Yesterday was a great, GREAT, day of worship at ND! Here is what it looked like...
GATHERING SONG
Doxology
WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP
WORSHIP IN PRAISE-D.J. Bulls
Lord Reign in Me
Standing on the Promises
Let Every Heart Rejoice and Sing
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
DISMISSAL TO KIDS’ CROSSING & SPANISH WORSHIP
Blessed Assurance
Blessed Be Your Name
MESSAGE – “Yahweh Yireh: The Lord Who Provides"
Doug Peters
GARDEN OF PRAYER
He Is Able
No Not One
All Who Are Thirsty
WORSHIP AT THE TABLE & IN OUR GIVING--djb
During the Sharing of the Bread
All Who Are Thirsty (reprise)
During the Sharing of the Cup
Who Can Satisfy My Soul/There Is A Fountain
SHEPHERD’S PRAYER
Offering and Family News
Lord Reign in Me (reprise)
Being an "upfront" lead worshipper is one of the greatest jobs in the world...Or So I continue to be convicted that this is true. I can't imagine how God must feel when he sees his people become "so lost in wonder, love and praise..." One thing I do know is that it makes me want to be lost in praise as well...It shows me that God's spirit is alive and well, and that it can work even through a bunch of cracked pots, dirty, grace-covered Christians...thirsty, but quenched with the Living Water of the Spirit of God!
5.12.2005
The Four Pages of the Sermon...
If the way I prepare sermons is in any way like what most full-time preachers got through, there is no way they could fit it all in four pages...
Today, I am sermon writing...Preaching on Sunday night to our little special Sunday evening crowd at ND. I think I am going to come out of a text that is becoming very popular and central in the misisonal church "movement," (if you can call it that...) 2 Corinthians 3:17 through the end of 2 Corinthians 4 is a text that is jam packed with "preachable" material...I look forward to spending the majority in that text, listening to God, and discerning his will with the opportunity...
If you have any ideas, thoughts, or just a comment to make about this text, please, DO IT!!!
Here is that text...
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
Treasure in Clay Jars
Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—“I believed, and so I spoke”—we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
Living by Faith
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version, 2 Co 3:17. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989.
Today, I am sermon writing...Preaching on Sunday night to our little special Sunday evening crowd at ND. I think I am going to come out of a text that is becoming very popular and central in the misisonal church "movement," (if you can call it that...) 2 Corinthians 3:17 through the end of 2 Corinthians 4 is a text that is jam packed with "preachable" material...I look forward to spending the majority in that text, listening to God, and discerning his will with the opportunity...
If you have any ideas, thoughts, or just a comment to make about this text, please, DO IT!!!
Here is that text...
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
Treasure in Clay Jars
Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—“I believed, and so I spoke”—we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
Living by Faith
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version, 2 Co 3:17. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989.
5.04.2005
The Changing Face of Worship in Missional Churches
After yet another extended hiatus, today I return with the goal of beginning a dialogue and extended study of what worship looks like in churches that are striving to be missional. I want to begin this study with where worship often begins: "the call to worhsip." My good friend Jeff Christian, on ACU's newest missional church resourse website "Salt and Light" (See link to right or at top of this posting) has written an excellent article that I hope will spark much discussion on the subject...I will paste it below for your perusing! More later...
THE CALL TO WORSHIP AS THE LOCATION OF MISSIONAL FAITHFULNESS BY JEFF CHRISTIAN
"The main area I want to emphasize as a location of missional faithfulness is a subcategory of worship: The call to worship. This has to be more than a time to silence people in order to get them ready to sing, or what is worse, announcement time. It needs to weave together the threads of what we do, what we say, and why we are a church. It has been my experience in churches I have served—including the Glenwood Church of Christ where I currently serve—that the call to worship is usually a time to transition people from visiting with one another into singing the first song. Often the preacher or worship leader will stand quietly on stage waiting for the people in the pews to notice him and settle down. When they begin to quiet he will say, “Good morning.” The words that follow are typically harmless expressions of greeting followed by a reading of Scripture. The move is made. People are finished visiting for the moment. Let the songs begin.
