In early fall every year, we take time to revisit and recenter around the mission of our church: we exist to make disciples of Jesus for the glory of God and the joy of all people. This is the last week of this year’s “Mission” series, Following Jesus in the Wilderness. In step with our ongoing Matthew series, this mini-series has addressed the tension and “waiting” of the wilderness.
Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday, Following Jesus Toward A Life of Love:
1. Read our text, Matthew 28:16–20.
Read, pray, and sing through the service:
Don’t use Spotify? Click the song title below to see song on YouTube.
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 63:1–4:
See passage
O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary, beholding Your power and glory. Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands.
Joy (Anthony Brown, Pat Barrett arr. VaShawn Mitchell) / Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee (Ludwig van Beethoven, Edward Hodges, Henry Van Dyke)
CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:
Everlasting God,
fountain of all life and the true home of every heart:
our hearts are restless until they rest in You.
Yet we confess that our hearts have been enslaved
by selfish passion and base desire.
We have sought after many things
and have neglected the one thing needful.
We have not loved You with our whole hearts;
help us to turn to You and find forgiveness.
Lead us home, that we may again find in You
our life and joy and peace. Amen.
Heart Of God (Aodhan King, Jonas Myrin)
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 1 Peter 2:24–25
See passage
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
PASSING THE PEACE
What is Passing the Peace?
(Click to Read)
(Click to Read)
When we’ve met as a large group on Sundays, we’ve always had a time of greeting one another after singing. Many churches call this time “passing the peace.” In some church traditions, one person will say to another, “The peace of Christ be with you” to which the other person responds, “And also with you.”
While potentially unfamiliar for some, we felt that “passing the peace” during greeting times at home could be a powerful act in this age marked by very little external peace. In Isaiah 9, Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace. He wants His kingdom to be marked by this very peace! We want to “pass” to one another this peace that only Jesus can give, especially at a time like this.
It might feel a bit cheesy, but we encourage you to actually pray the peace of God over each other during our times. We encourage you to look into each other’s eyes as you say, “The peace of Christ be with you!” and have others respond with, “And also with you.” Be open-hearted to Jesus, asking Him to fill you with His peace.
SERMON & COMMUNION
Jesus What A Savior (Kirby Kaple)
BENEDICTION
We’re in week two of three for this year’s “Mission” series, Following Jesus in the Wilderness. Every Fall we take time to revisit and recenter around the mission of our church: we exist to make disciples of Jesus for the glory of God and the joy of all people. In step with our ongoing Matthew series, this mini-series addresses the tension and “waiting” of the wilderness.
Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:
Read, pray, and sing through the service:
Don’t use Spotify? Click the song title below to see song on YouTube.
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 63:1–4:
See passage
O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary, beholding Your power and glory. Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands.
Doxology (Louis Bourgeois, Thomas Ken) / Better (Joseph Pat Barrett, Ed Cash, Chris Tomlin)
Lord I Need You (Carson, Maher, Nockels, Reeves, Stanfill) / The Medicine (Dee Wilson)
CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:
Lord, we are like sheep, and we get lost.
We forget the needs of our neighbors and do not love You above all else.
We need a Savior, so we long for Jesus.
Come, fill our lives, Jesus. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 1 John 4:14–16
See passage
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
PASSING THE PEACE
What is Passing the Peace?
(Click to Read)
(Click to Read)
When we’ve met as a large group on Sundays, we’ve always had a time of greeting one another after singing. Many churches call this time “passing the peace.” In some church traditions, one person will say to another, “The peace of Christ be with you” to which the other person responds, “And also with you.”
While potentially unfamiliar for some, we felt that “passing the peace” during greeting times at home could be a powerful act in this age marked by very little external peace. In Isaiah 9, Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace. He wants His kingdom to be marked by this very peace! We want to “pass” to one another this peace that only Jesus can give, especially at a time like this.
It might feel a bit cheesy, but we encourage you to actually pray the peace of God over each other during our times. We encourage you to look into each other’s eyes as you say, “The peace of Christ be with you!” and have others respond with, “And also with you.” Be open-hearted to Jesus, asking Him to fill you with His peace.
SERMON & COMMUNION
New Wine (Brooke Ligertwood) / Sometimes By Step (Step by Step) (David (Beaker) Strasser, Rich Mullins)
BENEDICTION
Every Fall we take time to revisit and recenter around the mission of our church: we exist to make disciples of Jesus for the glory of God and the joy of all people. In step with our ongoing Matthew series, these next three weeks will address the tension and “waiting” of the wilderness.
Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday and week one of Following Jesus in the Wilderness:
1. Read through our text for the week:
This week, it’s more like “texts”—this particular message doesn’t have a singular, key passage. Instead, we’ll draw on 1 Corinthians 10:1–13 and Matthew 4:18–22.
We find ourselves in a unique cultural moment that has shaken the fabric of our society. What does it look like to follow Jesus—to be a disciple—in this particular season? Throughout history, the people of God have used the metaphor of the “Wilderness” to describe the journey through the challenges and trials of life. The wilderness is a hard place to be. It is confusing. It is disorienting. It is exhausting. It is dangerous. And it is a place where God does deep, necessary, and transformative work in the lives of His people. This week we will look at this theme in Matthew and Exodus as we consider what it means to follow Jesus through the wilderness.
2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:
Don’t use Spotify? Click the song title below to see song on YouTube.
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 63:1–4:
See passage
O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary, beholding Your power and glory. Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands.
You Keep On Getting Better (Dante Bowe, Jonathan Jay, Majesty Rose)
Build My Life (Barrett, Kable, Martin, Redman, Younker)
CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:
Almighty God, we confess how hard it is to be Your people.
You have called us to be the church,
to continue the mission of Jesus Christ to our lonely and confused world.
Yet we acknowledge we are more apathetic than active,
isolated than involved, callous than compassionate,
obstinate than obedient, legalistic than loving.
Gracious Lord, have mercy upon us and forgive our sins.
Remove the obstacles preventing us
from being Your representatives to a broken world.
Awaken our hearts to the promised gift of Your indwelling Spirit.
This we pray in Jesus’ powerful name. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 5:1
See passage
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
PASSING THE PEACE
What is Passing the Peace?
(Click to Read)
(Click to Read)
When we’ve met as a large group on Sundays, we’ve always had a time of greeting one another after singing. Many churches call this time “passing the peace.” In some church traditions, one person will say to another, “The peace of Christ be with you” to which the other person responds, “And also with you.”
While potentially unfamiliar for some, we felt that “passing the peace” during greeting times at home could be a powerful act in this age marked by very little external peace. In Isaiah 9, Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace. He wants His kingdom to be marked by this very peace! We want to “pass” to one another this peace that only Jesus can give, especially at a time like this.
It might feel a bit cheesy, but we encourage you to actually pray the peace of God over each other during our times. We encourage you to look into each other’s eyes as you say, “The peace of Christ be with you!” and have others respond with, “And also with you.” Be open-hearted to Jesus, asking Him to fill you with His peace.
SERMON & COMMUNION
The Lord Is My Banner (Joel Limpic) / Surrounded (Fight My Battles) (Elyssa Smith)
Blessed Be Your Name (Beth Redman, Matt Redman)
BENEDICTION
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