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
Song
30 January: Tuesday Refocus
‘God with us:’ this is hell’s terror, the sufferers comfort, eternity’s sonnet, heaven’s hallelujah, the shout of the glorified.’ - Spurgeon
During the Advent season, we sing of Emmanuel, God with us. God with us in the straw and swaddling clothes is the beginning of God with us in the tomb and grave clothes. Because the aim of Christmas is ultimately the cross and resurrection. In Christ, “…though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:6-8
This is the mystery into which angels long to look (1 Peter 1:12), this is the new and eternal song of heaven (Revelation 5:9-14): that God is with man so that that man might be with God again.
Jesus, you are God with us so that we might be with God - thank you, thank you, thank you. Amen.
Amen and amen,
AB
24 December: Liturgy + Set List
WONDER AND GIFT
O COME LET US ADORE HIM
O COME O COME EMMANUEL
If you have been with us this Advent season you know that we have been looking at the mothers of Jesus - women in the genealogy of Jesus. And we have said throughout this series, ‘The kind of people Jesus came from reveals the kind of people Jesus came for.’ And what Scripture tells us is that Christ came to win for Himself, to purchase with His blood, a bride made up of people from every tribe, tongue, nation, and language on the earth. This is part of what the angels say to the shepherds, ‘This is good news of great joy which will be for all the people.’ And this morning we get to hear some of our people - who call Life Church home - read us the story of this good news in a few of the languages representing the people Jesus came for:
Luke 2:1-7 (in Spanish), Luke 2:8-13 (in Vietnamese), Luke 2:14-20 (in English)
COME THOU LONG-EXPECTED JESUS
Sermon: 2 Samuel 11:1-27
I love what the Psalmist says - even the darkness is not dark to you, for the night is as bright as the day. This is Jesus, the Light of the World illuminating the darkness of our sin, the darkness of our lives, the darkness of the world. Let’s sing about Him, and to Him, and to one another - would you stand if you’re able…
LIGHT OF THE WORLD (SING HALLELUJAH)
Reading: John 1:9-18
We light a candle to remember that Jesus is the Light of the World. And if you are here this morning as a follower of Jesus, you carry the very life and light of Christ in you and with you as you walk into a darkened world.
SILENT NIGHT (SON OF GOD, SON OF MAN)
O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL
10 December: Liturgy + Set List
WONDER AND GIFT
LIGHT OF THE WORLD (SING HALLELUJAH)
HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING
Readings: Joshua 2:8-14, Matthew 1:1-6a
Sermon: Joshua 2:1-24
God is so good, so kind, so sovereign, that there is nothing - no sin, no brokenness - that can thwart or derail his plan and His purpose. And I hope that does not make us casual about our sin, but makes us draw near to the One who has first drawn near to us. That God’s kindness would lead us to continual repentance. Would you stand if you’re able, we’ll sing together…
ALL HAIL KING JESUS/JOY TO THE WORLD
CROWN HIM (CHRISTMAS)
19 November: Liturgy + Set List
HOLY HOLY HOLY
Call to Worship: Psalm 63:1-8
God’s love is stronger than death, and better than life. That is reason to sing….
