This will be the fourth and final Sunday of the season of Advent, with our Christmas Eve services following on this Tuesday, December 24 at 4 and 6pm. Not to overwhelm you, but we have both a “Preparing for Christmas Eve” blog and a “Christmas Morning Worship” resource coming this weekend. You can look out for those in your email, but let’s start by focusing on this Sunday!

Advent is the season leading up to Christmas where we celebrate the fulfilled promise of the first coming of Jesus and heighten our anticipation for His second coming—when the wolf will lie down with the lamb, death will be swallowed up, and every tear will be wiped away.

We’ve been focusing on daily rhythms of fasting and prayer during this season. See our resources for that here, and explore our artistic accompaniment to the season over at The Christian Year. Here’s how you can prepare for our worship gathering:

1. Read through our text, Luke 2:36–38.

Throughout Advent, we’ve been considering the life of Simeon and Anna to see how they expressed their hunger for the coming of Christ and His Kingdom through fasting and prayer. In this last week of Advent, we’ll be considering an aspect of prayer that is often misunderstood or ignored among many Christians, the practice of “listening prayer.” At its core, listening prayer is about approaching our times of prayer as relational, two-way communication with God.

Certainly He want us to speak to Him, but what might He choose to speak to us?

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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Isaiah 7:14; The Apostles’ Creed:

O Come, O Come Emmanuel (John Neale, Henry Coffin, arr. Chichi Agorom, The Christian Year)
All People Of Our Newborn King (Luke Brawner, William Henry Draper, St. Francis of Assisi arr. The Christian Year)

CONFESSION OF SIN:

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: John 1:9–13

Is He Worthy? (Andrew Peterson, Ben Shive arr. Shane & Shane)
Joy To The World (Isaac Watts arr. The Christian Year)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE

Not In A Hurry (Michael Ketterer, Will Reagan)

COMMUNION

Open Space (Kirby Kaple, Rob Kaple)
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley, George Whitefield)

BENEDICTION

It’s week three in the season of Advent. Advent is the four weeks leading up to Christmas where we celebrate the fulfilled promise of the first coming of Jesus and heighten our anticipation for His second coming, when the wolf will lie down with the lamb, death will be swallowed up, and every tear will be wiped away.

See our resources for Advent prayer and fasting here, and explore our artistic accompaniment to the season over at The Christian Year. Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Luke 2:36–38.

As we continue our journey through the Advent season, we’ll be looking more at the prophetess Anna and her deep hunger for God. This week, we’re considering her practice of daily prayer. Much more than something to check off your daily list, prayer is God’s method of communication for and with His people, accessing the spiritual realm to bring heaven to earth; to experience His presence now as we wait for Christ’s second coming.

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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Micah 5:2, 4–5a, The Apostles’ Creed:

Joy To The World (Joyful, Joyful) (Beethoven, Handel, van Dyke, Watts, Wickham)
O Come All Ye Faithful (C. Frederick Oakeley, John Francis Wade)

CONFESSION OF SIN:

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 1 John 3:1–2

No Longer Slaves (Carson, Maher, Nockels, Reeves, Stanfill) / You Keep On Getting Better (Dante Bowe, Jonathan Jay, Majesty Rose)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION

Great Is The Lord (Joseph Pat Barrett, Daniel Bashta, Ben Smith)

VOCATIONAL COMMISSIONING: Retail

We Labor Unto Glory (Craig Harris, Isaac Wardell)

BENEDICTION

We’re in our second week of Advent. Advent is the four weeks leading up to Christmas where we celebrate the fulfilled promise of the first coming of Jesus and heighten our anticipation for His second coming, when the wolf will lie down with the lamb, death will be swallowed up, and every tear will be wiped away.

See our resources for Advent prayer and fasting here, and explore our artistic accompaniment to the season over at The Christian Year. Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Luke 2:36–38.

As we continue our journey through the Advent season, we’ll be looking at the prophetess Anna and her deep hunger for God.

This week, we’re also considering her practice of fasting. In a culture of instant gratification, short-sighted pleasure, and self-indulgence, fasting is a powerful way to remind ourselves that God is the ultimate source of satisfaction. It is a way to pray with our bodies for a deeper hunger for God.

