Celebrate

19 May: Liturgy + Set List

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  • HOLY HOLY HOLY

    Call to Worship: Psalm 16

    One of the reasons we gather is to set the Lord before our eyes again. To be reminded that for all who are in Christ, our lives are held secure in His perfect life and work. Let’s sing about who he is and what he’s done:

  • THE SOLID ROCK

  • WHAT YOU SAID

    Scripture tells us that the foolishness of God is still wiser than the wisdom of man. God is good, but sometimes it does not feel like He is good. Because He is more than we could understand. I think the disciples felt similarly as they saw the resurrected Jesus - don’t go, stay, we want to hold on to you! And Jesus says, it is better that I go, because when I go I will send to you a Helper - the Holy Spirit who will convict of sin, comfort you in your affliction, remind you what I have said, be the sign, seal, and guarantee of your salvation. This morning is Pentecost Sunday, where we remember and celebrate the sending of the Holy Spirit to indwell the life of every believer. We are going to take a minute now to thank God for His Spirit, I will read these words, and then together we will pray:

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, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Pentecost Prayer, the Book of Common Prayer

Sermon: 1 Timothy 3:1-13

  • ABIDE

  • HOLY IS OUR GOD

Benediction

14 January: Liturgy + Set List

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  • PSALM 134 (BLESS THE LORD

    We have sung the words to this Psalm, now let’s hear God call us to worship through His word in Psalm 134:

    Call to Worship: Psalm 134

    We raise our hands in worship for many reasons - hands raised are a sign of victory - not our, but the victory and triumph of Jesus over satan, sin, and death. But hands raised is also a sign of surrender, a sign of dependence, a posture of receiving. And I wanted to let you know, if you’re here this morning as a born and bred Baptist, you can still raise your hands and STILL be Baptist.

  • BEFORE THE THRONE

  • KING OF KINGS

    You cannot encounter Jesus - the King of kings and remain neutral. Encountering Christ requires a response - even in our passage today we will see three groups of people encounter Christ and respond in very different ways. Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Jr Day - a day our country sets aside to remember the life and work of Dr. King. Like you and me, Dr. King was an imperfect person, putting an imperfect faith into practice in an imperfect world - but I hope what we truly see in the life and work of Dr. King was someone who had encountered Christ and could not remain neutral. Dr. King encountered the God who justified sinners by the blood of Christ, the God who showed mercy to those deserving of wrath, and the God who welcomes enemies as friends. So we are going to spend a few moments praying that we too would encounter Christ, and live on mission. I will read these words and then I will invite you to pray them with me.

Almighty God, you created us in your own image: Grant us grace to contend fearlessly against evil and to make no peace with oppression; help us to use our freedom rightly in the establishment of justice in our communities and among the nations to the glory of your holy name; though Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

A Prayer For Social Justice

The Book of Common Prayer

Sermon: Mark 14:1-11

Worship does not begin and end, your affections do not turn on and off - they are aimed. And part of the reason we gather week after week is because we desperately need to aim our worship and our affection on the only one worthy of our affection and our worship. Let’s treasure Christ together, would you stand if you’re able, we’ll sing…

  • SON OF SUFFERING

  • HOLY IS OUR GOD

Benediction

21 May: Liturgy + Set List

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  • 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

8 January: Liturgy + Set List

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  • ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK

Call to Worship: Psalm 119:17-20

My hope and prayer for this morning and the year ahead is that we will be people who have souls that are consumed with the things of the Lord, not just the things of the world. Let’s sing to that end:

  • CHRIST BE MAGNIFIED

  • THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD

Sermon: Mark 1:1-14

Brothers and sisters, hear the good news - Christ has come and will come again. Let’s join in the ancient praise of all God’s people proclaiming that good news.

  • RAISE UP THE CROWN (ALL HAIL THE POWER)

  • GOD SO LOVED

Benediction: Hebrews 4:14-16

Ten Yearly Questions

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As 2022 comes to a close, it can be helpful to remember, celebrate, and reevaluate. I don’t know about you, but there is something about the end of a year that draws me toward reflection and vision more than any other time of the year. But often I need parameters that help shape the questions I ask, the way I consider the previous year, and the things I hope, pray, and dream for the next. That is one of the reasons I found Mike Cosper’s Ten Yearly Questions he shared on the Doxology and Theology podcast so helpful:

1. Who is here?

2. Who needs to be here?

3. Who has been here before us?

4. Is it comprehensible?

5. Is it with the cost?

6. Is it true?

7. Who is the hero of the service?

8. Is it participatory?

9. Does it speak to rich and poor alike?

10. Does it prepare people for their encounter with death?

What questions are you asking as you remember, celebrate, and reevaluate?

16 October: Liturgy + Set List

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  • DOXOLOGY

    Call to Worship: Philippians 2:5-11

    There is only One who is perfectly humble, and perfectly Holy - the God Man, Christ Jesus. And my hope and prayer for each of us is that we find ourselves face-to-face with the humility and holiness of God. Let’s sing together:

  • JESUS!

  • HOW GREAT THOU ART

  • ABIDE

    Sermon: Acts 1:6-11

    The Apostles’ Creed

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, 

Maker of heaven and earth; 

and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, 

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, 

suffered under Pontius Pilate, 

was crucified, died, and was buried. 

He descended into hell. 

The third day he rose again from the dead. 

