Preparing For A New Sermon Series

Starting a new sermon series can feel like starting a new school year - excitement, anticipation, maybe some nerves as you find your feet. As worship leaders, we have the opportunity to come alongside pastors and leaders to shape the corporate gathering to clearly articulate the thrust of the sermon series.

One of the rhythms that have been most helpful for me is sitting down with the pastor, elders, teaching team - whoever is responsible for preparing the series and will be preaching the sermons - to walk through the entire series. Look at a 30,000-foot view of the sermon series - the number of weeks, what texts, themes, and main points for each particular Sunday. These conversations enable me to fit weekly setlists into a broader framework of the entire series. If you do not have regular meetings with your pastor and elders, here are a few questions I always when looking toward a new sermon series:

• What do you hope people walk away understanding about God, the Church, themselves, etc?

• Why is this the right time for this sermon series?

• What are the main themes you will be drawing out throughout our time?

• Are there additional resources you’re using in your preparation (books, articles, other sermon series) that you think would be helpful for me to spend time digesting?

• Are there things that you would like to see incorporated into the rhythm of our gathering during this series?

• Are there songs that you think would fit well for this series?

Whether or not you have a meeting with your pastor to talk through each sermon in a new series week by week, one of the most helpful practices I have found in my own preparation is spending time in the text that will be preached. If you are preaching through an entire book of the Bible, do not just take it week to week, read the book in its entirety - again and again. Be familiar with the storyline, the themes, the movement and arc of the story. Again, a broader framework will help you build from week to week in a way that will make the entire series feel connected. Read some commentaries, or study Bibles to understand a little bit more. the Bible Project’s overview videos on the books of the Bible, and certain themes and words I find very helpful in preparation as well.

• Similar to asking questions of the pastor, here are questions that I always ask myself as well:

• What songs will work well with these themes and texts?

• Where are the holes in our song inventory? What do we need to be saying in this series that is not currently a part of our master song list?

• What liturgical elements will help our people respond to the truths from God’s Word?

• How do I need to equip the team’s understanding of this series so they are able to lead people, not just songs?

If you are preparing for a new sermon series, you may find these posts helpful as well:

Creating a Song Inventory.

Worship Leader Checklist (free download).

Building a Set List.

Connecting Songs + Sermons.

November 9: Tuesday Refocus

'[Prayer] is an earnest and familiar talking with God.' — John Knox

Something about prayer always seems mysterious - even to the most deeply discipled among us.  The disciples of Jesus felt this was an area that they too needed His coaching (Luke 11:1-13).

Most people probably assume that prayer is mainly intercessory prayer.  Praying to God, that He would move on behalf of myself or another.  Lord, please give me what I want kind of requests.  Although this is certainly one form of prayer, if we are to pray without ceasing as the Scriptures instruct (1 Thess 5:17), then our prayers must be more than wishlists.  

The Psalms are the prayer book for God’s people.  We see intercession and petition in the Psalms of course, but we also see that prayer is a posture of heart, a rhythm of life, and shaped around the contours of every day.

‘…pour out your heart before Him…’ (Ps 62:8)

‘O Lord, all my longing is before You…’ (Ps 38:9)

‘For God alone, my soul waits in silence…’ (Ps 62:1)

‘I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways.’ (Ps 119:15)

‘With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of Your righteousness, Yours alone.’ (Ps 71:16)

For prayer to be an earnest and familiar talking with God, we must continue to posture our hearts toward communion, union, and relationship with God.  

Open hands, 

open hearts, 

open ears.  

Speak Lord, your servant is listening… All the amens.

Amen,

AB

November 7: Liturgy + Set List

• GREAT THINGS

CALL TO WORSHIP: To all who are weary and need rest

To all who mourn and long for comfort

To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares

To all who fail and desire strength

To all who sin and need a Savior

This church opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus Christ, the Ally of

His enemies, the Defender of the guilty, the Justifier of the inexcusable, the

Friend of sinners, welcome.

[10th Presbyterian Call to Worship]

You opened your eyes to fresh grace and new mercies this morning. It is grace and mercy that you did not earn or deserve, you have not achieved or accomplished it. It is simply a gift from a good and gracious God. And it is from that posture of receiving that we respond in song and worship. Let’s sing together about the heart and character of our good God:

• PRAISE TO THE LORD, THE ALMIGHTY-GOOD GOOD FATHER

• BUILD MY LIFE

Sermon: Acts 6:1-7

We become what we behold.  So is it any wonder that both in the world and in the church are ravaged consumerism and the love of self?  Beholding self leads to being bent in on self.  But if you’re here this morning as a follower of Jesus, you are one who dwells in the upside down kingdom or God.  The kingdom where the last will be first and the first will be last, a kingdom where it is greater to serve than to be served.  I don’t know what the Holy Spirit may be doing in your heart right now about how he may be leading you to practically respond to the word preached, but what I do know is that we all need to train our hearts daily to behold Jesus, the one who took the form of a servant, the one who came to serve, the one who learned obedience.  And when we behold him, our lives open in worship and service.  Let’s behold him together in song.

• TURN YOUR EYES (SOVEREIGN GRACE)

• JESUS PAID IT ALL

Benediction: Ephesians 3:20-21

Navigating Advent & Christmas

Christmas is fast approaching. With more than 18 months of leading worship in what feels like completely uncharted territory, maybe just the mention of planning and preparing for Advent and Christmas makes you tired. Special services, rhythms, and seasons require a level of margin and energy that every person is struggling to rally at the moment.

Wherever you and your church are in the process of planning for the 2021 Advent Season, here are a few considerations that will hopefully enable to season to be meaningful for you as well as those you serve:

Plan ahead. Determine the songs that you will incorporate into your weekly worship service. Communicate early with your team, clarifying who is available and if there are additional rehearsals, services, or times of preparation that need to be scheduled. Consider the practical details like sound and tech set up, decor, any extra hands, and help you may need in ‘turning a space’ from one service to the next. I have often found the more prepared I am, the more flexible I can be. If we have learned anything during COVID it may be that we have to be prepared for things to be different than planned.

Make space to be and enjoy. So much of what we do serving on staff (whether in a full-time paid position or as a volunteer) is creating the space for the seasons to be meaningful for others. But we must also work to create margin and space for ourselves and our families to enjoy the Advent season. Planning ahead for church, as well as for family time will hopefully create space to avoid resentment and dread about or toward the Church for you, and those you love.

Take off the pressure. Christmas is important. Advent is important. It can be easy to feel like we only have one shot to ‘convince’ people who only darken the doors of a Church during specific seasons, but discipleship is the long game. We can put prideful pressure on ourselves to believe that people’s ability to connect with God and His Church is determined by our ability to execute a flawless gathering - but we are not the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is not helped in His work by our excellence any more than He is hindered by our underwhelming ‘performance.’ So take the pressure off - this does not all hinge on you. None of us are that important, praise God!

Focus your team. Pace yourself with new Christmas songs, new versions, arrangements, and melodies. Remember, for your congregation as well as the team, these are songs we sing for four-six weeks out of the year, so for more than forty weeks, these songs are not in regular rotation. Rather than introducing all-new Christmas songs and melodies, introduce a few, and allow your worship team time to be familiar with new material long before it is added to the weekly schedule.

For a deeper look at the rhythms of Advent for your team, read my post Advent, Christmas & Corporate Worship here.

November 2: Tuesday Refocus

“By affliction He teaches us many precious lessons, which without it we should never learn.  By affliction He shows us our emptiness and weakness, draws us to the throne of grace, purifies our affections, weans us from the world, makes us long for heaven.” - J.C. Ryle

Pain can make us retreat.  Or perhaps it can feel as though pain makes God retreat.  And yet, how can that be true when our Savior is a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Is 53:3)?

God has never been absent in our affliction - in fact, He is so near to our affliction that He took it upon Himself - ‘But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed (Is 53:5).’

We may be tempted to believe that doing the right things means we will have an easy life - that things will go well, that God is somehow indebted to provide us with peace for not causing a raucous.  There are many examples throughout Scripture that obedience does not equal ease.  Christ was perfectly obedient to God the Father, and would any confuse His for an easy life?

The world, our flesh, and the devil beckon us toward the wide gate and the easy way.  This is a road easy, well-worn, and leading to destruction (Matt 7:13).  But Christ invites us to walk His road: ‘For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.’ (Matt 7:14)

Lord, may we walk Your road filled with your strength, close to Your heart, undivided in heart, hungry for Your truth, and in eager expectation of Your return.  Amen.

Walking,

AB

October 31: Liturgy + Set List

• ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING

CALL TO WORSHIP: To all who are weary and need rest

To all who mourn and long for comfort

To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares

To all who fail and desire strength

To all who sin and need a Savior

This church opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus Christ, the Ally of

His enemies, the Defender of the guilty, the Justifier of the inexcusable, the

Friend of sinners, welcome.

[10th Presbyterian Call to Worship]

• DOXOLOGY

Scripture tells us that we are to confess our sins to God and to one another. Confession is telling the truth about who we are and what we’ve done. We confess our sins to God not because God doesn’t know what we’ve done, He knows all things. We confess our sins to God to receive forgiveness. We confess our sins to one another because we need to be reminded that we are not alone in our sin. The Bible calls us to bear one another’s burdens, that is why we confess one to another. Together we are going to read a prayer of confession - telling the truth, and repentance - turning away from our sin and turning to Christ. Let’s pray together:

Merciful God,

For the wrong things that we have done,

Forgive us,

For the right things that we have failed to do,

Forgive us,

For the times we have acted without love,

Forgive us,

For the times we have reacted without thought,

Forgive us,

For the ways we have not loved You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength,

Forgive us.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON:

Brothers and sisters in Christ, remember today, That you were once dead in your sins, And, carrying out the desires of your flesh, You were by nature a child of wrath. But God, being rich in mercy, Because of the great love He has for you, Made you alive together with Christ, And raised you up and seated you with Jesus! We are His people; saved for good works, Which God has prepared for us to walk in! 

• GREAT ARE YOU LORD

Sermon: 1 Peter 5:1-4

• I STAND AMAZED (HOW MARVELOUS)

COMMUNION

• RAISE A HALLELUJAH

BENEDICTION: Ephesians 3:20-21

Responding To Current Events

We know that part of living in a fallen world is experiencing pain and suffering. We feel the weight, and taste the bitterness of sin every day. But what about the days when we are deeply aware of the brokenness of the world, and we are more conscious of our own fragility? Natural disasters, national tragedies, global crises, and local upheaval - every one of those are the results of the fall. Even in the past several years, we have seen outcries against police brutality, racism, sexism, sexual abuse, political unrest, and COVID-19. What role does the corporate worship gathering play in speaking to, and addressing current events in the world?

If we acknowledge that the corporate worship gathering is formative, we must see the chance to engage with current events as an opportunity to form, and counter-form our people to look at the world biblically. The rate at which we consume information about current events from social media, the news, our relationships, and are filtered through our own experience can feel dizzying. And if sin has distorted, warped and broken everyone and everything - that would also include our minds - which may lead us to feel anxiety and fear, anger and rage, apathy and indifference, or chaos and disconnection. Like a loving parent, like a Good Shepherd with a non-anxious presence, I believe that the corporate gathering should be a place where we acknowledge the reality of the world, while inviting people to lift their eyes to the Maker of heaven and earth who does not slumber or sleep. And in this way, point to the peace that passes all understanding, the Prince of Peace - Jesus Christ.

When it comes to responding to current events in the corporate gathering, the first step is to respond. Because when we do not respond to the obvious pain, brokenness, and suffering in our world, our nation, our states, our cities, or in our congregation we are subtly communicating that the corporate worship gathering is disconnected from the rest of life. We are saying that what we do in this room, has no bearing on who we are meant to be when we are sent out.

Give people language. When I think about having ‘the talk’ with my children, I do not want them to learn about sex from the internet, their friends, or their school. I want my wife and me to give them language, shape their framework, and form their understanding. I believe the same is true with current events in the gathering: we want to shape our people more than they are being shaped by the world. By giving them an understanding which helps them make sense of a senseless world, through the Gospel, and through Scripture.

Prepare in advance. This could mean conversations ahead of time about how you will respond in the service - what are the tipping points for you body? At what point do you acknowledge, at what point do you change songs, at what point does the entire service look different than you had planned? But being prepared also means forming people before tragedy. It means connecting the corporate gathering to everyday life, so that when it is time to engage a specific tragedy in the gathering, there is a language for pain, familiarity with lament, prayer, trusting in the sovereignty of God, and seeing the world biblically.

Give space. Maybe there needs to be a time of quiet personal prayer, or guided reflection in the service. Perhaps you should make volunteers available to pray and process with people after the gathering. What kind of communication, training, and equipping do you need to provide for community group leaders to lovingly shepherd and care for those they serve? There can be many questions that accompany grief and loss, and processing those realities does not have a neat timeline, or endpoint. We have a responsibility to loving lead, not hurry people through pain, and tragedy.

Ultimately, we cannot prepare for everything. We are as sinful and broken as the world, and we will pass over opportunities to speak to current events that may hurt and wound some of our people. And we may choose to engage some current events that anger and frustrate others. But in all things, let us be aware of the formative power of the corporate gathering, and the formative power of engaging with - or not - current events of the world.

October 26: Tuesday Refocus

‘Every time circumstances press in on you, say, ‘Speak, Lord,’ and make time to listen.  As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus, we will hear God all the time.’ - Oswald Chambers

The world is noisy and our hearts and minds are overwhelmed with the volume both externally and internally.  So many of us are desperate for God to speak to us without studying the tones, cadence, and language He speaks.  Our Good Shepherd said, ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (Jn 10:27).’

His voice declares the identity of His beloved Son (Matt 3:17, Mark 1:11, Lk 3:22).

His voice thunders with glory, His voice is over the waters (Ps 29:3).

His voice is powerful, full of majesty, He breaks strong cedars (Ps 29:5).

His voice flashes forth flames of fire, shaking the wilderness (Ps 29:7-8).

He sends out His voice, His mighty voice (Ps 68:33).

His voice is like the sound of many waters (Rev 1:15).

His voice has glorified and will glorify His name (John 12:28).

His voice shakes heaven and earth (Heb 12:26).

His voice is not always in an earthquake and fire but in the sound of a low whisper (1 Kings 19:12).

His voice declares the dwelling place of God is with man (Rev 21:3).

His voice invites us to return to Himself - the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls (1 Peter 2:25).

Lord, may we become familiar with Your voice, Your tone, Your cadence, and Your quiet.  May we know Your voice, love Your voice, and obey Your voice.  Speak Lord, Amen.

Listening,

AB

October 24: Liturgy + Set List

• HOLY HOLY HOLY

CALL TO WORSHIP: To all who are weary and need rest

To all who mourn and long for comfort

To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares

To all who fail and desire strength

To all who sin and need a Savior

This church opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus Christ, the Ally of

His enemies, the Defender of the guilty, the Justifier of the inexcusable, the

Friend of sinners, welcome.

[10th Presbyterian Call to Worship]

• KING OF KINGS

• IS HE WORTHY

SERMON: John 13:31-35

Scripture tells us, ‘greater love has no one than this than they lay down their life for their friends.’ But when Christ died, we were not God’s friends - in fact, Scripture says that we were enemies of God, hostile toward Him. The love that we have received from Christ is a sacrificial, self-giving love. This is not a ‘I’m southern, we’re nice to everyone, bless your heart’ kind of nicety. No, this is a love that dies to self for the good of another, and this is the love Christ models for us, and the love that we are commanded to give to one another. In response to the love that is ours, would you stand and sing.

• RAISE UP THE CROWN (ALL HAIL THE POWER)

• REVIVE US AGAIN

Form The Gathering, Form The People

The past few weeks I have written about the corporate gathering as being primarily about the spiritual formation of God’s people. The corporate gathering is counter-formational for the individual, but we are also being formed as a people. But how does spiritual formation (discipleship) actually occur in our corporate gatherings?

Ultimately, the true formation of God’s people cannot happen apart from the empowering and illuminating work of the Holy Spirit. We may be able to inspire, uplift, encourage, and exhort people - but we possess no power to change people. This is why before we seek to lead, we must be led. Any attempt at trying to form people in our own strength will inevitably lead to malformation at least, and manipulating of people into our own image at worst. The goal of spiritual formation is to see people become more and more like Jesus.

