GOOD GOD
Call to Worship: Psalm 68:4-6, 19-20
Good morning and welcome to worship on this Lord’s Day, and this fifth Sunday in the season of Lent. During Lent, we remember our death and the sin that has won for us death. But more than that, we remember the life of Christ - the life that is ours through Christ - because God is a God of salvation.
GRACE ALONE
TRISAGION
BCP Corporate Confession
Sermon: Galatians 4:4-7
If you want to know what God the Father is like - look to the Son. Scripture says we see the glory of God in the face of the Son, and Jesus says in the gospels: if you know me you know the Father, because I have done nothing that I have not first heard and seen from the Father. And if you want to know the Son, look to the Spirit - who leads us into all truth, which is Jesus, who seals and guarantees our salvation, and who reminds us of who we are. Let’s use these next few songs as prayers of invitation, inviting the Spirit to move the truth we may know in our heads, down into our hearts, and to be embodied in our lives.
HOLY (JESUS YOU ARE)
HOW DEEP THE FATHER’S LOVE FOR US
Benediction
Band
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:
I do, you watch, we talk
I do, you join, we talk
We do, we talk
You do, I join, we talk
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.
28 August: Liturgy + Set List
BEFORE THE THRONE
Call to Worship: Psalm 24:1-6
When we praise and worship God,we don’t tell God something about himself that he does not already know. We don’t add to his worth or value, he is eternally unchanging.
We don’t praise Him to fill up some empty space in God - he has no need.
We don’t praise God to get something from God. No, We praise and worship God because he is the only one worthy of our worship. He commands our worship. He delights in our worship.
So we join in the ancient praise of all God’s people this morning in giving back to God what belongs to God alone.
ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING
HYMN OF HEAVEN
Sermon: Genesis 1:1. Acts 17:24-25
Worship is the right response of our whole lives to God’s revelation of Himself. Worship begins with God. And God created us not just to worship but created us worshiping - when we are not worshiping God it is not that our worship ends, but that we worship anything and everything other than God. Right worship is only possible as the Spirit of God opens our eyes to behold the beauty of our Creator and Savior. So as we continue in sung worship, would you pray that God would give you eyes to see Him as the only One worthy of your worship? Let’s stand and sing…
YET NOT I BUT THROUGH CHRIST IN ME
PROMISES
Benediction: Romans 11:33-36
June 19: Liturgy + Set List
CHRIST BE MAGNIFIED
Call To Worship: Psalm 8:1,3-4,9
We are here this morning to remember and acknowledge that God is God, and we are not. That He is faithful even when we are faithless - let’s sing together:
PROMISES
JESUS PAID IT ALL
Sermon: James 3:13-18
Wisdom must move from our heads to our hearts, and transform our lives. Wisdom that lives in our heads is merely knowledge. But in our own strength, you and I only produce worldly wisdom, we need the Holy Spirit to do the hard work of breaking up our hard hearts, sanding off the rough edges, and giving us Godly wisdom. Let’s pray as we sing that the Holy Spirit would transform our knowledge into Godly wisdom, let’s stand and sing:
BE THOU MY VISION
GOODNESS OF GOD
Benediction: Colossians 3:12,15
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