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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Jeremiah 23:5–6, The Apostles’ Creed:

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Rowland Hugh Prichard, Charles Wesley addl. verse Luke Brawner)
Is He Worthy? (Andrew Peterson, Ben Shive arr. Shane & Shane)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Weight Of Glory by C.S. Lewis

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Isaiah 40:9–11

Lord I Need You (Carson, Maher, Nockels, Reeves, Stanfill) / You Keep On Getting Better (Dante Bowe, Jonathan Jay, Majesty Rose)

GREETING, SERMON, & RESPONSE

All Who Are Thirsty (Brenton Brown, Glenn Robertson)

COMMUNION

‘Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus (William J. Kirkpatrick, Louisa M. R. Stead arr. Page CXVI)
King of Kings (Jason Ingram, Brooke Ligertwood, Scott Ligertwood)

BENEDICTION

It’s the first Sunday of Advent! Advent is the four weeks leading up to Christmas where we celebrate the fulfilled promise of the first coming of Jesus and heighten our anticipation for His second coming, when the wolf will lie down with the lamb, death will be swallowed up, and every tear will be wiped away.

See our resources for Advent prayer and fasting here, and explore our artistic accompaniment to the season over at The Christian Year. Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Luke 2:22–32.

This year, we’ll be looking at the life, practices, and longings of Simeon and Anna in Luke 2. We hope to learn from their affections and longings for all they can teach us in this season.


In Luke 2:22–32, Simeon meets Jesus when Mary and Joseph bring Him to the temple to offer the customary sacrifice for their firstborn son. Simeon had been waiting for this day, and blesses God while holding the long-awaited Christ in his arms.

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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Isaiah 25:6–9, The Apostles’ Creed:

Joy To The World (Joyful, Joyful) (George Frideric Handel, Isaac Watts, Phil Wickham)
Rejoice The Lord Is King (Joel Limpic, Charles Wesley)

CONFESSION OF SIN

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Isaiah 9:6–7

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Rowland Hugh Prichard, Charles Wesley addl. verses Mark E. Hunt) / Not In A Hurry (Michael Ketterer, Will Reagan)

GREETING, SERMON, & RESPONSE

All Who Are Thirsty (Brenton Brown, Glenn Robertson)

COMMUNION

All Things New (Horatius Bonar, Clint Wells)
King of Kings (Jason Ingram, Brooke Ligertwood, Scott Ligertwood)

BENEDICTION

This is our last week in the book of Exodus, ending the series we first began in January. Exodus is about God’s mission to redeem a people for His Kingdom in the world.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Exodus 40:1–38.

After the people of Israel had faithfully constructed all of the furnishings of the tabernacle, the Lord spoke to Moses again instructing him on how they were to set up and consecrate the tabernacle in preparation for His coming. After everything was prepared and the priests were consecrated, the people of Israel were finally ready to experience the arrival of God’s holy presence. As they watched, the cloud that had represented the presence of God covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. The Lord, who had rescued His people from bondage, had now made His home among them, and He would be with them throughout their wilderness journey until they finally reached their promised home.

In the same way, after Jesus had cleansed His people from their sin through His death and resurrection, He made a promise to His people—that He would send His Spirit to dwell in them, and that He would be with us always, even to the end of the age.


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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Exodus 34:34–38, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):

Doxology (Amen) (Bourgeois, Ken, Owens, Wickham addl. verses JD Raab)
We Will Feast In The House Of Zion (Sandra McCracken, Joshua Moore)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Acts 4:11–12

What A Beautiful Name (Ben Fielding, Brooke Ligertwood) / Break Every Chain (Will Reagan arr. Tasha Cobbs Leonard)
Refugee King (Away From The Manger) (Benedict, Reagan, Ruth, Scheer, Vice)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION

What A Friend (Josh Garrels, Jay Kirkpatrick)

VOCATIONAL COMMISSIONING: Government & Politics

We Labor Unto Glory (Craig Harris, Isaac Wardell)

BENEDICTION

It’s our eleventh week in the book of Exodus—next week will be our last! The book of Exodus is about God’s mission to redeem a people for His Kingdom in the world. We’re in Part Two of this series. You can always go back and listen to sermons from Exodus Part One starting here!

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Exodus 35:1–39:43.

After the Lord showed incredible mercy and renewed His covenant with Israel, the people begin to carry out His instructions to build the tabernacle. First Moses gathered the people, calling them to make generous contributions to supply the materials for the tabernacle, and commissioning them to use their God-given skills and energy to construct the various elements of the tabernacle. The Spirit of God moved in their hearts in remarkable ways. The whole community was stewarding their material resources, their God-given skills, and Spirit-empowered abilities to accomplish this work together. The generosity was so great that Moses eventually had to stop them from giving more. The people responded to God’s mercy with faithful obedience, generosity, and worship, and they built the tabernacle according to God’s design.

