July 9, 2017

This week we’ll study Psalm 71 at Park Church, continuing our annual Christ in the Psalms summer series. Here’s how you can prepare for the service:

1. Read through our text, Psalm 71.

We observe in this Psalm that the relationship between the Psalmist’s supplication to and admiration of God is nearly direct, that is, as often as he makes a request of God, he worships Him in the next breath. He can write, “O God, be not far from me; Oh my God, make haste to help me!” before immediately turning to “tell of Your righteous acts, of Your deeds of salvation.” Why? He knows well of the righteous acts of God, and that “their number is past [his] knowledge.” He says to God, “from my youth You have taught me, and I still proclaim Your wondrous deeds.” In remembering the countless, perfect works of God, we can seek His help from a worshipful place of informed trust.

As you read the passage, consider asking yourself the following three questions:

  1. How does this Psalm help me pray?
  2. How does this Psalm help me feel?
  3. How does this Psalm help me see Jesus?

2. Read, pray and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 46:1–7

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (Martin Luther, Matt Boswell)
Ever Be (Strand, Greely, Wilson, Heiligenthal)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Every Seasons Prayers by Scotty Smith.

Dear heavenly Father,
You alone are worthy of our mind’s attention,
our heart’s affection, and our soul’s adoration.
There is no God as merciful and mighty as You;
no God more holy and welcoming, powerful and present,
compassionate and caring as You.
Because the gospel is true,
we fear You with deep affection and love You with expectant hope.

Hear our confession.
We grieve the ways we loved poorly this past week.
We were often too busy to listen,
too hasty in our judgments,
and too preoccupied to care.
We grieve the ways we blamed others for our discontent,
the ways we didn’t humble ourselves before You,
the ways we didn’t avail ourselves of Your grace.

Father, forgive us of our sins.
Our hope is built on nothing more, nothing less,
and nothing other than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

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

Man Of Sorrows (Matt Crocker, Brooke Ligertwood)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Isaiah 53:3–5

GREETING, SERMON, COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

Christ The Sure And Steady Anchor (Matt Boswell, Matt Papa)
Cornerstone (Bradbury, Liljero, Morgan, Mote, Myrin)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

July 2, 2017

We’re in Psalm 70 this week at Park Church, continuing Christ in the Psalms, our annual summer series. Here’s how you can prepare for service:

1. Read through our text, Psalm 70.

When we’re in danger, the only true way to escape those who seek our lives is turning to God and finding our joy and gladness fully and finally in Him and His salvation. The desperate cry of our heart and all our prayers must be, “Come quickly, do not delay, and satisfy us with Your steadfast love.”

As you read, consider asking yourself the following three questions:

  1. How does this Psalm help me pray?
  2. How does this Psalm help me feel?
  3. How does this Psalm help me see Jesus?

2. Read, pray and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 18:1–6

All The Poor And Powerless (David Leonard, Leslie Jordan)
Great Is The Lord (Joseph Pat Barrett, Daniel Bashta, Ben Smith)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Every Seasons Prayers by Scotty Smith.

Dear heavenly Father,
our sins are too heavy to carry,
too real to hide,
and too deep to undo.

We praise You for Your welcoming heart,
daily mercies, and gospel riches.
Forgive what our lips struggle to name,
what our hearts can no longer hide,
and what our hands cannot change.

Set us free from the lingering shame from our past;
meet us in the present reality of our need;
and grant us hope in the future You have secured.
We trust in the finished work of Your Son
and the ongoing work of Your Spirit.

In Jesus’ name we make our prayer. Amen.

Your Name Is Good (Psalm 54) (Joel Limpic, Scott Mills)

Seas Of Crimson (Johnson, Bashta, Taylor, Strand)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 6:5–10

GREETING, SERMON, COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

The Secret Place (Pete Kipley, Phil Wickham)
Always (Kristian Stanfill, Jason Ingram)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

Derek Rishmawy

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Our guest is Derek Rishmawy. He’s a PhD student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He’s also a blogger and a podcaster.

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Show Notes

1:55 – Who Derek Rishmawy is… 7:25 – Why he ended up studying theology at “TEDS” 10:15 – How and why he decided to pull out of ministry work to pursue further studies 16:30 – Why you might decide to NOT pursue a graduate degree 19:00 – How to minister to millennials 22:45 – Me, boiling his TGC talk down to a few sentences (and him agreeing with it) 24:45 – The four books he would put in front of every millennial 29:00 – How to balance things you feel like you “should” do vs. the things you “want” to do 35:00 – How he thinks about daily and weekly rhythms 41:15 – The worst pronunciation of his last name he’s ever heard (and the worst one he’s done to someone else’s last name) 44:45 – The best burger in Chicago… 47:45 – If he could put a billboard anywhere in the world, where would he put it, and what would it say?

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in James Lepine • Park Church Podcast

June 25, 2017

This Sunday we’ll be in Psalm 69 as we continue Christ in the Psalms, our annual summer series. Here’s how you can prepare for service:

1. Read through our text, Psalm 69.

Sometimes in life, it feels like we’re treading water and it starts to rain. In David’s case, the answer to this problem was prayer.

As you read, consider asking yourself the following three questions:

  1. How does this Psalm help me pray?
  2. How does this Psalm help me feel?
  3. How does this Psalm help me see Jesus?

2. Read, pray and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 34:1–6

Come Thou Fount (Robert Robinson and John Wyeth)
In Tenderness (Adoniram Judson Gordon, Nate Garvey, W. Spencer Walton, arr. Brian Eichelberger)

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

O God, our Savior, We come before you today as foolish sheep who find it our natural inclination to wander far from you. You have set your love upon us, chosen us, and saved us, but we find it hard to trust you and prefer to turn to our own wisdom and understanding. You lead us in green pastures for your own name’s sake, but we reject the feast that you lay before us and try frantically to fill ourselves up with things that cannot satisfy. Father, we stray from you every day and turn to our own ways; forgive us for our many sins.

Jesus, you are our sacrificial lamb. You never strayed from the path of obedience to your Father, even when that path led you to a brutal cross and the mockery of those who should have worshiped and adored you. Jesus, you are the Great Shepherd, who laid down your life for your beloved, silly sheep, and you are the tender shepherd who gathers us in your arms and carries us. You were torn for all our sinful and rebellious wandering, and through your wounds we find healing and peace. Thank you.

Holy Spirit, help us to see where the path of blessing lies, and give us hearts that are eager to travel that path. While we live in a fallen world with sinful hearts, we will always be prone to wander. Thank you for holding fast to us, for we cannot hold onto you. Give us strong appetites for spiritual food: the Word of God and the body and blood of our precious Savior. Grant us unshakable confidence in the death and life of Jesus, until his wounds cleanse our guilt and give us great joy. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) (Matt Crocker, Joel Houston, Salomon Ligthelm)
Man Of Sorrows (Matt Crocker and Brooke Ligertwood)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 1 Peter 2:24–25

GREETING & SERMON

RESPONSE: Communion, Prayer, & Song

Always (Kristian Stanfill and Jason Ingram)
Be Thou My Vision (Mary Elizabeth Byrne and Eleanor Henrietta Hull, arr. by Citizens & Saints)

BENEDICTION & SENDING

in Preparing for Sunday

June 18, 2017

This is a weekly blog post with one purpose: to help those coming to Park’s Sunday gathering engage with the teaching and liturgy in a more meaningful way. We use this space to share in advance our Sunday’s liturgy: the scripture we’ll be studying, the songs we’ll be singing, and the prayers we’ll be praying together. We also share a handful of thoughts each week to help you use these things to prepare for the service. This Sunday, we continue our annual summer series, Christ in the Psalms, with Psalm 68. Here’s how you can prepare:

1. Read through Psalm 68.

This week’s psalm is a poem-song by David, telling the story of God and His people—a story of salvation. The song recounts how God’s people came from slavery to salvation before turning to discuss how salvation’s benefits and power play out.

Throughout the 12 weeks of this series, consider asking yourself the following three questions regularly as you prepare:

  1. How does this Psalm help me pray?
  2. How does this Psalm help me feel?
  3. How does this Psalm help me see Jesus?

2. Read, pray and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 68:4–6

Fairest Lord Jesus (Traditional, arr. ) Centuries (Aaron Strumpel)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Scotty Smith’s Every Season Prayers

Heavenly Father, for your steadfast love, we bless you. For your patience and kindness, we praise you. For your daily mercies, we trust you. Forgive our sins, for they are real and many. We confess loving relief from our pain more than change in our hearts. We confess thinking too often of ourselves and too seldom of you. We confess that it’s easier to be cynical than hopeful. We confess under-trusting the gospel and over-honoring our fears. We confess seeking our kingdoms first and your kingdom last. Have mercy on us, Lord; have mercy on me. In Jesus’ name and for his glory, we offer our prayer and ask for forgiveness. Amen.
Your Name Is Good (Psalm 54) (Joel Limpic, Scott Mills) King Of My Heart (John Mark McMillan, Sarah McMillan)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: From Romans 5:8–9:

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

SERMON & COMMUNION

Twenty-Three (Aaron Strumpel) Good Good Father (Anthony Brown, Pat Barrett)

BENEDICTION & SENDING

in Preparing for Sunday

June 11, 2017

This is a weekly blog post with one purpose: to help those coming to Park’s Sunday gathering engage with the teaching and liturgy in a more meaningful way. We use this space to share in advance our Sunday’s liturgy: the scripture we’ll be studying, the songs we’ll be singing, and the prayers we’ll be praying together. We also share a handful of thoughts each week to help you use these things to prepare for the service.

This Sunday, we continue our annual summer series, Christ in the Psalms, with Psalm 67. Here’s how you can prepare:

1. Read through Psalm 67.

This short Psalms calls the whole world to see the works of God towards humankind and respond with praise, gladness, joy, and fear.

Through the 12 weeks of this series, consider asking yourself the following three questions as you prepare:

  1. How does this Psalm help me pray?
  2. How does this Psalm help me feel?
  3. How does this Psalm help me see Jesus?

2. Read, pray and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 96:1–4; 11–13

All Creatures Of Our God And King (William Henry Draper, St. Francis of Assisi)
Beautiful (Phil Wickham)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Scotty Smith’s Every Season Prayers

Dear heavenly Father, we come into your presence today
only because your mercies are new every morning.
We stand before you in this place
only because we stand firmly in your grace.
We dare call you Abba Father
only because you have made us your beloved sons and daughters.
We freely confess our sins to you
only because you fully gave Jesus for us.

For the ways we loved poorly this past week—
in our families, at our vocations, and among our neighbors, forgive us.
From the foolish idols to which we cling,
the broken cisterns from which we drink,
and the false lovers to which we turn, free us.

For not believing Jesus is enough and your grace is sufficient,
and for not trusting you to be really sovereign and really good,
have mercy on us.
Our hope rests alone in Jesus’ finished work and your steadfast love.
Amen.

His Mercy Is More (Matt Boswell, Matt Papa)
Build My Life (Younker, Martin, Kable, Redman, and Barrett)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: John 3:16–17

SERMON & COMMUNION

Let The Nations Be Glad (Aaron Boswell, Matt Boswell, and Matt Papa)
All The Poor And Powerless (David Leonard, Leslie Jordan)

BENEDICTION & SENDING

in Preparing for Sunday