February 2, 2020

This will be week two of Matthew, where we’ll discuss the birth of Jesus Christ. The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the earliest biographies of Jesus, presenting Jesus not as a mere historical figure, but as “good news” for the world that should reshape every part of life.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read our text, Matthew 1:18–24.

The word for “birth” in the first line of this section is the same word used in the opening line of the gospel, “genesis”, which means “beginning” or “origin.” The first few stories that Matthew includes in his gospel are designed to help us understand Jesus’ origin story—who He is, where He came from, and why He is particularly suited for His mission. This origin story in particular is full of miraculous events, dramatic controversy, and astonishing promises.

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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Matthew 1:21–23, Greeting:

To those in darkness who need a shining light,
To those in fear who need a strong hand,
To those who sin who need a rescuing Savior,
To those in anxiety who need a comforting voice,
May you hear the voice of Jesus crying out to you today:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Before The Throne Of God (Charitie Lees Bancroft arr. The Modern Post)
Come Thou Fount (Advent) (Luke Brawner, Robert Robinson, John Wyeth)

CONFESSION OF SIN: Adapted from Every Season Prayers by Scotty Smith:

Dear heavenly Father, we rejoice in the gift of your Son, Jesus—
Immanuel, God with us and God for us.
Even as we trust in His finished work, we long for the fullness of Jesus’ kingdom.

Until that day, grant us power to grow in the love of Christ.
For we are weak, and foolishly prone to look to people,
places and things to fill us up. Grant us grace to mature in the likeness of Jesus.
For we are broken, and we cannot change our hearts, left to our own resources.
Grant us joy in living to the praise of Your glory.
For we are deceived, and we spend too much energy living for comfort and the approval of people.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on me.
In Jesus’ loving and trustworthy name we pray. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Titus 3:4–6

Come Ye Sinners (Joseph Hart arr. Robbie Seay)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION

God With Us (Jason Ingram, Leslie Jordan)
Jesus Paid It All (Elvina Hall, Kristen Stanfill arr. James Lepine)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

January 26, 2020

This week we begin a three-part series in the book of Matthew, taking us through much of the next year and a half.

The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the earliest biographies of Jesus. What makes this kind of biography unique is that it isn’t presenting Jesus as a mere historical figure. Matthew’s biography is written as “good news” for the world that should reshape every part of our lives.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read our text, Matthew 1:1–17.

Often, writers will take a little time before they get into the deep end of their subject matter. Not so for Matthew. The first line of the story (and of the New Testament!) gets right to the heart of the Gospel. It could be translated, “The book of the genesis of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of David, the son of Abraham.” He’s saying that this story is about what God is doing to bring about the new creation, to restore the world, and it’s all happening through Jesus.

He says that Jesus is fulfilling the promises made to King David and to Abraham: that one of their descendants would establish God’s reign on earth and bring God’s presence and blessing to all nations. In other words, Jesus is the Promised One for whom Israel and all creation has been longing.

On the surface, the genealogy may feel mundane, but it’s loaded with powerful and surprising themes that will be present throughout the gospel: the brokenness of the nation of Israel, the dignity that Jesus shows to the socially marginalized, and the sovereign wisdom of God in bringing all of His promises to fulfillment through Jesus, the Son of Man and the Son of God.

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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Hebrews 1:1–2, Greeting:

Father, so many voices are competing for our attention
and so many loves are seeking our allegiance.
Even now, by the power of Your Spirit, quiet our restless hearts.
Help us to hear the voice of Your Son inviting us today:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Here For You (Maher, Redman, Reeves, Wanstall)
Stand In Your Love (Baldwin, Harris, Hulse, Springer)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Thou, Dear God… by Martin Luther King, Jr.:

O thou Eternal God, out of whose absolute power and infinite intelligence the whole universe has come into being. We humbly confess that we have not loved Thee with our hearts, souls and minds, and we have not loved our neighbors as Christ loved us. We have all too often lived by our own selfish impulses rather than by the life of sacrificial love as revealed by Christ. We often give in order to receive, we love our friends and hate our enemies, we go the first mile but dare not travel the second, we forgive but dare not forget. And so as we look within ourselves we are confronted with the appalling fact that the history of our lives is the history of an eternal revolt against Thee. But Thou, O God, have mercy upon us. Forgive us for what we could have been but failed to be. Give us the intelligence to know Thy will. Give us the courage to do Thy will. Give us the devotion to love Thy will. In the name and spirit of Jesus we pray. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 2 Corinthians 1:20–22

What A Beautiful Name (Ben Fielding, Brooke Ligertwood)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION

Way Maker (Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu)
Yes And Amen (Anthony Brown, Chris McClarney, Nate Moore)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

January 19, 2020

It’s our third and last week of Engaging the New Year: Steps to a Rule of Life, our mini-series on intentional rhythms of worship and discipline. If you haven’t already seen it, this liturgical audit as a great place to get started on the topic! Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read our text, Proverbs 16:1–3.

What we do with our moments and our days shows what we most love. A life built around a love for God will pay conscious attention to our habits and who they’re making us. How we plan our lives (or fail to), how we organize our priorities (or fall into them), and how we use our time (or get used by it) are not distinct from our discipleship—they are a necessary part of it.

As we wrap up our mini-series on steps toward a rule of life, we will consider the call to intentionally plan our lives under the good reign of Jesus. All for the sake of showing forth the beauty of knowing God through the details of our days.

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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 100

All Creatures Of Our God And King (Lent) (William Henry Draper, St. Francis of Assisi arr. The Christian Year; addl. verse Sovereign Grace Music)
Take A Moment (Will Reagan)

CONFESSION OF SIN:

Father,
You invite us to dwell with You
and to gaze on Your beauty.
Yet we often look for comfort and security in other places,
gazing distractedly at things that are neither beautiful nor life-giving.
Father, have mercy on us.

Jesus,
You invite us to come to You and learn from You,
taking Your yoke upon us and finding rest.
Yet we often look for rest elsewhere,
working for the success or approval that we already have obtained in You.
Jesus, have mercy on us.

Holy Spirit,
You invite us to walk in step with You,
sowing seeds to please You and reaping eternal life.
Yet we often choose the path that seems right in our own eyes,
sowing seeds to please ourselves.
Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 1 Peter 1:3–5

Living Hope (Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION

The Spirit And The Bride (Joel Limpic)
Establish The Work Of Our Hands (Cunningham, Keyes, McCracken, Palmer, Vice, Wardell, Zach)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

Sanctity of Human Life Month

Sanctity, n: Holiness; state of being sacred or holy. God attributes no sanctity to place. Milton.
2. Goodness; purity; godliness; as the sanctity of love; sanctity of manners. 3. Sacredness; solemnity; as the sanctity of an oath. (Webster, 1828)

 

As we continue in Sanctity of Human Life month, let us remember that every one of us is made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27). Every human being bears it—the unborn child, the mother who just found out she’s pregnant and is scared, the elderly man on the street, and the young man on Wall Street. Those who look like us bear the image of God and those who don’t look like us bear the image of God. Same for those of a different economic class, race, or political persuasion.The list continues on and on.

There is a thread that weaves throughout all of today’s human rights movements, making them more alike than they may appear at first glance. Ending human trafficking, racial reconciliation, women’s rights, and the rights of the unborn—these issues matter because people matter. The image of God matters. How we are led to engage with them may vary greatly among the Body, but may we never close our eyes to injustice upon life.

“For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are Your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.”
(Psalm 139: 13–16 ESV)

in Blog

January 12, 2020

In between Advent/Christmastide/Epiphany and beginning our series in Matthew, we’re taking a few weeks to engage with the new year by considering what’s called a “Rule of Life.” This will be week two of three in our mini-series, Engaging The New Year: Steps Toward a Rule of Life.

If you haven’t already seen it, here’s last week’s liturgical audit as a great way t get started. Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read our text, Psalm 27:4.

King David’s prayer from Psalm 27:4 aids us as we seek to build an intentional foundation and trajectory for the coming year, calling us back to communion with God as the basis for all else we do.

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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 108:1–4

Great Is The Lord (Joseph Pat Barrett, Daniel Bashta, Ben Smith)
Build My Life (Barrett, Kable, Martin, Redman, Younker)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:

Our lives are cluttered, Lord Jesus, by too many things
and too much to do.
We are driven by the need to succeed and distracted from our service.
We have often lost our way. Forgive us.
Let us, like Mary,
find the one thing that is needed and sit at your feet. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: John 15:15–16

God I Look To You (Ian McIntosh, Jenn Johnson) / I Love You Lord (Laurie Klien)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION

Rock of Ages (Augustus Montague Toplady arr. Page CXVI)
Jesus Is Better (Aaron Ivey, Brett Land)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

Liturgical Audit

A liturgical audit (or habit inventory) is simply an honest account of how you are spending your time during the week. The goal is not to foster comparison or shame, but to help you see the habits and rhythms that are shaping you, and to consider what they reveal about your values and desires.

WRITE: Make a list of your time spent during the week.

  • Write down what you do in the morning, during the day, and in the evening. Include the first and last things you do every day.
  • Write down how much time you spend on each activity, including the small things (time spent sleeping, getting ready for the day, on your phone, watching TV, getting kids ready, preparing & eating meals, exercising, time with Jesus, commuting, podcasts, time with friends, etc.)
  • Consider how frequently or infrequently you incorporate various activities. Consider how your weekend habits are different than weekdays.

CONSIDER: Consider your daily and weekly habits and write down some observations.

  • What is encouraging or discouraging about your habits?
  • What do they reveal about your values and desires?
  • How might these things be forming you, your family, or your community?
  • Are these things cultivating a deeper love for Jesus and for His calling in your life?

PRAY: Talk to Jesus about what you are seeing and feeling about these things.

  • Remember that Jesus loves you and is inviting you into deeper communion with him and a more meaningful life.
  • Ask Him if there are habits that should change in some way?
  • Tell Him about what feels challenging.
  • Ask Him for help as you continue to try to orient your life around His presence with you.

DISCUSS: Take time to talk about your observations and thoughts with a friend, spouse, or people in your Gospel Community.

in Blog