7 April: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

2 CORINTHIANS 5:16-21

"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

READ. MEDITATE. PRAY. CONTEMPLATE.

To download the full devotional, click here.

5 April: Habakkuk 3:17-19

HABAKKUK 3:17-19

"Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

God, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the deer's;
    he makes me tread on my high places.

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments."

READ. MEDITATE. PRAY. CONTEMPLATE.

To download the full devotional, click here.

3 April: Liturgy + Set List

• YES AND AMEN

Welcome to this fifth Sunday of Lent. Let’s hear God call us to worship through His Word:

Call to Worship: Psalm 50

My hope and prayer in this season of Lent are that we are awakened afresh and anew to the deep darkness of our own sin and brokenness, and awakened afresh and anew to the glory of God and His grace and kindness toward us in and through the work of Jesus. Because of what Christ has done for you, you are adopted into the family of God, with God as your Father. If you are here this morning as a follower of Christ, God is not apathetic or indifferent toward you, He is not distant or an acquaintance, you are an adopted and redeemed child of God. Not only has God reconciled Himself to us through Christ, but he has also reconciled us one to another. We were once enemies of God, we were once enemies of one another, now we are a part of the new family of God. Let’s celebrate those truths as brothers and sisters this morning.

• IS HE WORTHY

• MY JESUS I LOVE THEE

Sermon: Joshua 22

If we truly grasped the depth to which Christ descended to redeem us from our sin, how quick we would be to confess our sin to God, and to one another. How quick we would be to pursue one another in our wandering and sin, and walk together toward repentance and faith. All sin is first and foremost against God, but we also sin against one another. Your spiritual stuff is my spiritual stuff, my spiritual stuff is your spiritual stuff because we belong together as the family of God. So let’s practice our repentance and faith together, would you stand as we confess our sin to God and to one another.

Corporate Confession:

Almighty God, we confess how hard it is to be Your people. You have called us to be the church, to continue the mission of Jesus Christ to our lonely and confused world. Yet we acknowledge we are more apathetic than active, isolated than involved, callous than compassionate, obstinate than obedient, legalistic than loving.

Gracious Lord, have mercy upon us and forgive our sins. Remove the obstacles preventing us from being Your representatives to a broken world. Awaken our hearts to the promised gift of your indwelling Spirit. This we pray in Jesus’ powerful name. Amen.

[From the Worship Sourcebook]

Brothers and sisters, family of God, hear the good news: there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let your brothers and sisters in Christ be living markers of God’s faithfulness and redemptive work to you as His people.

• COME THOU FOUNT

• LION AND THE LAMB

Benediction: Romans 15:13

3 April: Psalm 79:5-10

PSALM 79:5-10

"How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever?
    Will your jealousy burn like fire?

Pour out your anger on the nations
    that do not know you,
and on the kingdoms
    that do not call upon your name!

For they have devoured Jacob
    and laid waste his habitation. 

Do not remember against us our former iniquities;
    let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
    for we are brought very low.

Help us, O God of our salvation,
    for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and atone for our sins,
    for your name's sake!

Why should the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”
Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants
    be known among the nations before our eyes!"

READ. MEDITATE. PRAY. CONTEMPLATE.

To download the full devotional, click here.

31 March: Mark 5:1-20

MARK 5:1-20

"They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea. The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.  And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled."

READ. MEDITATE. PRAY. CONTEMPLATE.

To download the full devotional, click here.

29 March: Isaiah 54:7-10

ISAIAH 54:7-10

"For a brief moment I deserted you,
    but with great compassion I will gather you.

In overflowing anger for a moment
    I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
    says the Lord, your Redeemer.

“This is like the days of Noah to me:
    as I swore that the waters of Noah
    should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
    and will not rebuke you.

For the mountains may depart
    and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
    and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion on you."

READ. MEDITATE. PRAY. CONTEMPLATE.

To download the full devotional, click here.