The tabernacle, like the temple, was not merely a place for priests to make sacrifices. It was the place where people could come to engage with the presence of God and where God would radiate His presence to the world. When the Messiah would come, He would embody the tabernacle as the personal presence of God on earth and the radiance of His glory. Then, after His death and resurrection, He would fill His people with His Holy Spirit, calling on us to generously contribute our resources, skills, and spiritual gifts in order to spread the glory of His presence across the face of the earth.


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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 62:5–7, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):

On Christ The Solid Rock (William Batchelder Bradbury and Edward Mote, arr. Austin Stone)
Better (Pat Barrett, Ed Cash, Chris Tomlin)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Thou, Dear God by Martin Luther King, Jr.:

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 5:6–8

Jesus Paid It All (Elvina Hall, Kristen Stanfill) / Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) (Matt Crocker, Joel Houston, Salomon Ligthelm)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE & COMMUNION

Fall Afresh (Jeremy Riddle)
Great Are You Lord (Jason Ingram, Leslie Jordan, David Leonard)

BENEDICTION

We’re in week 10 of Exodus at Park Church. The book of Exodus is about God’s mission to redeem a people for His Kingdom in the world. We’re in Part Two of this series. You can always go back and listen to sermons from Exodus Part One starting here!

Including this Sunday, there are only three weeks left of Exodus before the series ends and we move into Advent. But here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Exodus 33:1–34:35.

After the devastating incident with the golden calf, the Lord tells Moses that He will not continue to dwell among the people of Israel due to their perpetual sin. This was a disastrous word for the people of Israel, and yet again Moses interceded for the people, and pleaded to God for mercy. The passage says that Moses prayed to God in the tent of meeting and the Lord spoke to Moses “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” At this point in Moses’ life, he had become desperate for God’s continued presence. He begged the Lord to continue with them on their journey to the promised land, and the Lord graciously promised that He would do exactly what Moses had asked.

Encouraged by God’s willingness to grant his requests, Moses takes this desire to be with God to another level, praying, “Please show me Your glory.” Yet again, the Lord was willing to accommodate this request, at least in part. The Lord passed by Moses, allowing Moses to have a partial glimpse of His glory, and revealing His character as a God who is marked by unfathomable mercy, grace, patience, love, faithfulness, and forgiveness, and yet, mysteriously, is committed to absolute justice and righteous judgment. He immediately demonstrates this character to Israel by renewing His covenant with them, promising to bless them with His presence and to fulfill His purposes to spread the knowledge of His glory through them.

This section leaves the reader wondering how the mercy and grace of God can be reconciled with His holy justice. This mystery would ultimately be resolved through the arrival of One who was better than Moses, whose life would radiate God’s glory perfectly, and whose sacrificial death would bring a reconciliation of God’s love and justice.


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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Exodus 33:18–21, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):

Our Great God (Fernando Ortega, Mac Powell)
I Will Exalt (Amanda Cook)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Galatians 4:4–7

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

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE, BAPTISMS & COMMUNION

Here Is Love (William Edwards, Robert S. Lowry, William Rees arr. Matt Redman)
Be Thou My Vision (Mary Elizabeth Byrne, Eleanor Henrietta Hull, Reuben Kendall, arr. Ascend The Hill)

BENEDICTION

We’re in week nine of Exodus at Park Church. The book of Exodus is about God’s mission to redeem a people for His Kingdom in the world. We’re in Part Two of this series. You can always go back and listen to sermons from Exodus Part One starting here!

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Exodus 32.

While Moses was with the Lord on Mount Sinai for 40 days, the people of Israel were growing impatient at the base of the mountain. The people had seen the Lord’s power to redeem; they had heard His voice from the mountain; they had committed to obeying His instructions. But when their journey didn’t proceed according to their desires, they immediately turned from Him. They demanded that Aaron make them a god that they could worship in place of the Lord, and he readily accommodated. He made them a golden calf, and they declared to one another “these are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” And they worshipped and made sacrifices to the golden calf, breaking the covenant by disobeying the first two commandments.

The Lord’s wrath burned against the people for their blatant disregard for His redeeming mercy and rejection of His good reign over them. He told Moses that he intended to consume them because of their sin and that He would accomplish His plan to build a great nation through Moses instead. Although God’s intention to wipe Israel out would have been entirely just, Moses interceded for the people, pleading for God to show mercy. His powerful plea for mercy was not merely for the sake of the people, but for the sake of God’s own reputation among the nations and for the sake of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of, but the people would experience judgment through Moses and through another devastating plague. Here we see that the ability to follow God’s instructions will require a transformation of the heart and that mercy for the unfaithful comes through the intercession of a Faithful One.


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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 105:1–4, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):

Praise To The Lord The Almighty (Joachim Neander, Catherine Winkworth addl. verse Joel Limpic, JD Raab)
Great Is The Lord (Joseph Pat Barrett, Daniel Bashta, Ben Smith)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Every Season Prayers by Scotty Smith

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: John 10:10

King of Kings ((Jason Ingram, Brooke Ligertwood, Scott Ligertwood)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE

Give Us Clean Hands (Charlie Hall)

COMMUNION

Better (Pat Barrett, Ed Cash, Chris Tomlin
Living Hope (Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham)

BENEDICTION

This is our eighth week in the book of Exodus this fall. The book of Exodus is about God’s mission to redeem a people for His Kingdom in the world. As a reminder, we’re in Part Two of this series. You can always go back and listen to sermons from Exodus Part One starting here!

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday, titled Instructions for Sacrifice:

1. Read through our text, Exodus 29:1–46.

The priests were not allowed to approach the holy presence of God casually. As humans who had themselves rebelled against God, they were marked by impurity and would require cleansing and atonement. Exodus 29 gives instructions for a consecration ceremony through which the priests could be made ritually pure. The rituals of the consecration ceremony may seem bizarre or even barbaric to modern readers, but they carried profound meaning in their historical context.

The rituals prescribed here for the priests would also preview the rituals that the priests would eventually be instructed to perform for all the people. The ceremony would include rituals of preparation where the priests would be washed with water to represent their need for cleansing and anointed with oil to represent their need for God’s power and presence. Then a bull and two rams would be sacrificed, each having its own purpose. The bull was a “sin offering,” and its blood would be poured on the altar to purify it for its use in the temple. The first ram was a “burnt offering” that would atone for the sins of the priests. The second ram was “a ram of ordination,” and its blood was used to purify the priests and to set them apart for their service in the temple. In all their details, the rituals demonstrate the fact that for sinful people to be in a covenant relationship with a Holy God, the people will need a means of atonement and that atonement would come through the sacrifice of an Innocent Other.

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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 99:1–3, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):

Great Is The Lord (Joseph Pat Barrett, Daniel Bashta, Ben Smith)
The Stand (Joel Houston)

CONFESSION OF SIN:

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 5:8–10

Jesus What A Savior (Kirby Kaple) / Psalm 32:6–7 (Mark Wilkins)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE &COMMUNION

It Is Finished—Part II (Hark, The Voice Of Love And Mercy) (Jonathan Evans, William Owen)
Nothing But The Blood (Robert Lowry)

BENEDICTION

We’re in our seventh week of Exodus this fall at Park Church. The book of Exodus is about God’s mission to redeem a people for His Kingdom in the world. As a reminder, we’re in Part Two of this series. You can always go back and listen to sermons from Exodus Part One starting here.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday, titled Instructions for the Priesthood:

1. Read through our text, Exodus 28:1–30:38.

Right in the midst of the instructions about the design of the tabernacle and its furnishings, the Lord gives specific instructions about the priesthood. The book of Leviticus will elaborate on the priestly responsibilities and rituals, but here in Exodus, the instructions focus on the creation of the priestly garments and the ceremony where the priests would be consecrated to serve the Lord and represent the people in the tabernacle.

The Lord chose Aaron, the brother of Moses, and his sons to serve as Israel’s first priests. The elaborate design and the holy appearance of the priestly garments serve to highlight the holiness, the glory, and the beauty of Aaron’s responsibility to enter into the presence of the Lord on behalf of the 12 tribes of Israel.

The consecration ceremony was designed to ordain Aaron and his sons for their priestly office. They were washed with water to represent their need for cleansing and anointed with oil to represent their need for God’s power for the priestly duties in the tabernacle.


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

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 16:8–11, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):

Walk Among Us (Joel Limpic)
King of Kings (Jason Ingram, Brooke Ligertwood, Scott Ligertwood)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Hebrews 9:11–14

Before The Throne Of God (Charitie Lees Bancroft, arr. Shane & Shane) / Break Every Chain (Will Reagan)

GREETING, SERMON, RESPONSE

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

COMMUNION

To Him Who Loves Us (Sean Brage)

VOCATIONAL COMMISSIONING: NON-PROFITS

All Glory Be To Christ (Dustin Kensrue arr. Kings (MHM))

BENEDICTION