17 September: Liturgy + Set List

• GRAVES INTO GARDENS

  Call to Worship: Romans 11:33-12:2

  All we do is give back to God what always has been His. We live in response to the mercy and grace of God by offering our lives as an act of worship. Part of what we do as we gather is reorient our lives around responding to the mercy and grace of God. Let’s do that together as we sing:

• ALL I HAVE IS CHRIST

• HOLY IS OUR GOD

  Sermon: Mark 10:1-12

  Scripture says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Some of us have sin that is loud and obvious, all of us have sin that is subtle and subversive and deep in our hearts. As we continue in worship, we’re going to confess our sins to God and one another:

  Book of Common Prayer Corporate Confession

  Now that we have confessed our sins to God and one another, I want to give you a few moments of silence to consider and confess your own sins.

Brothers and sisters hear the good news: The Lord who loves you says in His word: Go and sin no more.

• HOLY FOREVER

• LAMB OF GOD

  Benediction

Affirmations

Whether it is during baptisms, parent commissioning (child dedication), or affirming new elders, our church has been using consistent, repeated affirmations for these times of events in the life of our church. Why?

Although, we have classes, courses, and training for each of these aspects for baptismal candidates, families wanting to dedicate their children in church, and the role of elder - it is not something that every member, attendee, or visitor to our church understands. Affirmations are a way of helping instruct not just the people participating, but the whole Body in the meaning, purpose, and expectation for each of these celebrations in the life of our church. Some of these affirmations we have pulled from the historic church, some we piecemeal together, always there is an aspect of question and response from the candidate, and closing with question and response to the body of Christ.

BAPTISM AFFIRMATIONS

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God sent to redeem the world, do you love and trust him as the one who saves you from your sin, and do you with repentance and joy embrace him as the Lord of your life?

I do.

Do you believe that the Bible is the Word of God, revealing Christ and his redemption?

I do.

Do you promise to do all you can, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to strengthen your love and commitment to Christ by sharing faithfully in the life of the church, honoring and submitting to its authority; and do you join with the people of God in doing the work of the Lord everywhere?

I do.

Brothers and sisters, we now receive (NAME) into Christ’s church. Do you welcome (HER/HIM) in love, and do you promise to pray for, encourage, and help (HER/HIM) in the faith?

We do, God helping us.

ELDER AFFIRMATION VOWS

Do you reaffirm your faith in Jesus Christ as your own personal Lord and Savior?

Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God; totally trustworthy, fully inspirited by the Holy Spirit, the supreme, final, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice?

Do you acknowledge a call, so far as you know your own heart, to accept the office of elder, with a sincere desire to promote the Gospel?

Do you promise to be zealous and faithful in your promoting the truths of the Gospel and in protecting the unity and peace of the Church, whatever persecution or opposition may arise to you on that account?

Will you seek to be faithful and diligent in the exercise of all your duties as an elder, whether personal or relative, private or public; and to endeavor by the grace of God to adorn the profession of the Gospel in your manner of life, and to walk with exemplary piety before this congregation?

Are you now willing to take responsibility in the life of this congregation as an elder, and will you seek to discharge your duties, relying upon the grace of God in a way that the entire Church of Jesus Christ will be blessed?

Elder Candidate: By God’s grace, I do.

To the congregation:

Do you affirm your confidence in the qualifications and calling of this man?

Do you resolve to love, encourage, and support his family, respecting them always as his first ministry priority?

Do you commit to fervent and regular prayer on behalf of all our elders, our staff, and the ministry of Life Church?

Congregation: By God’s grace, we do.

PARENT COMMISSIONING

Do you recognize that your child is a gift from God, and that you are responsible to train and instruct this child in the things of God?

We do.

Do you this day pledge as parents that you will teach God’s Word to your child and live out His Word in your home?

We do.

Do you commit to loving your child and teaching your child to obey God’s commands and the truths of Jesus Christ in your daily lives so that your child may know Him as Lord?

We do.

Do you commit to the local body of believers to seek accountability and teach your child to seek accountability within the church community?

We do.

Life Church, will you be faithful as brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage and support this family in their Christian walk as parents? Will you be faithful in praying for their children, that they will grow to love Christ and trust in Him?

We will.

Head and Heart

When it comes to life, I tend to lean heart. When it comes to song choice, I tend to lean head. Something I learned from worship leader, Charlie Hall, is that our congregations will always be best served when we can balance head and heart in our worship songs.

Our congregation must have their minds informed, and filled with the truths of Scripture, and the weight of God’s character, but if all we do is give them knowledge, we so easily become brains on sticks. If all we do is sing rich theology, every corporate gathering will feel more like an intellectual exercise, heavy and dense, rather than an opportunity to respond to God’s revelation of Himself through those truths. Likewise, our congregations must have their affections stirred for the person and work of Christ. We must give people the opportunity, space, and language to express the full scope of their lives and response to God. Simple songs of devotion, honest prayers of confession, joyful celebration, and raw lament have to find their place within the life of our congregations.

