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

April 13: Tuesday Refocus

‘Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.’ Psalm 143:8

We are reminded of our humanity, our life from the dust every day - our bodies are weak, tired, and need to sleep (Gen 3:19).  Is there a more vulnerable position for any of us?  And yet, the Lord gives rest to his beloved (Ps 127:2).  He who never slumbers or sleeps watches over us as we do (Ps 121:4).

That vulnerability continues as we awake to a word that has continued on in our eight-hour absence.  

Will we awake to loss?  

Natural disaster? 

War?

Whatever the morning may bring, we always awake to new mercies (Lam 3:22-23).  And we are invited to be drawn by, anchored to, and rest in the steadfast love of God in a world that is anything other than steadfast.

Lord, let your steadfast love awaken us from our physical sleep as your steadfast love awakens us from our spiritual sleep.  May we drink deeply from the well of your character this morning, and every morning.  Amen.

Awake,

AB

March 31: Tuesday Refocus

Good and upright is the LORD;

therefore He instructs the sinners in the way.

He leads the humble in what is right,

and teaches the humble His way.

All the paths of the LORD are steadfast

love and faithfulness,

for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

Psalm 25:8-10

I can search out my own way and find it only leads to death (Prov 14:12). Or I can follow His narrow road and run in the way of steadfast love and mercy. On this narrow road, He leads, and He teaches, He goes before, He comes behind, and He walks beside.

For Your name’s sake, O LORD,

pardon my guilt, for it is great.

Who is the man who fears the LORD?

Him will He instruct in the way that He should choose.

His soul shall abide in well-being,

and His offspring shall inherit the land.

The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear Him,

and He makes known to them His covenant.

My eyes are ever toward the LORD

for He will pluck my feet out of the net.

Psalm 25:11-18

My guilt is great but it holds no hope against the steadfast love and mercy of God (Lam 3:22). I know the way of the Lord always leads to the kind of life I truly seek. A life where I abide in well-being, enjoy His friendship, know His ways, and look toward Him - my Rescuer.

God, thank You that Your Word is true. Teach us Your ways that we may walk in Your truth, help us know Your friendship, Your mercy, and Your kindness. In Christ’s name, amen.

Walking,

AB

October 22: Tuesday Refocus

‘Jesus is the mercy seat, the place where sinful men may meet with the Holy God.’ – Lesslie Newbigin

From all of the postures, positions or locations – where does God always meet His people?  The place of mercy.

In wrath, He still remembers mercy (Hab 3:2).  In the morning, His mercies are new and never ending (Lam 3:22-23).  According to His steadfast love, He blots out transgression with abundant mercy (Ps 51:1).

We may find ourselves begging as Bartimaues for Christ to ‘have mercy on me…’ And in mercy, the invitation of Christ is to draw near, and receive the mercy we so desperately desire (Mark 10:46-52).  The invitation of Christ is to God Himself, the One who says of Himself:

‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”’ Exodus 34:6-7

If You, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?  But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared. …hope in the LORD!  For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption.  And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.  Thank You Lord, for meeting us at the place of mercy –  person of Jesus, in His name, amen. (Ps 130:3-4,7-8).

From mercy,

AB