4 June: Liturgy + Set List

• GRACE ALONE

  Call to Worship: Psalm 24

  There is only one who has clean hands and a pure heart. There is only one who has never lifted up his soul to what is false and has not sworn deceitfully. There is only one who has continually constantly sought the face of God - and that is the God man, Jesus Christ. And if you’re here this morning as a follower of Christ, you are covered in the perfect and complete righteousness of Christ. And because of Christ we can respond lifting up clean hands, pure hearts, lifting up our souls, and seeking God because of Christ. Let’s look to Him together. Let’s sing together…

• GOD YOU’RE SO GOOD

• DOXOLOGY|AMEN

  Sermon: Exodus 20:4-6

  Repentance, turning away from our sin and turning toward Christ is not a one time act when you first become a follower of Christ. Repentance is the continually posture of heart as every follower of Jesus. And my hope and prayer for you and for me this morning is that God, through His Spirit has revealed to you the subtle and significant idols of our hearts. The places where you have exchanged the glory of the Creator, for created things. And if the Spirit is speaking to you, and revealing those things to you, that is God’s kindness toward you because it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. I am going to pray, and then we will pause for a few moments to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you, to reveal to you, and then together we will confess our sin to God and to one another. Let’s confess our sins to God and one another:

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]

• O PRAISE THE NAME (ANASTASIS)

• HOW GREAT THOU ART

  Benediction

Quotes [Part 3]

More than bite-size inspiration, I hope these quotes will be words that you can turn over, and over in your heart and mind as you move into this weekend:

KOSUKE KOYAMA

God carries us. Appreciation for this is the secret of our priestly energy and active life.

MICHAEL REEVES

The more gifted you are, the more power and talent you have, the more good you may find you can do in the world - but also, the more harm you can do. And the path that you will follow depends upon whose mind you have. Will you follow your own mind? Or do you have the mind of Christ Jesus, who did not grasp his rightful equality with God, but emptied himself? Great good or great harm depends on this. Especially if you recognize yourself as naturally ambitious, put pride to death before disaster happens, whether that be slow or subtle or swift and catastrophic.

HENRI NOUWEN

And ministers frequently find themselves in fierce competition with people and institutions who offer something more exciting to do that they do. But our task is the opposite of distraction. Our task is to help people concentrate on the real but often hidden event of God’s active presence in their lives. Hence, the question that must guide all organizing activist in a parish is not how to keep people busy, but how to keep them from being so busy that they can no longer hear the voice of God who speaks in silence.

ANN VOSKAMP

Our rhythms become our everyday liturgy, the sacred cadence of the hours that reorient our tired souls.

Quotes [Part 1] | Quotes [Part 2]

Tuesday Refocus: May 30

“You will never have time for prayer; you must make time.” - Richard Foster

How easily our prayers become repeated phrased before a meal. Things we say under our breath as we feel anxiety rise up within us. But what is prayer is more than words we mindlessly utter, and more about presence with and to the One who is present everywhere, all the time?

Can we still and quiet our mind, so that like Jacob we may say, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it (Gen 28:16).’ Or what if like Samuel, our prayers were less about speaking and more about listening to the One who speaks - ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears (1 Sam 3:9).’

In speaking, silence, and presence - our prayers are to be unceasing (1 These 5:17). May we make time for speaking, make space for silence, and become aware of the presence of the Lord in this day.

Lord, draw near and speak, for we desire to listen. Lord, incline your ear, for we desire to confess. Lord, let the morning bring us word of your unfailing love. In Christ’s name, amen.

Amen,

AB

28 May: Liturgy + Set List

• HOUSE OF THE LORD

  Good morning Life Church, and welcome to worship with us on this Memorial Day Weekend, and this Family Worship Weekend. One of the reasons that we can gather in freedom to worship in this country is that for generations men and women have laid down their lives to secure and sustain the freedoms we enjoy. That is what our culture is celebrating this weekend, and that is right and good. But what we know as followers of Christ is that the freedoms we enjoy in this country are only a shadow of the freedom that ours in and through Christ. Because He has set us free from the law of sin and death. Let’s celebrate the freedom that we have in this country, but if you are here this morning as a follower of Christ, let’s celebrate the freedom that is ours through Christ. Let’s hear God call us to worship from His word:

  Call to Worship: Psalm 1:1-2

  Let’s look to Christ, the One who fulfills the law.

• ALL I HAVE IS CHRIST

• BE THOU MY VISION

  Sermon: Exodus 20:1-3

  Everyone, everywhere, always, is a worshiper. But right worship begins not with us, but when God reveals Himself as the only one worthy of our worship - ‘I AM the Lord your God, worship me alone.’ Right worship is a result of the Holy Spirit leading you in all truth to behold the person and work of Christ. And this morning is Pentecost Sunday, the day when the global church remembers and celebrates the sending of the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower the life of every believer. To empower right worship. And so as we remember this day and the sending of the spirit we are going to pray these words together. I will read this through one time so you can hear these words, and then together we will pray these words.

