FOREVER NOW A CROWN
Call to Worship: 10th Presbyterian Church Call to Worship
CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY
LAMB OF GOD
Let’s confess what we celebrate as followers of Jesus. I will read the parts marked ‘Leader,’ together we’ll read the parts marked ‘All’:
LEADER: Alleluia! Christ is risen.
ALL: He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
LEADER: Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
ALL: He has given us new life and hope. He has raised Jesus from the dead.
LEADER: God has claimed us as his own.
ALL: He has brought us out of darkness. He has made us light to the world.
LEADER: Alleluia! Christ is risen.
ALL: He is risen indeed. Alleluia!—based on 1 Peter 1:3-5, the Worship Sourcebook
Sermon: Hebrews 2:14-18
If God in Christ had never stepped down from heaven, laying aside his glory, taken on his flesh and blood, lived the perfect life, died the death we deserve, become our sin, if none of those things had ever happened, God would still be worthy of our worship, adoration, and obedience. How much more, as followers of Jesus should we respond with worship, adoration, and obedience in light of the propitiation of Christ? We’re going to respond now as we sing about how Jesus is, what He has done, and who He has called us to be. Would you stand if you’re able…
THANK YOU JESUS FOR THE BLOOD
NO BODY
Benediction
Holy Week
Good Friday: Liturgy + Set List
TRISAGION
Invitation to Rest
God, it is good to be near You.
Would you help me become aware of your presence and nearness in this moment?
Psalm 46:10
MAN OF SORROWS
Invitation to Remember
God, where was I far from You today? Whether in thought, word, or deed?
Hebrews 8:12
LAMB OF GOD
Invitation to Rejoice
God, would you show me how to endure in light of the fullness of joy, and pleasures forevermore promised to me as a follower of Christ?
Psalm 16:11
JESUS PAID IT ALL
Sermon: Leviticus 16
Invitation to Repent
God, in Your kindness would You lead me to repentance?
Romans 2:4
HOLY MEDLEY
Holy Is Our God/We Fall Down/Holy Forever/Open The Eyes of My Heart
COMMUNION MEDLEY
Lord, I Need You/Grace Alone/Thank You Jesus for the Blood
The Lord’s Supper
Book of Common Prayer Corporate Confession
Invitation to Request
Father, would You give me the ability to respond like Jesus: requesting of You honestly, while also in humility surrendering to Your will?
Matthew 26:39
SON OF SUFFERING
Benediction/Sending/Further Time of Reflection
Good Friday
Lent is the season of bright sadness. And perhaps we feel the sadness most acutely on Good Friday. We take the bread and wine, behold the cross, read of the suffering Savior, and recognize the severity of our own sin. And still, on this side of the cross, we know that resurrection has come - and is coming - brightness - life, hope, return. So whether you gather with the people of God, or reflect silently and individually today, lean into the sadness and feel it give way to brightness.
Here are a few other Good Friday reflections:
Good Friday: Liturgy + Set List
TRISAGION
Welcome + Invitation to Rest
God, it is good to be near You. Would you help me become aware of your presence and nearness in this moment?
Psalm 46:10
I SHALL NOT WANT
MY JESUS I LOVE THEE
Invitation to Remember
God, where was I far from You today? Whether in thought, word, or deed?
Hebrews 8:12
GOODNESS OF GOD
O PRAISE THE NAME (ANÁSTASIS)
Invitation to Rejoice
God, would you show me how to endure in light of the fullness of joy, and pleasures forevermore promised to me as a follower of Christ?
Psalm 16:11
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD
Message: Ephesians 2:1-3
Invitation to Repent
God, in Your kindness would You lead me to repentance?
Mark 1:14-15
OUR JESUS
ALL HAIL KING JESUS
Corporate Confession
Merciful God, We confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, By what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. In Your mercy forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are, And direct what we shall be, So that we may delight in your will and walk in Your ways, To the glory of Your holy name. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen. [From the Book of Common Prayer]
Communion
Invitation to Request
Father, would You give me the ability to respond like Jesus: requesting of You honestly, while also in humility surrendering to Your will?
Matthew 26:39
FORGIVEN FOREVER
Thank you for being here with us tonight. If you’d like to use this space to continue to Rest, RememberRejoice, Repent, or Request, the band will continue to play for the next moments. As you go, please leave the auditorium and the lobby in silence, carrying the hope and anticipation of the resurrection. We’ll see you on Sunday.
2 April: Liturgy + Set List
BE THOU MY VISION
Good morning Life Church and welcome to this first Sunday in Holy Week - Palm Sunday. A day when we remember the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and how He was met with shouts of praise and worship. But we know that the events of Holy Week escalate and praise quickly turns to protest. It can be easy to stand on this side of the cross and wonder how people got it wrong. But truthfully, we can do the same. Happy to praise and worship the Lord when we feel like our lives are going to plan - but how quickly we move to protest, anger, and bitterness when we feel that God has done us wrong. But it is precisely because Jesus laid aside what was rightfully his that you and I never receive what is rightfully ours - death and hell. This is the wondrous mystery of Holy Week - let’s be reminded of who Jesus is and what He has done as God calls us to worship from His Word, this is from Philippians 2:
Call to Worship: Philippians 2:5-11
COME BEHOLD THE WONDROUS MYSTERY
ALL HAIL KING JESUS
Corporate Confession:
Merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against You
in thought, word, and deed,
By what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved You with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.In Your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us amend what we are,
And direct what we shall be,
So that we may delight in your will and walk in Your ways, To the glory of Your holy name.Through Christ, our Lord. Amen. [From the Book of Common Prayer]
Sermon: Mark 6:14-29
GOODNESS OF GOD
ABIDE
Benediction
Preparing for Holy Week
We mark days that have marked us. This is why our calendars are filled with holidays celebrating where we have been, how far we have come, and who we’d like to be. As followers of Jesus, the two most significant days on the Church calendar are Christmas and Easter. These are days that change the course of history, and humanity. Quite literally splitting time into two halves - before Christ, and in the Year of our Lord.
