It’s week one of this year’s Mission series, an annual discussion of who we are and what we do as a church. We’ll spend three weeks here, each focusing on an aspect of spiritual growth. Here’s how you can prepare for week one and our discussion of spiritual renewal:
1. Read through our text, Acts 1.
When Jesus departs after His resurrection, He tells His disciples to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the sending of the Spirit. What does this waiting look like for them? Reliance on Jesus through prayer: “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” (v.14) We’re reminded that Jesus is the one who renews us and fills us with power by His spirit.
2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 36:5–9, 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!
Take A Moment (Will Reagan)
Come Thou Fount (Above All Else) (Shane Barnard, Robert Robinson, John Wyeth)
CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook
(Reader)
Wondrous God,
who sets suns and moons above us,
mountains and valleys beneath us,
and friends and strangers among us:
how often have we tried to hide from Your presence,
how seldom have we looked for your creating face and Your fashioning hand!
(Together)
Lord, have mercy upon us.
(Reader)
Wondrous God,
who took upon Yourself flesh of our flesh in Jesus our brother,
and being found in human form made the ultimate disclosure of Yourself in the face of Jesus Christ:
how often we have forgotten You,
how seldom have we really loved and followed You!
(Together)
Christ, have mercy upon us.
(Reader)
Wondrous God,
who pours out freely the Holy Spirit:
how often have we ignored Your promptings,
how seldom have we asked for Your help or accepted Your gifts!
(Together)
Lord, have mercy upon us. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 8:31–34
Seas Of Crimson (Johnson, Bashta, Taylor, Strand)
GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE
Set A Fire (Will Reagan)
COMMUNION
Open Space (Kirby Kaple, Rob Kaple)
Fall Afresh (Jeremy Riddle)
VOCATIONAL COMMISSIONING: TEACHERS
BENEDICTION
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It’s our tenth and final week of this year’s Christ in the Psalms, our annual summer series where we work through the Psalms in order. The Psalms give us a vocabulary and a “hymnal” for relating to God through the full range of human experience and emotion, ultimately pointing us to Jesus.
As an additional way to engage with the Psalms, we’ve had a different artist in our community make a piece each week that we’ve displayed in the foyer. Our piece for Psalm 98 was done by Tower. Read more about that here. See and read about all past Christ in the Psalms artwork pieces here. Lastly, be sure to visit the side gallery (where you get coffee) each week to see all the originals for this year’s Christ in the Psalms series displayed together.
Here’s how you can prepare for our last week in the Psalms this Sunday:
1. Read through our text, Psalm 99.
Once again, the Psalms celebrate the God of justice. His forgiveness is adored, as the reader may expect, but even when the sins of His people (even Moses and Aaron) bring about His wrath, He is not scorned but reverently appreciated. We’re reminded that He is holy, that the earth is His footstool, and that His people are to tremble and exult in awe and affection.
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!
Holy, Holy, Holy (Reginald Heber, John Bacchus Dykes arr. Stephen Miler; addl. verse Justin Wainscott)
Build My Life (Barrett, Kable, Martin, Redman, Younker)
CONFESSION OF SIN: Adapted from The Worship Sourcebook
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One,
have mercy upon us.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us.
Lord, forgive our sins.
Master, pardon our transgressions.
Holy One, visit us and heal our infirmities for your name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Ephesians 1:13–14
Is He Worthy? (Andrew Peterson, Ben Shive arr. Shane & Shane)
GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION:
Victory Belongs To Jesus (Todd Dulaney)
STUDENT & PARENT COMMISSIONING
Be Thou My vision (Mary Elizabeth Byrne, Eleanor Henrietta Hull, Reuben Kendall, arr. Ascend The Hill)
BENEDICTION
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms artwork and download artwork guides here.
Person: Tower
I’m from Little Rock, Arkansas, and moved to Denver 2012.
Piece: Digital Artwork
The psalmist paints a picture of a world obsessed with joyfully praising the LORD. The diagonal fields of color suggest an energetic song of praise rising from the four corners of the earth. The righteousness and salvation of God is revealed in the sight of the nations, represented by the circle. The LORD continues to move His creation towards its ultimate destiny, when the world has been judged back into wholeness, the former things have passed away, and God is able to dwell with His people.
It’s week nine of ten for Christ in the Psalms 2019. Each year at Park Church, we spend about ten weeks in the Psalms, tackling one Psalm at a time and taking them in order. Why do we do this? The Psalms give us a vocabulary and a “hymnal” for relating to God through the full range of human experience and emotion, ultimately pointing us to Jesus throughout the whole Psalter.
As an additional way to engage with the Psalms, we have a different artist in our community make a piece each week to be displayed in the foyer. Last week, our piece for Psalm 97 was done by Beth Dryer. Read more about that here. See and read about all past Christ in the Psalms artwork pieces here (they go back as far as Psalm 41). Lastly, be sure to visit the side gallery (where you get coffee) each week to see all the originals for this year’s Christ in the Psalms series displayed together.