While this transition is necessary, I wonder whether or not it can be more theologically responsible. The call to worship is oftentimes a jarring shift from the everyday world to a very different set of activities, such as singing as a group. Few other organizations sing together, at least in the United States. What other gathering goes from friendly conversation between such diverse strands of people into corporate singing of mostly familiar songs? From daily concerns to shared worship? From “I love the world” to “Hallelujah”? The call to worship time bridges an almost impossible divide. But can it be done more effectively than “Good morning”? Is there a way to call people to worship God and say something about God simultaneously as a moment of calling and teaching, and perhaps even an occasion to shift worldview(s)? Or is that even necessary?
One of the reasons I think this is a critical question for contemporary worship has to do with what I perceive to be a rather anemic view of the place of God in worship. The supposed turn away from scientific worldviews has bred a culture no longer as concerned with worship as an information-gathering time. (I say this neither as a good or bad thing, but rather as an observation of what used to be versus what is today, at least in many circles.) Moreover, the evangelical scene has developed a hymnody whereby Christians have come to expect the worship hour to be a weekly burning-bush experience. But I suspect that the next turn in worship style will eventually have to account for the questions of many who did not feel a flood of emotion Sunday after Sunday, wondering why God chose to leave them out of the ballgame. So, can the call to worship time help alleviate some of the need to experience, and move toward the example of the early Christian letters that often began with statements about the identity of God, i.e. 2 Corinthians. Not to mention, the Psalms usually begin with—or at least contain—some statement about the identity of God, which is likely where the New Testament letters got their inspiration.
Then to the bigger questions: How can we articulate among our people a sense of mission by calling them into the presence of God with one another for the sake of the world, as preparation to go out into the world, not as church people, but as the church, where the church is more than the place we go, but the place from whence we are sent out. Since this is still in the experimental stage, I am not sure what place the call to worship will have in the long term. Still, I have a feeling it will play a big role in Glenwood’s life, mainly because it is receiving attention and intentionality, and furthermore because it has the potential to set a tone for something beyond the worship hour, but even the culture of our church.
The most important reason to shift the call to worship from a quieting time to a true “calling” time originates with the ways Scripture and tradition calls us to be an “inside-out” church. The Gospel of Mark sets up Jesus as the model disciple in order to invite others to be faithful to the mission of calling others to his model discipleship. Luke-Acts shows one who took a mission to the poor seriously who established a small group singularly concerned with caring for those who had taken on the mantel of Christianity, and eventually the larger group of outcasts who formed an underground movement unconcerned with temporal things, but things unseen. Such an approach is a far cry from contemporary Christianity oftentimes overwhelmed by church politics, church growth, and church programs. What if the call to worship could be a time where we help remind one another of our original calling, a call to the mission of God where we are sent into the world? What if church could exist for a mission bigger than merely maintaining church life? And what better place to name this reorientation than with the opening words of the church’s worship service?
Many churches see the need to give serious attention to the call to worship for any number of reasons. What strategies and approaches might deepen these opening moments on Sunday mornings?
---First, we decided at Glenwood to say something about God as the opening line of worship. No “Good mornings.” No “Will everyone be seated.” We simply open with a line about God or a move preparing us to declare some aspect of God. Any such change takes time to get used to in the majority of churches. But the move was a way for us to state something of first importance first. We even began one Sunday by opening with the line, “We believe in God.”
--Second, we chose to be intentional about writing the call to worship, rather than winging it as an off-the-cuff statement of welcome mixed with Scripture. When we began this initiative on January 16 and January 23 of 2005, I put the call in the order of worship word-for-word because of the nature of the sermons from Mark 13. The first week was Mark 13:1-31, the second week was Mark 13:32-37. The two calls to worship were similarly structured, but different in the ways they emphasize the contrasting messages of the text(s). (See below.)
--Third, we wanted to be creative and not allow ourselves to be handicapped by formula. While the calls will often contain something about God coupled with a reading of Scripture, at times we may include responsive sayings and/or readings of Scripture; at other times we may include co-calls alongside members as a dialogue-based call to worship; still at other times we may invite people into periods of silence to prepare for worship. Whatever the case, we wanted the form of the call to mimic the often jarring shift from world to worship.
From here, each church must consider her own culture and how her words echo the call of Scripture to consider who God is in light of who He calls us to be and become. These things said—both why this is important and how to do it—the following appendices highlight some of the specific aspects of this ongoing set of initiatives that have now become a part of the culture of the Glenwood Church of Christ.
Call to Worship” Samples
(Note: We were in the middle of a year-long series through the book of Mark when I began this initiative seeking ways to better use our “call to worship” time. )
January 16 (Sermon Text: Mark 13:1-31)
Come to worship God today where for the moment we can live without warning.
Come to worship God today in a place where we refuse the world’s need to be afraid.
Come to worship God today when for an hour you can participate in giving glory to the Lord.
Come to worship God today in a place where the fear of our culture is exchanged for the peace of Jesus Christ.
Come to worship God today as we live in love, joy, and patience with one another.
Come to worship God today as we hear Jesus speak a harsh truth with wonderful hope: “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Come and worship God.
January 23 (Sermon Text: Mark 13:32-37)
Come to worship God today where we must always be on guard.
Come to worship God today in a place where we are assigned the task to keep watch.
Come to worship God today when for an hour you can hear the Lord invite you to His mission.
Come to worship God today in a place where we repent together, for the kingdom is near.
Come to worship God today as we live in love, joy, and patience.
Come to worship God today as we hear Jesus speak a harsh truth with wonderful hope: “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Come and worship God.
January 30 (Sermon Text: Mark 14:1-11)
Here we are Lord, as an act of remembrance. We remember that you are the good shepherd. We remember how you go before us. We remember the Cross of Christ. You are the Lord. We are the people of your pasture. Lead us into the world, even as you set your table before us. Give us all the peace through the name of Jesus Christ that passes understanding. You are too good to be unkind, too merciful to leave us wandering in the fields alone. You are the shepherd, and we shall never be in want. You are the shepherd. Amen.
Responsive reading of Psalm 23
February 6 (Sermon Text: Mark 14:12-26)
Jesus welcomes us all to the table this morning, for there is always room at the table for one more. And as he welcomes us, we take our places in the name of Jesus. The table prepares us for ministry, prepares us for the world. Not only does Jesus redeem us all over again at the table week after week, but he sends us out to do everything else in remembrance of him. As we gather at the table we hear him say, “Do this in remembrance of me.” And as we offer those around us water, bread, and perhaps even our body and our blood, we do so in remembrance of him. We are a covenant people. Jesus welcomes us all to the table this morning, for there is always room at the table.
1 Cor 11:23-26 teaches us to say, “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”
Jesus welcomes us all to the table this morning, for there is always room at the table for one more.
March 6 (Sermon Text: Mark 15:22-37)
The world tells you to take up your wallet and follow the latest fashions. Jesus tells you to take up your cross. The world tells you to deny yourself nothing. Jesus tells you to deny yourself. The world hands you a crown of gold. Jesus wears a crown of thorns. As we come to worship this morning in the name of Jesus, we will hear some difficult words from the very mouth of our Lord and Savior who teaches us to speak to God out of our own pain. And yet, God is near. We come to hear what Jesus told the crowd and his disciples in Mark 8:34-35—“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
Our God and our king, we offer ourselves to you as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to you because of what you make us through your Son Jesus. He is our model disciple. He is the one who followed his own invitation. We pray that you give us the strength and the weakness to follow as we long to empty ourselves of what this world values in exchange for what You value. You are our God, and our king. For each of us here, make your presence known. This morning, among all our concerns, we deny ourselves, we take up our cross, and we wait to see where you will lead. Where you lead, we will follow. This is our promise in Jesus’ name, Amen.
March 13 (Sermon Text: Mark 15:15-47)
There stands the man in the Gospel who places his hope in things seen instead of things unseen, and Jesus is there to meet him at the cross, calling him to a life less ordinary. There stands the woman in the Gospel who thinks her good looks and charm will account for the lack of fulfillment that she has let define her, and Jesus is there to meet her at the cross, calling her to a life less ordinary. There lays the homeless woman in the storefront who long ago decided to agree with those who warned her that hope is a dangerous thing, and Jesus is there to meet her at the cross, calling her to a life of hope. There sits the man in the restaurant by himself who smells of old clothes, whose face is red and intermittently spotted with remnants of shaving cream he missed earlier in the day, and Jesus is there to meet him at the cross, calling him into his presence where he is not alone. The world is filled with all kinds of people. But the are all invited to meet the one. Jesus dies on the cross today, because only there can we learn what it means to be whole, full of hope, and no longer alone. Jesus shows us how to take up his own invitation from Mark 8:34-35—“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
Our God and our king, we offer ourselves to you as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to you because of what you make us through your Son Jesus. We are ambiguous people without you, defined by the weak categories the world puts before us as meaningful, but so devoid of meaning. We pray that you give us the strength and the weakness to follow as we long to empty ourselves of what this world values in exchange for what You value. Make us whole. Give us hope. Make your presence known. This morning, among all our concerns, we deny ourselves, we take up our cross, and we wait to see where you will lead. Together we stand to say, where you lead, we will follow. This is our promise in Jesus’ name, Amen.
March 27, Easter Sunday (Sermon Text: Mark 15:42 – 16:8)
Christ is risen! Today we celebrate, for Christ is risen! He lives. He bears our humanity. He walks among us, and His Spirit gives us all that we need. He is Lord, King, Messiah, Son of God. Christ is risen!
Hebrews 13:20-21 proclaims in light of the risen Jesus, “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
This is a great day, a great morning to proclaim the glory of God in Christ Jesus. Christ is risen! Let us give thanks.
Our Father, the one who holds the joy of resurrection in your right hand, there is no God like you, the one who frees us from our sins, the one who celebrates abundant life, the risen life we live in Christ. There is no more death in you, Father, for you are the one true God Almighty. Rejoice with us today, God, as we rejoice with You. Worthy is your name, Father. All glory and honor and praise be unto you through our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Amen."
THE CALL TO WORSHIP AS THE LOCATION OF MISSIONAL FAITHFULNESS BY JEFF CHRISTIAN
"The main area I want to emphasize as a location of missional faithfulness is a subcategory of worship: The call to worship. This has to be more than a time to silence people in order to get them ready to sing, or what is worse, announcement time. It needs to weave together the threads of what we do, what we say, and why we are a church. It has been my experience in churches I have served—including the Glenwood Church of Christ where I currently serve—that the call to worship is usually a time to transition people from visiting with one another into singing the first song. Often the preacher or worship leader will stand quietly on stage waiting for the people in the pews to notice him and settle down. When they begin to quiet he will say, “Good morning.” The words that follow are typically harmless expressions of greeting followed by a reading of Scripture. The move is made. People are finished visiting for the moment. Let the songs begin.
While this transition is necessary, I wonder whether or not it can be more theologically responsible. The call to worship is oftentimes a jarring shift from the everyday world to a very different set of activities, such as singing as a group. Few other organizations sing together, at least in the United States. What other gathering goes from friendly conversation between such diverse strands of people into corporate singing of mostly familiar songs? From daily concerns to shared worship? From “I love the world” to “Hallelujah”? The call to worship time bridges an almost impossible divide. But can it be done more effectively than “Good morning”? Is there a way to call people to worship God and say something about God simultaneously as a moment of calling and teaching, and perhaps even an occasion to shift worldview(s)? Or is that even necessary?
One of the reasons I think this is a critical question for contemporary worship has to do with what I perceive to be a rather anemic view of the place of God in worship. The supposed turn away from scientific worldviews has bred a culture no longer as concerned with worship as an information-gathering time. (I say this neither as a good or bad thing, but rather as an observation of what used to be versus what is today, at least in many circles.) Moreover, the evangelical scene has developed a hymnody whereby Christians have come to expect the worship hour to be a weekly burning-bush experience. But I suspect that the next turn in worship style will eventually have to account for the questions of many who did not feel a flood of emotion Sunday after Sunday, wondering why God chose to leave them out of the ballgame. So, can the call to worship time help alleviate some of the need to experience, and move toward the example of the early Christian letters that often began with statements about the identity of God, i.e. 2 Corinthians. Not to mention, the Psalms usually begin with—or at least contain—some statement about the identity of God, which is likely where the New Testament letters got their inspiration.