Almighty God, on this day, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you revealed the way of eternal life to every race and nation: Pour out this gift anew, that by the preaching of the Gospel your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. 

Book of Common Prayer

• THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD

• ONLY A HOLY GOD

  Benediction

Lead Like Yourself

We all learn by imitation. And as we become comfortable and familiar with whatever we are doing, we slowly settle into our own rhythms. I think the same is true when it comes to leading worship.

There are some aspects of how I lead worship that I do from conviction - like saying ‘Let’s hear God call us to worship from His Word…’ rather than ‘Let me call us to worship…’ There are some things that I do when I lead worship that are about my personal preference - like changing the keys to easily flow from one song to the next without stopping. And as we train worship leaders, I think it is important to help them see the distinction - what is conviction (the how and why of what we do here), and what is personal preference (will look different depending on the leader and the team).

After helping to lay out the difference between conviction and personal preference, I often say to worship leaders - I want you to lead like yourself, not like me. I lead the way I do after many, many years of leading in various environments. I am not interested in making little versions of Aaron, but in helping develop worship leaders who can lead like themselves with clarity, and conviction - even if what they say, and how they lead looks different than the way I would lead.

Every one of us is seeking to imitate Christ. So the question shouldn’t be - how would Aaron lead in this environment - but how would Jesus lead in this environment. Lead like the Spirit of God inhabits you as a follower of Christ - because He does.

Tuesday Refocus: May 23

“Spiritual disciples nurture steadfastness. What we repeat in times of ease we will recall in times of hardship.” - Jen Wilkin

What is being repeated in my life right now?

Am I meditating day and night, and delighting in the law of the Lord (Ps 1:2)? 

Am I rehearsing His truths when I sit, and walk, and lie down, when I rise, binding them on my hand, putting them before my eyes, writing them upon the foundation of my life and home (Deut 6:7-9)?

May my life and yours resemble the house built on a rock (Matt 7:24-27).

Spirit, lead us to the rock that is higher - the Rock of Christ. In His name, amen.

Repeating,

AB

21 May: Liturgy + Set List [Mill River]

Call to Worship: Psalm 40:5, 16-17

One of the things we do when we gather is recount the wondrous deeds of the Lord, not just sing those truths to God, but to one another. So I want to encourage you as we sing to hold in your heart and in your mind a specific example from this past week or month of the wondrous deeds of the Lord, and sing from that place. Sing in response to that truth to your brothers and sisters.

• KING OF KINGS

• JESUS PAID IT ALL

• WHO YOU SAY I AM

  Sermon: Galatians 1:13-24

  Benediction

21 May: Liturgy + Set List

• GOD SO LOVED

  Call to Worship: Psalm 17:15

  This verse follows a chapter where the Psalmist is crying out to God. Crying out to God for rescue from his pursuing enemies. Often we can think when we follow Jesus that our lives should be comfortable and easy, and what we see in this passage and throughout the Psalms, and throughout Scripture, and in the life of Jesus, obedience to God does not always mean my life will be easy or comfortable. What we really need is not different circumstances, what we really need is to behold the face of God, and live. To be satisfied with God and God alone. That is my hope and prayer for you and me this morning, that we would behold the Lord and live.

• CHRIST BE MAGNIFIED

• I STAND AMAZED (HOW MARVELOUS)

  Sermon: Mark 8:1-21

  The Apostles’ Creed

• The Lord’s Supper

• BEFORE THE THRONE

  Benediction

Making Space for New Leaders [Part 2]

My hope last week was to give a vision for why we should make space for new leaders. This week I hope to give a few practical steps about how we might make space for new leaders.

There is a training rhythm that I have seen repeated often across social media, it goes something like this:

1. I do, you watch, we talk

2. I do, you join, we talk

3. We do, we talk

4. You do, I join, we talk

5. You do, I watch, we talk

I think this is a healthy rhythm for developing worship leaders as well. Because leading worship can be complex - in its preparation as well as its execution - you want to make sure that these categories are true in your preparation and planning, in your leading from the platform, and in the normal rhythms of serving.

Preparation and Planning.

How do you build a set list? How do you schedule a team? What is the philosophy of worship? The smallest amount of my job is the most visible portion of my job. When you're training and developing new worship leaders, they need to know the thought process behind your song choice, the conversations you’re having with the pastor, and the way you prepare personally, spiritually, and practically for a rehearsal and for the weekend. Sound doesn’t just get set up, lyrics don’t automatically appear on the screens, and the team leading can’t just show up without knowing what music is on for the service. Do not just show the what, but the how and why behind what leads you into the weekend. For many of us, this will likely mean we need to do some work to articulate our auto-pilot decisions.

On the platform.

Leading worship requires trust. Trust is only developed over time. I find it helpful to have new leaders face be familiar with the congregation from the platform before they are responsible for leading a song or a service. Have the new leader accompany you over a few weeks playing and singing. Then after several weeks of leading in that way, ask them to lead a song - or a Scripture reading, prayer, or verbal transition. As they settle into that new rhythm, and the congregation becomes familiar with their leadership, have them lead everything with you accompanying their leadership. And finally, allow them to lead on their own with you leading from the congregation.

Leadership happens on and off the platform. If we truly desire to disciple, equip, and train others to lead, we must give them access to our lives, and every aspect of our leadership - not just the obvious places. Invite questions, ask questions. Listen, be interested. Create a safe place for mistakes. Be gracious. Give away authority. Invite collaboration. Die to yourself.

Tuesday Refocus: May 16

“Thankfulness is the fuel for living worship.” - Matt Boswell

Whether attending a corporate worship gathering or living a life of worship - right worship is always a response to God’s revelation of Himself.

I am made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27)

I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)

I am a child of God (1 John 3:1)

I have Christ as my brother (Hebrews 2:12)

I am adopted by God (Ephesians 1:5)

I am coheir’s with Christ (Romans 8:17)

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me in (Psalm 27:10)

I belong to Christ (1 Corinthians 3:23)

I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20)

The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20)

I am given eternal life in the Son (Romans 6:23)

I am able to share in the inheritance of the saints (Colossians 1:12)

I am given all things in Christ (Romans 8:32)

I am the workmanship of God (Ephesians 2:10)

I have been created in Christ for good works, which God has prepared beforehand that I should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10)

I am a son of God through faith in Christ (Galatians 3:26)

I am buried with Christ in baptism into death, and raised to newness of life (Romans 6:4)

I am a partaker in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4)

I am being conformed to the image of the Son (Romans 8:29)

Nothing can snatch me out of the hand of Christ (John 10:28)

Lord, may the reality of your heart, and unchanging character be fuel for me to live in worshipful response in song and in the most mundane moments of my life. In Your name, amen.

In response,

AB

14 May: Liturgy + Set List

• GLORIOUS DAY

  Good morning and welcome to worship with us this morning. And Happy Mother’s Day. We know that these holidays can bring up complicated feelings and experiences for each of us. I’m going to pray a prayer in light of this day as we set our hearts on Christ together:

To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you.

To those who lost a child this year—we mourn with you.

To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains—we appreciate you.

To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you.

To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment—we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make things harder.

To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms—we need you.

To those who have warm and close relationships with your children—we celebrate with you.

To those who have disappointment, heartache, and distance with your children—we sit with you.

To those who lost their mothers this year—we grieve with you.

To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother—we acknowledge your experience.

To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood—we are better for having you in our midst.

To those who have aborted children—we remember them and you on this day.

To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children—we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be.

To those who stepparent—we walk with you on these complex paths.

To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren, yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you.

To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year—we grieve and rejoice with you.

To those who placed children for adoption—we commend you for your selflessness and remember how you hold that child in your heart.

And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising—we anticipate with you.

Amy Young, A Tribute Prayer for Mother’s Day

Over the chaos of the world, over the chaos of our lives, the Lord reigns. Let’s hear Him call us to worship from His word:

Call to Worship: Psalm 146

• KING OF KINGS

• HYMN OF HEAVEN

  Sermon: Mark 7:31-37

  If you are here this morning as a follower of Christ, you can say on this day, as you will say on that day, ‘He does all things well.’ Not because your life has or will turn out the way you hope or plan, but because the God who did not spare His own Son, has given you every good and perfect gift and withholds no good thing, because He has given you His Son. That is the hope on which we set our hearts, would you stand if you’re able, we’ll sing together…

• JESUS PAID IT ALL

• ALL HAIL KING JESUS

  Benediction

Making Space for New Leaders [Part 1]

The job of every leader is not to produce more followers, but more leaders.

I have written before about my youth pastor telling how I should always be looking to work myself out of a job. And truthfully within the Church, there would probably not be many leaders who disagree with that statement - Jesus did call us to make disciples after all! But how do we move this from good intention to action?

Within the church that I serve, we have a leadership development framework - a process by which we identify, develop, and train those who we believe could one day help to work us out of a job. Maybe your context does not need to require something that formal. Here are some questions to consider in raising up other leaders:

• Who is servant-hearted?

• Who is teachable?

• Who is already carrying the culture we are trying to build?

• Who is already leading without a title?

• Who can I encourage to do intentionally what they are already doing naturally?

• Who does the team trust and respect?

• Who does the team listen to?

• Who do our people trust?

I often think of leadership the same way I think of parenting - part of my job is calling forth the gifts and talents of the person under my care, even though they may not be aware those things exist within them. As leaders (and parents), this requires prayer, time, intentionality, and relationship. It also requires a fair amount of humility - being willing to die to myself, my own sense of self-importance, considering others more highly than myself, and giving away authority. And this is what it is to make disciples - what a beautiful gift that Christ calls us to give and receive.

Next week we will look at practically how that might look as you invite others to lead and serve alongside you on and off the platform.

If you desire to make space for new leaders, here are a few other posts you may find helpful:

Identifying and developing new leaders.

A team of worship leaders.

The benefits of co-leading.

Making Space for new leaders Part 2 (Coming Next Week).