We mark the days that have marked us, and we mark the days which have marked history. Following the Church Calendar with its seasons and holidays build meaning and transcendence into our lives. Rather than trying to pack all our meaning and celebration on a single day, the seasons allow us to build anticipation, expectation, and excitement as we approach these holy days. The reflection of Lent gives way to the blip of celebration on Palm Sunday, the days set apart of Holy Week, the gore of Good Friday, the quiet of Holy Saturday, and the triumph of Christ over Satan, sin, and death on Resurrection Sunday.
Holy Week preparation is important practically as well as spiritually. Maybe this year, preparation during Holy Week looks like spending time in the Gospels each day from Palm Sunday through Resurrection Sunday. I have found this overview and timeline from ESV on the Harmony of the Events of Holy Week to be so helpful.
Here is a quick glance:
Friday/Saturday: Jesus arrives in Bethany, is anointed by Mary, and the crowds come to see
Palm Sunday: The triumphal entry
Monday: Jesus curses the fig tree, cleanses the temple, and returns to Bethany
Tuesday: Disciples see the withered fig tree, temple controversies in Jerusalem, Olivet Discourse and return to Bethany
Wednesday: Jesus continues daily temple teachings, Sanhedrin plot to kill Jesus, Begin passover preparation
Maundy Thursday: Passover Meal/Last Supper, Upper Room Discourse, Jesus prays in Gethsemane
Good Friday: Betrayal and arrest, Jewish trial, before Annas, before Caiaphas and part of the Sanhedrin, before full Sanhedrin, Roman trials, before Pilate, before Herod, before Pilate, Crucifixion, Burial
Holy Saturday: Silence, rest on the Sabbatha
Resurrection Sunday: Empty tomb witnesses, and Resurrection appearances
Holy Week
Do you ever have that sense, you blink and a month has gone by?
You blink and it’s the Summer.
You blink and it’s Christmas.
When our lives are filled with responsibilities, relationships, work, goals, dreams, and projects, we can turn around and realize how we have blown through six months of our year. Throw in something as unpredictable as a global pandemic, and our days can creep by as easily as the fly.
This is what I love about the Church calendar - it is a way of marking our time, not by our roles, responsibilities, national holidays, or a school calendar but by the life of Jesus. Easter is the pinnacle of our celebrations as followers of Christ. The resurrection split time in two. The resurrection changed the day that followers of Christ gathered to remember, respond, and worship Him. The resurrection meant that the perfect sacrifice of Christ was sufficient, and we can now be in right relationship with God. But we don’t get to the celebration of Resurrection Sunday without the betrayal of Maundy Thursday, the suffering of Good Friday, and the silence of Holy Saturday. When we lean into the bitterness of these days, Resurrection Sunday is that much sweeter as we celebrate the life of Christ.
If you are serving in a church that is not particularly liturgical or following the rhythms of the church calendar, how can you build in those moments of remembrance for you, your team, and those you serve?
Take your team through a devotional, or daily readings in line with the Holy Week story. Spending time in God’s Word, with God’s Spirit, and God’s people will never be wasted. Allow your heart’s affection, and your mind’s attention to be captivated as you meditate on the truth of the Gospel story, the height, depth, width, and length of the love of God. If you’re looking for a devotional that you could use with your team, you can download my 2021 Lent Devotional for free, here.
Make plans for next year. Spend some time with your pastors, elders, creative team, planning ways that you can help set apart Holy Week, or the Lenten season next year to prepare people’s hearts for the celebration of Easter Sunday. Plan a Maundy Thursday Service, or a Passover Seder Meal, a Good Friday service, a Stations of the Cross, or Guided Prayer Meditations, or even a church-wide devotional for families.
Read and learn about the Church Calendar. Okay, maybe you or your people are not ready to step into every rhythm of the Church calendar, but perhaps there are things that you can take from the Church calendar that will work in your context, and help amplify the celebration and remembrance of the life of Christ. Here are some of my favorite resources in learning about liturgical rhythms:
The Liturgical Year - Joan Chittister
The Worship Sourcebook - Emily Brink, John Witvliet
Sacred Ordinary Days - Planners, podcasts, and resources for liturgical rhythms
For this week. Easter is typically a time where the local church sees lots of visitors, and there can seem to be pressure to get it right - for every aspect of the gathering to be flawlessly executed and impressive. Do not let the pressure take precedence. The reality is that every Sunday is a mini-Resurrection Sunday - a reminder that Jesus is alive, ruling, and reigning, and seated at the right hand of God. Pray and plan your service well. Communicate the Gospel in the songs you sing, in the Scripture you read, in the prayers you utter. Do it all with excellence, but excellence that points people to the beauty and wonder of Jesus, not amazement at the dust holding His breath and bearing His image.
He is worthy, and He is risen! Let’s remember and respond with joyful hearts and excellent skill.