ALL I HAVE IS CHRIST
HOLY (JESUS YOU ARE)
Sermon: Mark 12:28-34
Scripture says ‘we love because He first loved us.’ You can only love to the degree you understand how deeply, truly, and completely you’ve been loved by God. You can only forgive to the degree you understand how deeply, truly, and completely you’ve been forgiven in Christ. You can only give of yourself to the degree to which you realize you have been given all things in Christ. Let’s sing about those truths together. Would you stand if you’re able…
FORGIVEN FOREVER
HOW DEEP THE FATHER’S LOVE FOR US
Benediction
1 October: Liturgy + Set List
REJOICE
Call to Worship: Psalm 16:7-11
If you are here this morning as a follower of Christ, the fullness of joy and eternal pleasures are not just a future promise but a present reality in and through Christ. And so we are here to once again set the Lord ever before our eyes. We’re going to introduce a new song this morning that gives us a clearer picture of who Jesus is and what He has done…
NO BODY
HYMN OF HEAVEN
Sermon: Mark 10:17-31
We started our morning with a call from the last verse of Psalm 16, I want you to hear the first verse of Psalm 16 as well:
Psalm 16:1-6
If you are here as a follower of Christ, whether your life feels abundant or constricted - the boundary lines have fallen for your in pleasant places, and you have a beautiful inheritance - not an inheritance of earthly riches, but the inheritance of Jesus. Jesus is your inheritance. Let’s sing to him and about him…
GOODNESS OF GOD
BE THOU MY VISION
Benediction
17 September: Liturgy + Set List
GRAVES INTO GARDENS
Call to Worship: Romans 11:33-12:2
All we do is give back to God what always has been His. We live in response to the mercy and grace of God by offering our lives as an act of worship. Part of what we do as we gather is reorient our lives around responding to the mercy and grace of God. Let’s do that together as we sing:
ALL I HAVE IS CHRIST
HOLY IS OUR GOD
Sermon: Mark 10:1-12
Scripture says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Some of us have sin that is loud and obvious, all of us have sin that is subtle and subversive and deep in our hearts. As we continue in worship, we’re going to confess our sins to God and one another:
Book of Common Prayer Corporate Confession
Now that we have confessed our sins to God and one another, I want to give you a few moments of silence to consider and confess your own sins.
Brothers and sisters hear the good news: The Lord who loves you says in His word: Go and sin no more.
HOLY FOREVER
LAMB OF GOD
Benediction
10 September: Liturgy + Set List
ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK
Call to Worship: Psalm 18:1-3
If you are here this morning as a follower of Jesus, your life is held secure regardless of circumstances because your life is hidden with Christ in God. We sing to our Rock and our Redeemer about who Jesus is, and what He has done:
WHAT YOU SAID
LAMB OF GOD
Sermon: Mark 9:33-50
If you start early enough, work hard enough, and spend as much time, energy, and effort to pursue greatness in the world, you just might get there. But every follower of Jesus can be great in God’s kingdom and economy when we - through the power of the Holy Spirit - pursue true humility and deep discipleship. Following after our Servant King. Let’s sing to Him together - would you stand if you’re able:
I STAND AMAZED
GOD YOU’RE SO GOOD
Benediction
The Most Important Part Of The Gathering
What is the most important part of the worship gathering?
My Anglican friends would likely say the Eucharist.
My extroverted friends would likely say the time of fellowship.
My musical friends would likely say sung worship.
My worship-leading friends would likely say sung worship as well.
My reformed, gospel-centered friends would likely say the preached word of God.
Most pastors would likely say the sermon.
My charismatic friends would likely say what is unexpected, or surprising.
Whether we realize it or not, every portion of our corporate gatherings is formative. We are shaped in subtle and significant ways by years of repetition. What we emphasize, and where we place the most resources (time in the service, staff, money, etc) is likely what the churches we serve value most. But if everything portion of our gathering is retelling the gospel story, if every part of our gathering is intentionally placed to form our people, then each component has a role to play in the importance of our formation.
What is the most important part of the corporate gathering? It all is important.
30 July: Liturgy + Set List
ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING
Call to Worship: Psalm 19:8-14
This is my hope and prayer for you and me this morning - that our words and our hearts would be aligned. That we would sing of the things we have seen - that God is great, good, and kind. Let’s sing together:
GOD YOU’RE SO GOOD
KING OF KINGS
Sermon: Exodus 20:16
God created the world by His word - and sustains it by the Word of His power. When you and I speak, it is one of the most obvious ways we display that we bear the image of God. Scripture tells us that the power of life and death is in the tongue, and confronts us with the reality that we use the same mouth to bless God and curse our brother. All words - those spoken aloud, and those uttered only in the quiet of our hearts and minds - all come from the overflow of our hearts. You and I do not merely need better control over our tongues, we need new hearts. And as we continue in worship we are going to use our words to confess our sin to God and one another, would you stand if you’re able:
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. [Book of Common Prayer]
ONLY A HOLY GOD
RAISE UP THE CROWN (ALL HAIL THE POWER)
Benediction
Tuesday Refocus: July 18
“The more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer, because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you, in proportion to your fear of being hurt. The one who does most to avoid suffering is, in the end, the one who suffers most.” - Thomas Merton
It was for the joy set before Jesus, that He endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). The Author, Finisher, and Perfecter of our faith suffered, why would we believe that our lives would - or should - look any different?