Here’s how you can prepare this week:
1. Read through our text, Psalm 98.
Psalm 98—like Psalm 96—invites the earth and everyone on it to praise the one true King. God’s rule and reign are celebrated as He goes about setting things right!
2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 98:4–6, 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!
Before The Throne Of God (Charitie Lees Bancroft arr. The Modern Post)
Great Are You Lord (Jason Ingram, Leslie Jordan, David Leonard)
CONFESSION OF SIN: From Every Season Prayers by Scotty Smith:
Dear heavenly Father,
we come boldly to Your throne of grace,
praising You for Your steadfast love and everlasting kindness.
We were dead in our sin, and You raised us to life in Christ.
We were alienated and alone, and You reconciled us to Yourself.
We were broken, in need of healing,
and You showered us with mercy and compassion.
Because of Your great love for us in Christ,
we acknowledge our great need of Your grace.
In the relationships in which we struggle, hear our cry.
In the battle between choosing your will, or ours, hear our plea.
For the sins of which we stand convicted, hear our confession.
Gracious Father, forgive us, cleanse us, free us, and change us.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Isaiah 53:4–6
In Tenderness (Garvey, Gordon, Walton arr. Brian Eichelberger)
GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION:
All The Poor And Powerless (David Leonard, Leslie Jordan)
O Praise The Name (Anástasis) (Benjamin Hastings, Marty Sampson, Dean Ussher)
BENEDICTION
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms artwork and download artwork guides here.
Person: Beth Dryer
I am a Chicago-raised transplant that has been living in Denver for six years. I graduated from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska with a B.F.A. in Studio Art with an art education endorsement and have been teaching elementary art in the public school system for eight years. I have been married to my husband, Adam Dreyer, for five years, and am the mom of a busy (almost) two-year old, Ramona. These two roles have given me immense joy and changed me for the better. I am a lover of nature and am most myself when I meet God in the midst of His beautiful creation.
Piece: Acrylic
Psalm 97 speaks of God’s rule and reign over the earth as the Creator. As Creator, God has ultimate power and authority over His creation and is ultimately victorious over the enemy. The words from this passage that resonated deeply with me and served as inspiration for this painting, are “proclaim” (v.6), “preserves” (v.10), and “light” (v.11). As a sinner, I am easily impatient with God and distracted by the creation. It is easy to see the creation as ultimate and turn the beautiful things God has created into gods. But, in His infinite goodness and desire to preserve His people, God calls us to remain steadfast and see His power. Over and over again, He demonstrates His might through great works, and even His creation proclaims His righteousness (v.6). This passage has become for me a call to see God’s glory, reject evil, and proclaim His righteousness, because this is where “light is sown”.
This painting is inspired by God’s claim over His people and His creation from Psalm 97. The white and black garden in the background represents the creation by which we are so distracted by—beautiful, but dark and incomplete. The single, colorful rose is representative of God’s power over His creation and the creation’s proclamation of the Lord’s reign. Through His power, we are able to see the light and the true beauty of the Creator.
This will be week eight of ten for Christ in the Psalms 2019 at Park Church. Each year we spend about ten weeks in the Psalms. We tackle one Psalm at a time, taking them in order. Why do we do this? The Psalms give us a vocabulary and a “hymnal” for relating to God through the full range of human experience and emotion, ultimately pointing us to Jesus.
As an additional way to engage with the Psalms, we have a different artist in our community make a piece each week to be displayed in the foyer. Last week, our piece for Psalm 96 was done by Alyssa Beck. Read more about that here. See and read about all past Christ in the Psalms artwork pieces here (they go back as far as Psalm 41). Lastly, be sure to visit the side gallery (where you get coffee) each week to see all the originals for this year’s Christ in the Psalms series displayed together.
Here’s how you can prepare for this week at Park Church:
1. Read through our text, Psalm 97.
Psalm 97 is a celebration of God’s reign over the earth. The reign of God is the source of joy, security, and hope for those who love the Lord, as well as the basis for judgment for those who oppose His reign and vainly attempt to forge alternate paths to joy and life. In the midst of the complexities of our world, this Psalm calls all “lovers of God” to “hate evil” and to hold fast to the hope that the darkness in our world will soon give way to the dawn of God’s New Creation.
2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 97:1–6, 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)
This Is My Father’s World (Maltbie Davenport Babcock arr. Gungor)
CONFESSION OF SIN: Based on The Worship Sourcebook:
God of grace,
we confess that we have elevated
the 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: 1 Peter 1:3–5
Living Hope (Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham)
GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION:
Psalm 32:10–11 (Sean Brage)
VOCATIONAL COMMISSIONING: Law
Let Justice Roll Like A River (Rebecca Elliot, Bobby Gilles)