Then to the bigger questions: How can we articulate among our people a sense of mission by calling them into the presence of God with one another for the sake of the world, as preparation to go out into the world, not as church people, but as the church, where the church is more than the place we go, but the place from whence we are sent out. Since this is still in the experimental stage, I am not sure what place the call to worship will have in the long term. Still, I have a feeling it will play a big role in Glenwood’s life, mainly because it is receiving attention and intentionality, and furthermore because it has the potential to set a tone for something beyond the worship hour, but even the culture of our church.
The most important reason to shift the call to worship from a quieting time to a true “calling” time originates with the ways Scripture and tradition calls us to be an “inside-out” church. The Gospel of Mark sets up Jesus as the model disciple in order to invite others to be faithful to the mission of calling others to his model discipleship. Luke-Acts shows one who took a mission to the poor seriously who established a small group singularly concerned with caring for those who had taken on the mantel of Christianity, and eventually the larger group of outcasts who formed an underground movement unconcerned with temporal things, but things unseen. Such an approach is a far cry from contemporary Christianity oftentimes overwhelmed by church politics, church growth, and church programs. What if the call to worship could be a time where we help remind one another of our original calling, a call to the mission of God where we are sent into the world? What if church could exist for a mission bigger than merely maintaining church life? And what better place to name this reorientation than with the opening words of the church’s worship service?
Many churches see the need to give serious attention to the call to worship for any number of reasons. What strategies and approaches might deepen these opening moments on Sunday mornings?
---First, we decided at Glenwood to say something about God as the opening line of worship. No “Good mornings.” No “Will everyone be seated.” We simply open with a line about God or a move preparing us to declare some aspect of God. Any such change takes time to get used to in the majority of churches. But the move was a way for us to state something of first importance first. We even began one Sunday by opening with the line, “We believe in God.”
--Second, we chose to be intentional about writing the call to worship, rather than winging it as an off-the-cuff statement of welcome mixed with Scripture. When we began this initiative on January 16 and January 23 of 2005, I put the call in the order of worship word-for-word because of the nature of the sermons from Mark 13. The first week was Mark 13:1-31, the second week was Mark 13:32-37. The two calls to worship were similarly structured, but different in the ways they emphasize the contrasting messages of the text(s). (See below.)
--Third, we wanted to be creative and not allow ourselves to be handicapped by formula. While the calls will often contain something about God coupled with a reading of Scripture, at times we may include responsive sayings and/or readings of Scripture; at other times we may include co-calls alongside members as a dialogue-based call to worship; still at other times we may invite people into periods of silence to prepare for worship. Whatever the case, we wanted the form of the call to mimic the often jarring shift from world to worship.
From here, each church must consider her own culture and how her words echo the call of Scripture to consider who God is in light of who He calls us to be and become. These things said—both why this is important and how to do it—the following appendices highlight some of the specific aspects of this ongoing set of initiatives that have now become a part of the culture of the Glenwood Church of Christ.
Call to Worship” Samples
(Note: We were in the middle of a year-long series through the book of Mark when I began this initiative seeking ways to better use our “call to worship” time. )
January 16 (Sermon Text: Mark 13:1-31)
Come to worship God today where for the moment we can live without warning.
Come to worship God today in a place where we refuse the world’s need to be afraid.
Come to worship God today when for an hour you can participate in giving glory to the Lord.
Come to worship God today in a place where the fear of our culture is exchanged for the peace of Jesus Christ.
Come to worship God today as we live in love, joy, and patience with one another.
Come to worship God today as we hear Jesus speak a harsh truth with wonderful hope: “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Come and worship God.
January 23 (Sermon Text: Mark 13:32-37)
Come to worship God today where we must always be on guard.
Come to worship God today in a place where we are assigned the task to keep watch.
Come to worship God today when for an hour you can hear the Lord invite you to His mission.
Come to worship God today in a place where we repent together, for the kingdom is near.
Come to worship God today as we live in love, joy, and patience.
Come to worship God today as we hear Jesus speak a harsh truth with wonderful hope: “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Come and worship God.
January 30 (Sermon Text: Mark 14:1-11)
Here we are Lord, as an act of remembrance. We remember that you are the good shepherd. We remember how you go before us. We remember the Cross of Christ. You are the Lord. We are the people of your pasture. Lead us into the world, even as you set your table before us. Give us all the peace through the name of Jesus Christ that passes understanding. You are too good to be unkind, too merciful to leave us wandering in the fields alone. You are the shepherd, and we shall never be in want. You are the shepherd. Amen.