Suffering feels unnatural because it was never intended to be a part of our world and our lives - and one-day suffering will cease to exist. But if we suffer with Christ as children and heirs, we will also be glorified with Christ (Romans 8:17)! Suffering feels unnatural in a world and culture of instant gratification. Suffering is counterintuitive because it says that there can be future joy, and eternal pleasures only in part today, but forever more on that day.
Father, may we experience Your comfort in our suffering? May we glimpse You joy now? Fill us with endurance, oh, Lord. In Your eternal and enduring name, amen.
Amen,
AB
Affirmations
Whether it is during baptisms, parent commissioning (child dedication), or affirming new elders, our church has been using consistent, repeated affirmations for these times of events in the life of our church. Why?
Although, we have classes, courses, and training for each of these aspects for baptismal candidates, families wanting to dedicate their children in church, and the role of elder - it is not something that every member, attendee, or visitor to our church understands. Affirmations are a way of helping instruct not just the people participating, but the whole Body in the meaning, purpose, and expectation for each of these celebrations in the life of our church. Some of these affirmations we have pulled from the historic church, some we piecemeal together, always there is an aspect of question and response from the candidate, and closing with question and response to the body of Christ.
BAPTISM AFFIRMATIONS
Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God sent to redeem the world, do you love and trust him as the one who saves you from your sin, and do you with repentance and joy embrace him as the Lord of your life?
I do.
Do you believe that the Bible is the Word of God, revealing Christ and his redemption?
I do.
Do you promise to do all you can, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to strengthen your love and commitment to Christ by sharing faithfully in the life of the church, honoring and submitting to its authority; and do you join with the people of God in doing the work of the Lord everywhere?
I do.
Brothers and sisters, we now receive (NAME) into Christ’s church. Do you welcome (HER/HIM) in love, and do you promise to pray for, encourage, and help (HER/HIM) in the faith?
We do, God helping us.
ELDER AFFIRMATION VOWS
Do you reaffirm your faith in Jesus Christ as your own personal Lord and Savior?
Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God; totally trustworthy, fully inspirited by the Holy Spirit, the supreme, final, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice?
Do you acknowledge a call, so far as you know your own heart, to accept the office of elder, with a sincere desire to promote the Gospel?
Do you promise to be zealous and faithful in your promoting the truths of the Gospel and in protecting the unity and peace of the Church, whatever persecution or opposition may arise to you on that account?
Will you seek to be faithful and diligent in the exercise of all your duties as an elder, whether personal or relative, private or public; and to endeavor by the grace of God to adorn the profession of the Gospel in your manner of life, and to walk with exemplary piety before this congregation?
Are you now willing to take responsibility in the life of this congregation as an elder, and will you seek to discharge your duties, relying upon the grace of God in a way that the entire Church of Jesus Christ will be blessed?
Elder Candidate: By God’s grace, I do.
To the congregation:
Do you affirm your confidence in the qualifications and calling of this man?
Do you resolve to love, encourage, and support his family, respecting them always as his first ministry priority?
Do you commit to fervent and regular prayer on behalf of all our elders, our staff, and the ministry of Life Church?
Congregation: By God’s grace, we do.
PARENT COMMISSIONING
Do you recognize that your child is a gift from God, and that you are responsible to train and instruct this child in the things of God?
We do.
Do you this day pledge as parents that you will teach God’s Word to your child and live out His Word in your home?
We do.
Do you commit to loving your child and teaching your child to obey God’s commands and the truths of Jesus Christ in your daily lives so that your child may know Him as Lord?
We do.
Do you commit to the local body of believers to seek accountability and teach your child to seek accountability within the church community?
We do.
Life Church, will you be faithful as brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage and support this family in their Christian walk as parents? Will you be faithful in praying for their children, that they will grow to love Christ and trust in Him?
We will.