He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; 

from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit, 

the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, 

the forgiveness of sins, 

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Communion

  • Living Hope

    Benediction: Colossians 3:1-4

October 11: Tuesday Refocus

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“A gospel of reconciliation can only be communicated by a reconciled community.” - E. Stanley Jones

The chasm between one sinful person and another sinful person will never be as eternal as the chasm between a sinful person and a Holy God. But thanks be to God, because in Christ ‘…all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him…” (Colossians 1:19-22).

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so (Psalm 107:2). We must remind ourselves of our own reconciliation to God. We must remind our brothers and sisters in Christ of the way God has reconciled us to Himself. And this reconciliation should be evidence to the world of the life and peace that is available in Christ.

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20) Amen.

Reconciled,

AB

7 August: Liturgy + Set List

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  • PRAISE TO THE LORD THE ALMIGHTY-GOOD GOOD FATHER

    Call To Worship: Psalm 17:15

    One of the things we confess as we gather is that we are far too easily satisfied. We are satisfied with created things more than our Creator. The truth is we need God’s help to love God. We need God’s help to see God as the source of our life and joy, rather than a means to our life and our joy. So let’s pray that as we gather and sing today that God would help us to see and treasure Him together:

  • GREAT ARE YOU LORD

    God is the giver of life and salvation. One of the things that we can wrongly believe as followers of Jesus is that we only need Jesus for our salvation. But we need Jesus every moment of every day as the One who saves us, keeps us, sustains us, and grows us up into maturity. This morning we’re going to teach you a new song that gives language to the ongoing work of Christ in our lives. Let’s sing together:

  • YET NOT I BUT THROUGH CHRIST IN ME

    Sermon: Colossians 1:24-29

    If you want a deep, rich, mature life, you will not always have an easy and comfortable life. If you want a deep, rich, and mature faith - a deep walk with the Lord - you will not have an easy and comfortable faith. But as followers of Jesus we know that when we lose our lives, we find our lives. When we die to ourselves, we live to Christ. So we can treasure Christ more than ourselves. We can grow together rather than isolate and withdrawal. We can live on God’s mission rather than our own mission because we being made mature and complete in Christ. Let’s stand and celebrate what Christ has done for us as His people…

  • LIVING HOPE

    Benediction

Remembering, Celebrating, Reevaluating

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How much time have you spent remembering as we enter into a new year?

Understandably, the last two years have felt like a blur. And it can be tempting to simply rush past remembrance in hopes of finding something better in 2022 than what we have experienced in 2020 and 2021. But what needs to be remembered? These past two years have been painful but they have not been devoid of God’s grace and kindness. What ebeneezers can you raise in your life and in ministry?

Celebration begins with remembrance. After remembrance, what needs to be celebrated? How can you name the sustaining grace of God in your life and ministry?

Everyone of us has learned first hand, ’The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps (Prov 16:9).’ How can we plan for our area of ministry with open hands? How can we reevaluate how we lead and serve? Perhaps our priorities need to shift from planning further in advance, to being more present with people, more attentive to the voice of the Spirit as we remember, celebrate, and reevaluate.

‘You are good and do good; teach me Your statutes.’ Ps 119:68

Creating a Culture of Feedback

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In any role, feedback is essential for growth.  If we desire for ourselves and our team members to grow, we must create a consistent, and safe space to give and receive feedback.  Here are some things to consider when trying to establish a consistent and safe feedback environment:

Creating new rhythms.  If your team currently has no opportunity or rhythm to give and receive feedback, recognize that you will have to create new rhythms and patterns.  Creating a new culture, setting a new direction usually takes much longer than you would like or expect.  Don’t get discouraged, stay the course, it will pay off in the long run.

Give the why.  One of the best pieces of feedback I was ever given was ‘you have a reason and intention behind all that you’re doing with the team, but they don’t understand those reasons - walk them through the decisions you make and help them see why.’  People are often more willing to support an idea when they understand the larger purpose and intention driving the decisions.

Remove sarcasm.  Sarcasm is a cowardly way, to tell the truth.  It sets up a dynamic where people don’t understand what is honest and what is joking.  Laugh and enjoy one another, but removing sarcasm from the way you relate and interact will allow times of feedback to not be clouded by misunderstanding.

Set the time and space.  Whether it is immediately following a service, or between services, find the time, place, and time where everyone knows that feedback will occur.  This allows people to expect, and anticipate what is coming.  And avoids situations where feedback is only given when something goes catastrophically wrong.

Go first.  Invite feedback from your leaders, pastors, and the team.  Point out things you wish you would have done better, or changes you’re planning to make for the next time.  As leaders, we need to model what we want to see.

Celebrate.  Part of creating healthy rhythms of feedback is celebrating and honoring the good, not only pointing out the opportunities for improvement.  What can you celebrate in the team as a whole and the individual members?  Not just in their playing but the way they are serving, the heart behind their participation, and what God is doing in them and through them.

The team and the individual.  Some feedback needs to be given in front of the whole team, some feedback needs to be given face-to-face with the individual.  If there is a larger, deeper issue that needs to be addressed, it will always be better to cool your own emotions, and set a time with the individual outside of the regular rhythm of feedback.

Feedback is essential for growth.  Let’s serve our teams well by giving timely, honoring, consistent feedback, and inviting the same from our leaders and team.