March 27: Liturgy + Set List

• PRAISE TO THE LORD, THE ALMIGHTY/GOOD GOOD FATHER

  Welcome to this fourth Sunday of Lent. In a world that values personal rights and freedoms above all, in a world that encourages you to pursue your own happiness above all, in a world that says ‘if you can afford it, do not deny yourself any pleasure…’ there is perhaps nothing you or I will do this week that is more counter-cultural, more counter-formative than gathering with the people of God. It is when we gather with the people of God that we learn to treasure Christ above our individual rights and freedoms. It is when we gather with the people of God that we learn to grow together rather than seek our own happiness. It is when we gather with the people of God that we learn to live on mission to the glory of God instead of chasing after temporary pleasures. And this is really the invitation of the season of Lent as well, to be invited into a practice that is counter-formative to the way of the world. To starve the flesh, with all of its selfishness, pride, and preferences, to fast from pleasures, so that we may feast on the goodness, grace, mercy, and love of Christ in a unique way in this season. As followers of Jesus we are called to live counter to the way of the world, and that begins when we gather. And we hope that these songs being slow and quiet the last several weeks have served in some small way as visible and audible reminders of the counter-cultural way we are called to live as followers of Jesus. Let’s hear God call us to worship through His word:

• Call to Worship: Psalm 40:5

• WAYMAKER

• BEFORE THE THRONE

  Sermon: Joshua 15-21

• ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK

  Corporate Confession:

  Merciful God,
  We confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, By what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

  We have not loved You with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Merciful God,
  We confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, By what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

  We have not loved You with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. (Book of Common Prayer)

  Brothers and sisters, hear the good news: He remembers your sins no more. His mercy is greater than your ability to sin.

• HIS MERCY IS MORE

• Benediction

27 March: Psalm 90:1-4

PSALM 90:1-4

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    in all generations.

Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

You return man to dust
    and say, “Return, O children of man!”

For a thousand years in your sight
    are but as yesterday when it is past,
    or as a watch in the night."

READ. MEDITATE. PRAY. CONTEMPLATE.

To download the full devotional, click here.

24 March: Matthew 20:1-16

MATTHEW 20:1-16

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”

READ. MEDITATE. PRAY. CONTEMPLATE.

To download the full devotional, click here.

22 March: 1 Samuel 15:22-23

1 SAMUEL 15:22-23

"And Samuel said,

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
    as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
    and to listen than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
    and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
    he has also rejected you from being king.”"

READ. MEDITATE. PRAY. CONTEMPLATE.

To download the full devotional, click here.

20 March: Liturgy + Set List

• GREAT THINGS

• Call to Worship: Psalm 77:11-15

  Maybe you are here this morning, and along with the Psalmist, are ready to recount the deeds of the Lord. Maybe you are here this morning feeling like you have been slighted by God. The reality for every follower of Jesus is that, one, God has not given us that which we rightly deserve - which is death - the punishment for our sins. And two, that God has given us Himself. Wherever you may be this morning, you and I have many reasons to be glad. Let’s sing these truths together:

• 10,000 REASONS (BLESS THE LORD)/JIREH

  Can I let you in on a worship leader secret? We don’t pick songs that we like to sing. We choose songs week to week which will hopefully help us respond to God as He teaches us through His Word. And at a higher level, we choose songs to sing that will hopefully form our minds and our hearts. Shape our knowledge and our affections of who God is, what He has done, and who He has called us to be. Over the last few weeks, you may have noticed that our songs have been slower, the teams have been smaller and we have not had drums - all of that is on purpose. This is the third week of Lent, a time where we remember, reflect, and repent as we ready our hearts for Easter Sunday. And we wanted to make space for that remembrance, reflection, and repentance through our gathered time together. One other element we are incorporating weekly is a corporate confession of sin, where we confess our sins to God and to one another. Let’s do that together now:

  Corporate Confession:

  Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy and save Your people whom You bought with Your own blood. Do not turn away from us because of our sins. Remember us according to Your steadfast love, and Your gracious work for Your people. Deliver us that we may enjoy the benefits of Your chosen ones, and share in the joy of Your people, and join Your inheritance in giving praise. Amen. (Adapted from Seed Grains of Prayer, 1914)

  Assurance of Pardon: Ephesians 1:11-14

• I SHALL NOT WANT

• Sermon: Joshua 13-14

  Communion

• I STAND AMAZED (HOW MARVELOUS)

20 March: Psalm 44:1-4

PSALM 44:1-4

"O God, we have heard with our ears,
    our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
    in the days of old:

you with your own hand drove out the nations,
    but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
    but them you set free;

for not by their own sword did they win the land,
    nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm,
    and the light of your face,
    for you delighted in them.

You are my King, O God;
    ordain salvation for Jacob!"

READ. MEDITATE. PRAY. CONTEMPLATE.

To download the full devotional, click here.