February 18, 2018

This week is week six of Genesis at Park Church, where we’re discussing God’s foundational worldview for His people and their purpose in His world.

This is also the first Sunday of the season of Lent, the 40-day period leading up to Easter where we make our hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ passion and celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. Prayer and worship are some of the ways we can do this preparation, and The Christian Year is our ongoing collection of resources to help you with that (in Lent or in any season). Check it out here. As for this Sunday, here are a couple ways you can prepare:

1. Read through our text, Genesis 6–9.

Really? God flooded the entire earth? Why? How? How does this help me understand Him as good and loving and gracious? These are pretty normal questions that arise as one reads the story of Noah. Stories of judgment and salvation are woven throughout the Bible and, in some ways, this story of Noah is the first formative one. This week, we’ll address some of our questions together.

2. Read, pray and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 100:1–3

Holy, Holy, Holy (Reginald Heber)
Yet Even Now (Joel Limpic)

CONFESSION OF SIN: Psalm 32:1–5

Psalm 32:6–7 (Mark Wilkins)

Cornerstone (Bradbury, Liljero, Morgan, Mote, Myrin)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Acts 4:11–12

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

O Come To The Altar (Brock, Brown, Furtick, and Joye)
His Mercy Is More (Matt Boswell, Matt Papa)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

Ash Wednesday, 2018

This Wednesday at 6:30am and 12pm, we’ll have Ash Wednesday services at Park Church to mark the beginning of the season of Lent. As explained in The Worship Sourcebook, “Lent is a season of preparation and repentance during which we anticipate Good Friday and Easter. Just as we carefully prepare for big events in our personal lives, such as a wedding or commencement, Lent invites us to make our hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ passion and celebrating Jesus’ resurrection.” Ash Wednesday inagurates this season through singing, prayer, and the symbolic imposition of ashes with the spoken, biblical reminder, “From dust you came, to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19). Here’s how you can prepare for this service:

1. Read through our text, Ecclesiastes 7:1–4.

Often, Lent is observed as a time of self-reflection, repentance, and an honest look at our mortality and need for a Savior. This is where Solomon brings us in Ecclesiastes 7—the inevitable “end of all mankind” and the ignorance of denying its reality. A sober look at our post-fall world and post-fall selves makes us quick to say, “all I have is Christ.”

2. Read, pray and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 90:1–4, 12–17

All Creatures Of Our God And King (William Henry Draper, St. Francis of Assisi)
Come Ye Sinners (Joseph Hart)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook

Lord God, it is hard to think that we will die someday.
We dream, make plans, and talk about what we’ll do in the near future.
We don’t always think about what you want.
Instead, we make choices that we think are good for us.
But we are only here because you take care of us.

We confess that we forget we need you all the time.
We confess that sometimes we make choices that aren’t what you want.
We don’t know what is best for our lives.
Holy God, we are sorry for our sin.
Help us to remember we live because of you.
Help us to do what you want us to do
through Jesus, our Lord.
Amen.

Yet Even Now (Joel Limpic)

Lord I Need You (Carson, Maher, Nockels, Reeves, Stanfill)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 8:35–39

HOMILY

COMMUNION & IMPOSITION OF ASHES:

Christ The Sure And Steady Anchor (Matt Boswell, Matt Papa)
Man Of Sorrows (Matt Crocker, Brooke Ligertwood)

in Ash Wednesday • Preparing for Sunday

February 11, 2018

Were in our fifth week of Genesis at Park Church. In this series, we discuss God’s foundational worldview for His people and their purpose in His world. Here’s how you can prepare this week’s service:

1. Read through our text, Genesis 3–5.

Our text this week takes us through the narrative of the Fall: sin, judgement, and promise. We learn that while God has created boundaries for the good of our joy and life, the deceiver has tempted us to pursue joy and life away from God. Our rebellion against God has led to pain and death, but in Christ we are pursued by God, bringing us back to joy and life.

2. Read, pray and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 100:1–3

On Christ The Solid Rock (William Batchelder Bradbury and Edward Mote, arr. Austin Stone)
Build My Life (Barrett, Kable, Martin, Redman, Younker)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Prone to Wander by Barbara R. Duguid and Wayne Duguid Houk

O God, our Father, Forgive us for our many sins. Like Adam and Eve, we are easily captivated by the objects that our eyes desire. We fall so often, and when we do, we run and hide in shame instead of running to You to confess our sin and find joy and forgiveness in the cross. You have given us Your most cherished treasure, yet we prize many other things more highly than Christ. Forgive us for trusting in our own strength more than in His power to save us completely.

Jesus, You are our strong salvation. Thank You for invading our world to rescue us from ourselves. We cannot fathom the humility, love, and commitment to Your Father’s glory, which led You to give up heaven for us. How can we ever thank You adequately?

Holy Spirit, fill us with everlasting wonder that the Gospel is true. You kept your promise to send a Savior; help us to stop trying to rescue others and ourselves. When we are tempted to sin as Adam and Eve did, remind us of Christ, who kept all Your laws for us, and fix our eyes on Him. Whether we give in to temptation or resist, show us Christ, our only hope for the perfect obedience that we require to stand before You. Cause us to cherish Christ above all our other desires, so that we will be satisfied in Him for all eternity. In His name we pray, amen.

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

Jesus Paid It All (Elvina Hall, Kristian Stanfill)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 3:23–25

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

In Tenderness (Garvey, Gordon, Walton arr. Brian Eichelberger)
It Is Well (Horatio G. Spafford, Philip P. Bliss)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

February 4, 2018

It’s week four of Genesis at Park Church. In this series, we discuss God’s foundational worldview for His people and their purpose in His world. Here’s how you can prepare this week:

1. Read through our text, Genesis 2:18–25.

The Lord brings to Adam every creature He created and Adam names them, but as each passes, none is an adequate companion for him. So the Lord makes Adam’s equal-but-different counterpart, Eve. She bears God’s image like Adam, and the two are naked and unashamed. Millennia later, gender and sexuality are still defining factors for mankind, but we are broken; outside the Garden. How can God’s initial design for human life persist to inform our worldview?

2. Read, pray and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 16

Our Great God (Fernando Ortega)
King Of My Heart (John Mark McMillan, Sarah McMillan)

CONFESSION OF SIN: Jeremiah 2:12–13

Walk Among Us (Joel Limpic, Mark Wilkins, Dave Wilton)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 8:14–17

No Longer Slaves (Joel Case, Jonathan David Hesler, Brian Johnson)

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

Christ The Sure And Steady Anchor (Matt Boswell, Matt Papa)
Jesus Is Better (Aaron Ivey, Brett Land)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

Dan Marotta

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Our guest is Dan Marotta. He planted Redeemer Anglican Church in Richmond, Virginia.

Listen

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Show Notes

3:15 – Who Dan Marotta Is, And What He Does 6:35 – How He Discerned God’s Call To Move To Richmond And Plant A Church 12:20 – Challenges And Successes He’s Faced Since Planting 18:00 – How They’ve Navigated Racial Tensions In Virginia 21:30 – How You Can Pray For Them 24:20 – Favorite Book / TV Show / Move As Of Late 25:50 – Best Meal He’s Had Recently 26:35 – The Nerdiest Thing He’s Into Right Now 28:03 – Where He Would Put A Billboard And What It Would Say

Links

in James Lepine • Park Church Podcast

January 28, 2018

We’re in week three of Genesis at Park Church. In this series, we discuss God’s foundational worldview for His people and their purpose in the world. Here’s how you can prepare for this week:

1. Read through our text, Genesis 1:29–2:17.

In our text this week, we read a second account of the creation of man in addition to several commands and charges given him. On the most fundamental level, we see the goodness of creation and the goodness of human work.

2. Read, pray and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 145:1–3, 15–18

Praise To The Lord The Almighty (Joachim Neander, arr. Citizens)
Great Are You Lord (Jason Ingram, Leslie Jordan, David Leonard)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From God Honored in The Valley of Vision

O God, praise waiteth for Thee,
and to render it is my noblest exercise;
This is Thy due from all Thy creatures,
for all Thy works display Thy attributes
and fulfill Thy designs;
The sea, dry land, winter cold, summer heat,
morning light, evening shade are full of Thee,
and Thou givest me them richly to enjoy.

Thou art King of kings and Lord of lords;
At Thy pleasure empires rise and fall;
All Thy works praise Thee and Thy saints bless thee;
Let me be numbered with Thy holy ones,
resemble them in character and condition,
sit with them at Jesus’ feet.

Deliver me from the natural darkness of my own mind,
from the corruptions of my heart,
from the temptations to which I am exposed,
from the daily snares that attend me.

Until the day of life dawns above
let there be unrestrained fellowship with Jesus;
Until fruition comes, may I enjoy the earnest of my inheritance
and the firstfruits of the Spirit;
Until I finish my course with joy may I pursue it with diligence,
in every part display the resources of the Christian,
and adorn the doctrine of Thee my God in all things.

His Mercy Is More (Matt Boswell, Matt Papa)

What A Beautiful Name (Ben Fielding, Brooke Ligertwood)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: John 1:12–13

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

O Come To The Altar (Brock, Brown, Furtick, and Joye)
Be Thou My Vision (Mary Elizabeth Byrne, Eleanor Henrietta Hull, arr. Bazan, Ascend The Hill)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday