (Brooke Ligertwood, David (Beaker) Strasser, Rich Mullins)
Build My Life (Barrett, Kable, Martin, Redman, Younker)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday