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

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)

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

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.

January 5, 2020

This Sunday at Park Church we’ll celebrate Epiphany, a day that focuses on the appearance of Christ, the Light of the World.

Learn about Epiphany and explore our artistic accompaniment to the season over at The Christian Year. Here’s how you can prepare for Sunday:

1. Read through our text, John 4:1–30.

Those who observe Christmas as a standalone event may find it difficult to get past the sentimentality of seeing a mild-natured baby in the manger. But the incarnation involves much more than the drama of Christmas itself; it brings a vision of God’s glory to the nations of the world.

Epiphany is a day to focus on Jesus’ ministry so that, from Christmas onward, worshipers grow in awareness of the significance of Jesus’ entire life.

(Adapted from “The Worship Sourcebook.”)

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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 36:7–9

Here For You (Maher, Redman, Reeves, Wanstall)
Walk Among Us (Joel Limpic)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:

God of grace,
we confess that we have elevated things of this world above You.
We have made idols of possessions and people
and used Your name for causes that are not consistent with You and Your purposes.
We have permitted our schedules to come first
and have not taken the time to worship You.
We have not always honored those who guided us in life.
We have participated in systems that take life instead of give it.
We have been unfaithful in our covenant relationships.
We have yearned for, and sometimes taken, that which is not ours,
and we have misrepresented others’ intentions.
Forgive us, O God,
for the many ways we fall short of Your glory.
Help us to learn to live together according to Your ways
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Ezekiel 36:25–26

Who You Say I Am (Ben Fielding, Reuben Morgan)
Amazing Grace (John Newton)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE, & COMMUNION

Christ Whose Glory Fills The Skies (John Petterson, Charles Wesley)
All Glory Be To Christ (Dustin Kensrue arr. Kings (MHM))

BENEDICTION

December 29, 2019

This Sunday at Park Church we’ll celebrate the season of Christmastide together.

Learn about Christmastide and explore our artistic accompaniment to the season over at The Christian Year. Here’s how you can prepare for Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Isaiah 9:1–7.

What is Christmastide? Here’s what The Worship Sourcebook says:

“Whereas during Advent we anticipate the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah, at Christmas we identify with the angels who proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest”; with the shepherds, who were afraid but nevertheless offered worship; and with Mary, who pondered the meaning of these events in her heart (Luke 2:13–20). Celebrating Christmas as a season helps us both to enter into the meaning of the incarnation more fully than celebrating a single day and to focus on additional Scripture texts that explore the meaning of Christmas beyond the familiar words of Luke 2.”

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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Isaiah 9:2–3

Go Tell It On The Mountain (John W. Work Jr. arr. The Christian Year)
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery (Michael Bleecker, Matt Boswell, Matt Papa)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Every Season Prayers by Scotty Smith:

Dear heavenly Father, with the angels, we shout loud praises over the birth of Jesus;
with the shepherds, we respond with joy for the gift of a Savior;
with Mary, we treasure and ponder this good news in our hearts.
You have been faithful to fulfill ancient prophecies and Your covenant promises.
Because of Jesus’ finished work, we now live in Your perpetual favor;
and because of the Spirit’s ongoing work, we now humble ourselves before You.
We confess our sins to You: Forgive us for attitudes and actions that misrepresent You,
contradict Your grace, and sabotage love.
Forgive us for speaking words that brought harm and shame,
and for withholding words that bring healing and hope.
Forgive us for spending so much time and energy on ourselves and our trifles,
and so little time with You and on the things that matter the most.
We offer our prayer, humbly, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 1 John 1:5–9

Grace Alone (Dustin Kensrue) / You Keep On Getting Better (Dante Bowe, Jonathan Jay, Majesty Rose)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE, & COMMUNION

Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace) (Joel Houston, Jonas Myrin)
We Will Feast In The House Of Zion (Sandra McCracken, Joshua Moore)

BENEDICTION