Responsive reading of Psalm 23
February 6 (Sermon Text: Mark 14:12-26)
Jesus welcomes us all to the table this morning, for there is always room at the table for one more. And as he welcomes us, we take our places in the name of Jesus. The table prepares us for ministry, prepares us for the world. Not only does Jesus redeem us all over again at the table week after week, but he sends us out to do everything else in remembrance of him. As we gather at the table we hear him say, “Do this in remembrance of me.” And as we offer those around us water, bread, and perhaps even our body and our blood, we do so in remembrance of him. We are a covenant people. Jesus welcomes us all to the table this morning, for there is always room at the table.
1 Cor 11:23-26 teaches us to say, “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”
Jesus welcomes us all to the table this morning, for there is always room at the table for one more.
March 6 (Sermon Text: Mark 15:22-37)
The world tells you to take up your wallet and follow the latest fashions. Jesus tells you to take up your cross. The world tells you to deny yourself nothing. Jesus tells you to deny yourself. The world hands you a crown of gold. Jesus wears a crown of thorns. As we come to worship this morning in the name of Jesus, we will hear some difficult words from the very mouth of our Lord and Savior who teaches us to speak to God out of our own pain. And yet, God is near. We come to hear what Jesus told the crowd and his disciples in Mark 8:34-35—“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
Our God and our king, we offer ourselves to you as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to you because of what you make us through your Son Jesus. He is our model disciple. He is the one who followed his own invitation. We pray that you give us the strength and the weakness to follow as we long to empty ourselves of what this world values in exchange for what You value. You are our God, and our king. For each of us here, make your presence known. This morning, among all our concerns, we deny ourselves, we take up our cross, and we wait to see where you will lead. Where you lead, we will follow. This is our promise in Jesus’ name, Amen.
March 13 (Sermon Text: Mark 15:15-47)
There stands the man in the Gospel who places his hope in things seen instead of things unseen, and Jesus is there to meet him at the cross, calling him to a life less ordinary. There stands the woman in the Gospel who thinks her good looks and charm will account for the lack of fulfillment that she has let define her, and Jesus is there to meet her at the cross, calling her to a life less ordinary. There lays the homeless woman in the storefront who long ago decided to agree with those who warned her that hope is a dangerous thing, and Jesus is there to meet her at the cross, calling her to a life of hope. There sits the man in the restaurant by himself who smells of old clothes, whose face is red and intermittently spotted with remnants of shaving cream he missed earlier in the day, and Jesus is there to meet him at the cross, calling him into his presence where he is not alone. The world is filled with all kinds of people. But the are all invited to meet the one. Jesus dies on the cross today, because only there can we learn what it means to be whole, full of hope, and no longer alone. Jesus shows us how to take up his own invitation from Mark 8:34-35—“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
Our God and our king, we offer ourselves to you as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to you because of what you make us through your Son Jesus. We are ambiguous people without you, defined by the weak categories the world puts before us as meaningful, but so devoid of meaning. We pray that you give us the strength and the weakness to follow as we long to empty ourselves of what this world values in exchange for what You value. Make us whole. Give us hope. Make your presence known. This morning, among all our concerns, we deny ourselves, we take up our cross, and we wait to see where you will lead. Together we stand to say, where you lead, we will follow. This is our promise in Jesus’ name, Amen.
March 27, Easter Sunday (Sermon Text: Mark 15:42 – 16:8)
Christ is risen! Today we celebrate, for Christ is risen! He lives. He bears our humanity. He walks among us, and His Spirit gives us all that we need. He is Lord, King, Messiah, Son of God. Christ is risen!
Hebrews 13:20-21 proclaims in light of the risen Jesus, “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
This is a great day, a great morning to proclaim the glory of God in Christ Jesus. Christ is risen! Let us give thanks.
Our Father, the one who holds the joy of resurrection in your right hand, there is no God like you, the one who frees us from our sins, the one who celebrates abundant life, the risen life we live in Christ. There is no more death in you, Father, for you are the one true God Almighty. Rejoice with us today, God, as we rejoice with You. Worthy is your name, Father. All glory and honor and praise be unto you through our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Amen."
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