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)
Second Sunday of Advent
The advent of our King
our prayers must now employ,
and we must hymns of welcome sing
in strains of holy joy.
The everlasting Son,
in flesh content to be,
himself a servant's form puts on
to set his servants free.
O Zion's daughter, rise
to meet your lowly King,
nor let a faithless heart despise
the peace he comes to bring.
As judge, on clouds of light,
he soon will come again
and his true members all unite
with him in heav'n to reign.
Before the dawning day
let sin's dark deeds be gone,
the old self all be put away,
the new self now put on.
All glory to the Son,
who comes to set us free,
with Father, Spirit, ever one,
through all eternity.
Charles Coffin (1676-1749), Tr: John Chandler (1806-1876)
Participation Vs Observation
“The church must worship, and worship and entertainment are at opposite ends of the table.” - A.W. Tozer
I have been thinking quite a bit about the line between worship and entertainment these days. In part because over the past 18 months, our church has been in the process of finding quotes, establishing a budget, raising money, and seeking grant monies for a major audio-visual update of our space. More than just the physical reality of new equipment, we have had to determine how our convictions shape not only the kind of equipment we purchase but how it is used during the weekly gathering.
Like many things in our world, there is an opportunity for polarization when it comes to style, equipment, and the implementation of technology in the corporate gathering. There are churches by conviction or default have a simple setup. Sometimes these churches will accuse the high production value of another church of being distracting, performative, and putting on a concert rather than leading people in worship. And there are churches that are early adopters of new technology, always at the cutting edge of the latest and greatest technology, style, or song. These churches can often accuse simpler churches of being distracting, unwilling to use technology to engage the world, and behind the times.
Everyone has personal preferences tied up in music, volume, aesthetics, and style that are important to acknowledge. I think it’s also important to acknowledge that in many cases the convictions we carry about the implementation of technology and how we chase the latest and greatest or cling to simplicity is a second and third-tier issue. Jesus-loving, Bible-believing Christians can hold different convictions around these ideas and still be in fellowship with one another.
This is an area that can be gray. But I have started wondering if we are asking the wrong questions. Perhaps the better questions here would be: Are the decisions we make encouraging participation or observation?
Participation is worship - it is liturgy - the work of the people. Observation is entrainment - it is passive and encourages consumerism.
I believe in some ways this question frees us to make decisions with our unique congregation in mind. It does however require an awareness of the culture, the people we serve, and a clear philosophy of worship that is rooted in something longer-lasting than style and technology.
Are the decisions we make encouraging participation or observation? In some ways, this question seems almost pre-Reformation. One of the things we see during the Reformation is the tendency all Christians have to outsource their faith to “the professionals.” The Mass was observed in a language many did not speak or understand - they became passive observers, rather than active participants. What was true 500 years ago is true today - participation is an essential part of the corporate gathering.
Adoration Chapel Week One
Take a few moments to reflect and praise the God who brings down the mighty, and exalts the humble who was himself brought low and exalted.
Jesus, while you were brought down in humility, you were at the same time humiliating the enemies of God. Praise God!
“He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” Luke 1:52
God, how might my life need to be brought low to see You, myself, and others more clearly?
Father, would you help me hold the seeming tension of the humility and glory of Jesus this Advent season?
Mary
“He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” Luke 1:52
What must have gone through the heart and mind of Mary as she heard the news from the angel, Gabriel? This one who stood in the presence of God tells her that the presence of God will inhabit her womb. God had taken up residence among His people, and would take up residence in a human body, putting on flesh and bone, and be birthed into the world he spoke into existence and sustains by the word of His power.
The One who brings down the mighty from their thrones is the same One who steps down from a throne and is brought down into the straw and swaddling of an animal trough. The One who is mighty and enthroned will be lifted up upon a cross and taken down in death. The One who exalted the humble is himself the humble servant king who will be exalted and given the name above every name.
If out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks - Mary’s words communicate so much about the heart of this girl. She receives the word of the Lord with the posture of a servant, and she praises God.
3 December: Liturgy + Set List
Good morning, we’re glad you are here worshiping with us on this first Sunday of Advent. The Advent season is when we look back and remember the first coming of Christ, and look ahead to his return. Each week, we’ll begin our services with this next song that was taken from the words of a Puritan prayer as we remember who Jesus is, and what He has done…
JOY TO THE WORLD (UNSPEAKABLE JOY)
LAMB OF GOD
Readings: Genesis 38:24-30, Matthew 1:1-6a
Sermon: Genesis 38:1-30
The good news of the gospel is not that Jesus came to take good people and make them better, it is that Jesus came to take dead people and make them alive. Some of us wear our sin and brokenness on the outside, all of us have sin and brokenness on the inside - and every one of us is equally as in need of a Savior. Your brokenness and sin do not repel God, it invites His grace. So would you stand if you’re able and we’ll draw near to the one who has first drawn near to us in Christ.
O HOLY NIGHT (HEAR THE GOSPEL STORY)
HOLY FOREVER
Benediction
First Sunday of Advent
Father, forgive us when our impatience is more passionate than our worship, and we act more childish than childlike. Keep rescuing us from our nagging unbelief, little-trust, and gospel amnesia. For the rest of Advent, may we wait in love and love with hope. - Scotty Smith
Advent Devotional
The Advent and Christmas season can accelerate an already full, and busy life. Our attention can be scattered, our hearts divided, and our prayers infrequent and indifferent. Is this just the reality of life? As followers of Jesus, how do we recenter our hearts, minds, attention, and affection on the person of Jesus - particularly at this time of year?
Prayer and praise anchor the people of God. And the invitation of prayer and praise during the season of Advent is to be present with and to the God who is with us.
Worship and prayer do not flow exclusively from the heart and life of believers.
Everyone prays. Everyone worships. Christian and non-Christian alike. But because of sin, it is not that we cease to worship and pray, but that we aim our worship and words in all the wrong directions. If right worship is to occur, it is first a work of the Holy Spirit - lifting our eyes to behold the beauty, wonder, and work of Jesus. If we are to rightly receive the gift of prayer and praise in the season of Advent those realities must move intentionally from the outskirts and margin of our lives to the deep down center.
This devotional contains the prayers of the saints - those in the story of Scripture, as well as those through the generations. My hope and prayer is that their words become our own as we seek to recenter our prayers and praise this Advent season.
Tuesday Refocus: November 28
“There is nothing I dread more than having my heart drawn away by earthly objects.” - George Whitefield
Our hearts are more easily tempted than we would like to admit.
Our desires are warped and shaped by sin more than we are aware.
Our feet run after other gods more than they keep to the narrow road.
“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” - James 1:14
“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” - 1 John 2:16
How do we combat this reality? With a new heart, a transformed mind, and renewed affections. But no amount of striving or effort is sufficient to accomplish and sustain this kind of change. No, these realities are a gift of God.
”Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” - James 1:17
Father, may you accomplish what only You can accomplish in us and through us. By the power of the Spirit, for the glory of the Son, in Christ’s name, amen.
Amen,
AB
26 November: Liturgy + Set List
HOW GREAT THOU ART
Welcome to worship with us on this Thanksgiving weekend, and this Family Worship Weekend. To all of the boys and girls joining us from the Clubhouse, we are so glad you’re here! This part of our time is called the ‘Call to Worship.’ It’s not called the call to worship because worship starts and stops when we sing, because God has made us to worship and made us worshiping. But because of sin, we celebrate, and love and give our attention - we worship - all of the wrong things. And the call to worship reminds us that it is only God who is worthy of all of our celebration, love, and attention. Let’s hear God call us to worship from His Word:
Psalm 145:1-9
If you are an adult in the room, we have a chance to inhabit and model one of our values here are Life Church - ‘We will leave a gospel legacy.’ We can do that by commending the works of the Lord to the next generation - by singing about and from the goodness, grace, mercy, and love you have experienced through Christ. Let’s do that together.
GOD, YOU’RE SO GOOD
NO BODY
Sermon: Mark 12:35-44
The Apostles’ Creed
The Lord’s Supper
O PRAISE THE NAME (ANASTASIS)
Benediction
Hidden Visibility
In one of the churches of my youth, our Worship Pastor was classically trained. He could lead a band, conduct an orchestra, and direct a choir. He did not lead from an instrument, and truthfully, very rarely did he lead vocally. If you asked him, he likely would not have thought he was a brilliant vocalist. Most Sundays there was a small choir, a piano-driven band, and a handful of vocalists leading at the edge of the platform - and Steve off to the side, with a largely unoccupied microphone on a stand.
One of the things I have come to appreciate about Steve’s leadership as I have grown older is that when he led, he carried enough presence for the congregation to follow, without dominating the songs and setlist. He would give visual cues with his hands, raise his eyes, and turn toward the congregation when it was time to sing. But much of his leadership enabled the people of God to address ‘…one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord…’ (Ephesians 5:19).
When I began leading worship at our church in the United Kingdom, it took me - and them - months to learn the ebb and flow following one another. They would sing with such volume and confidence, and many times I would start to lead a song, but by the end of the song, they were leading me.
As production quality continues to increase across churches, as churches across denominational and cultural borders begin to look more alike, as backing tracks and strict time limits become more common, as congregations anticipate (or expect) their church worship teams and worship leaders look, sound, and lead like what they see online - some of the questions I am asking myself:
How can I lead with hidden visibility? Especially as someone who does lead from an instrument, who does lead vocally. I do not want the people I lead to observe my leadership as spectators but participate as worshipers. I want to lead with enough conviction, competence, and presence that people do not just think I am in my own ‘worship world.’ Nor do I want to lead as a performer or showman.
How am I encouraging increased ‘one-anothering’ in the corporate gathering? I do want to have so little margin, so little capacity for in-the-moment response that our services feel rigid. I do not want to be so visible - or so loud - that our congregation cannot hear the voices of the people of God as we sing to God or to one another.
As I think, pray, and plan for 2024 - Hidden Visibility is one of my goals.
Tuesday Refocus: November 21
“Lord, let not our souls be busy inns that have no room for thee or thine, but quiet homes of prayer and praise, where thou mayest find fit company, Where the needful cares of life are wisely ordered and put away, And wide, sweet spaces kept for thee; where holy thoughts pass up and down and fervent longings watch and wait thy coming.” - Julian of Norwich
On the edge of this advent season, may our hearts be drawn near and plunged deeply into the weight and wonder of the coming of Christ - His first and His second. May this season be an opportunity to be increasingly present to the One who is always present with us - because He is in fact, God with us.
Father, for all the ways our attention and affection could be fractured in this season - would you unite our hearts to fear your name? In Jesus name, amen.
Amen,
AB