Formation happens when Christ is glorious. We become what we behold, so again and again, over and over we must look to Christ, treasure Christ, celebrate, worship, and behold Christ. We lift up His heart, His completed work, His character in our songs, in our transitions, in our sermons, and in the movement of our gatherings.

Formation happens with a long view. Cultivating any new habit or disciple happens over time, never in an instant. This is how we have to view our gatherings they are habit-forming over the long haul.

Formation happens in community. We have not been saved to be an individual, we have been saved into a family, into a body, saved to be a part of the community of God, His Church local and global. Iron sharpens iron. We are being formed as we die to ourselves (our preferences and our comforts) and count others as more significant than ourselves.

Formation happens with intention. We are being formed passively by our culture, as followers of Jesus we must be counter-formed as we gather as the people of God. As leaders, we must be intentional in our approach to the corporate gathering. To do this we must acknowledge the cultural currents that are shaping our people, and continually call them back to the beauty of the Gospel.

Our people are being formed, and we are forming our people. Do not resign the responsibility of formation to the culture, or abdicate your role by being unwilling to put in the hard, deep, slow, often unseen work of spiritually forming the people of God in the corporate gathering.

October 19: Tuesday Refocus

‘Our minds cannot find calm repose until we arrive at the unmerited love of God.’ - John Calvin

“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mk 10:17).

Isn’t this the question we all ask?  What must I do?

It almost drips with desperation.  I have kept all of the commandments from my youth (Mark 10:20).  What else is there to do for salvation for the one who possesses the commandments, and great possessions (Mark 10:22)?

What must I do for peace of mind and peace with God?

What must I do?

If I do all of the right things maybe then I can inherit, possess, own eternal life.  But deep down, we all know that we are enemies of God, it is our own doing that put us here, and therefore no amount of our own doing can change our eternal reality.  Rather we are invited, by faith, to rest in the gift of grace (Rom 3:24-26).  We don’t do our way to salvation, we rest in the unmerited love of God:

‘…that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.’ Ephesians 3:17-19

Lord, may we cease our striving, cease our doing, and rest in the work You have done on our behalf.  It is full, finished, and complete.  Forgive my heart which would like to add to that work, to take hold and possess that work as if I have done anything to merit it.  Allow me to arrive at your unmerited love, oh God.  Amen.

Resting,

AB

October 17: Liturgy + Set List

• ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK

Call to Worship: To all who are weary and need rest

To all who mourn and long for comfort

To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares

To all who fail and desire strength

To all who sin and need a Savior

This church opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus Christ, the Ally of

His enemies, the Defender of the guilty, the Justifier of the inexcusable, the

Friend of sinners, welcome.

[10th Presbyterian Call to Worship]

When the Church gathers, we do so not as a collection of perfect people. No, when Jesus followers gather, we do so recognizing that our only hope in life and death is Jesus. We gather to remind ourselves of who Jesus is, what He has done, and who we are. That is the Gospel, and it is good news for me, and you this morning. Let’s sing.

• GLORIOUS DAY

• GOODNESS OF GOD

SERMON: Hebrews 13:17

Following Jesus is not a solo sport. If you’re here this morning as a follower of Jesus, you have not been saved to be an individual, you have been saved to be a part of the body, a part of the family, a part of Christ’s Church. We need one another. Throughout the New Testament we see calls to ‘one another,’ to love one another, to pray for one another, to serve one another to encourage one another. And in Colossians we are called to sing to one another. Yes, we sing to God, but we also sing to one another, we sing over one another. We build up our brothers and sisters through our singing. Whether these songs are familiar to you or not, at the very least would you speak aloud these words - let your brothers and sisters hear these truths proclaimed. Do not withhold your voice from sharing these truths - because I need to be reminded of what is true, you need to be reminded of what is true, we need to be reminded of what is true. Would you stand and let’s sing to God and sing to one another in response to what we have heard.

• COME THOU FOUNT

• STAND IN YOUR LOVE

BENEDICTION: Ephesians 3:20-21