Ideally, these two things would live to together - songs that are deep and true, while yet simple and emotive. Maybe you have a few of those songs in your rotation now. What I have often seen is that songs - like me - tend to lean one way or the other. So as you are building your master song list, taking an inventory of your songs, and building set lists that reflect the Gospel story, one of the rhythms you can incorporate is building set lists where songs that lean head, are next to songs that lean heart. And songs that lean heart, are next to songs that lean head.

15 January: Liturgy + Set List

• THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD

  Call to Worship: Psalm 40:5

• HOW GREAT THOU ART

• ABIDE

  That song is taken largely from John 15 - where Jesus says ‘I am the vine and you are the branches, abide in me, and I in you, because apart from me you can do nothing…’ 

  You and I are incapable of saving ourselves, and even beyond that, you and I are incapable of living the life God has called us to live apart from the ongoing work of Christ in us and through us. You and I cannot love God and love our enemies apart from Christ working in us and through us.

  Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. A day set aside to remember and celebrate the life and ongoing work of Dr. King. And remembering is right and good. But I think as followers of Jesus it is also right to be challenged by Dr. King’s faith in action. And as we remember, and are challenged by the ongoing work or racial justice in our country and around the world, and as we remember and are challenged by the counter-cultural life that God calls us to live as His followers, and as we are increasingly aware of our need for Christ to work in us and through us, we are going to pray. I will read this corporate prayer first so you can see and hear the words, and then we will pray this together.

  Corporate Prayer:

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. [Book of Common Prayer]

Sermon: Mark 1:14-28

Repent and believe the Gospel - that is the invitation of Christ in this passage, but it is also the invitation of Christ for every person here, whether you are a follower of Jesus or not. Let’s use these next songs as prayers of repentance and belief. Would you stand if you’re able, we’ll sing together…

• THERE IS A REDEEMER

• SON OF SUFFERING

  Benediction: Matthew 28:18-20

Theology Matters

Theology is the study of the nature of God. The word theology comes from two Greek words: Theos - meaning God, and Logia - meaning to study.

I have heard worship leaders, both staff and volunteer, both musician and vocalist, and both sound and technology describe themselves as musicians, artists, and creatives. Rarely have I heard anyone describe themselves as a theologian. Because the truth is many of us see our role as primarily musical, not pastoral, and therefore do not value theology in the same way we value excellence in our musical pursuits. But as C.S. Lewis reminds us:

"If you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean you have no ideas about God. It will mean you have a lot of wrong ones."

Theology should matter to worship leaders for the same reason it should matter to every follower of Christ: our understanding of God shapes everything about who we are. As A.W. Tozer famously said,

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Theology should matter to us as worship leaders because:

Worship is formative. We are putting words in people’s mouths to understand who God is, what He has done, and who we are as His people, and express their hearts to God.

Because we need to be wise. We need to know the songs that we are choosing are saying something true about God. Because our words and our songs are teaching people about God.

Because it realigns our priorities. When knowing, loving, and walking with God is in its rightful place, everything else falls into place.

Because God looks at the heart. Talent is obvious, and visible, and honestly, easy to come by. But it is God who sees and judges our hearts.

Because you are first a follower. Before a role, or title or responsibilities as a worship leader, you are a disciple of Jesus. And every disciple of Jesus will become more and more like Him.

Theology matters. Let it matter to you as a follower of Jesus. And let it matter to you as a worship leader.

One True Worship Leader

As musicians responsible for sung corporate worship, we consider ourselves worship leaders. Pastors, preachers, and teachers planning and executing a corporate gathering may also see themselves as worship leaders. As I have shared previously, I believe that every musician, vocalist, sound, and tech person should view themselves as worship leaders. But at the end of the day, there is one person by whom we all must first be led before we lead. And that is the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who is the true worship leader in our preparation and in our leadership of the people of God.

Yes, we choose songs and scripture, rehearse bands, and plan our transitions, but if we are not first, and continually being led, guided, directed, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are just singing songs. And while music is powerful, and people may leave impacted by it, there is no lasting transformation without a Holy Spirit-revealed encounter with the living Christ.

‘When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.’ - John 16:13

It is the Holy Spirit that leads us in all truth.

It is the Holy Spirit that leads us to see and respond to Jesus.

It is the Holy Spirit that will confront and convict us of sin.

And it is the Holy Spirit who comforts His people.

There is one true worship leader in our gathering, and it always has been and always will be the Holy Spirit.