Veil Drawn Back: August 2011

Friday, August 26, 2011

Corporate Worship August 28, 2011

Worship 8-28-11

We are gathered in the name of the Lord.

Thanks be to God!

Our Deliverer – Psalm 34:1-8

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

In this Psalm we have imagery from the wilderness journey in which the LORD is the protector of his people in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of flame by night. His power and might compel us to sing and rejoice for he has called us to be his people and He will be our God.

Glorious and Mighty

Majesty, Your glory is shining

Brighter than the moon and the stars

Marveling, we honor and fear You

Above all gods

Glorious and mighty, You’re awesome in beauty

Joyful songs we raise

Glorious and mighty, You’re awesome in beauty

Greatly to be praised

Majesty, You fashioned the heavens

Your decrees can never be changed

Over all the plans of the nations

Your judgments reign

Majesty, we’ll sing with creation

When You come again in the clouds

Every knee will bow down and worship

The one true God

A Glimpse of God’s Goodness – Exodus 34:4-8

So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “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 the fourth generation.” And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.

Good to Me

I cry out for your hand of mercy to heal me.

I am weak, I need your love to free me.

Oh Lord, my Rock, my strength in weakness,

come rescue me, oh Lord.

You are my hope, your promise never fails me;

and my desire is to follow you forever.

For you are good, for you are good, for you are good to me.

This passage gives us a glimpse of the way we normally function, within the economy of this world, which is unable to be truly merciful and good because it cannot stand self-sacrifice. But we are called to something more…

The Two Economies – Luke 6:27-36

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Corporate Confession

Father in Heaven, we are ungrateful and evil people. We are in desperate need of your goodness and faithfulness, for we function within the economy of this world and its vicious and unmerciful ways are crushing us in its slavery. Remind us of the goodness of Christ who paid our debt and freed us from the slavery of our sin. Give us freedom to do good without seeking any earthly reward by the power of the Holy Spirit who not only encamps around us, but also is within us. Amen.

Jesus Paid It All

Text: Elvina M. Hall Music: John T. Grape (1865) Add. Chorus: Alex Nifong CCLI# 1888005

I hear the Savior say,

“Thy strength indeed is small;

Child of weakness, watch and pray,

Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow

Lord, now indeed I find

Thy power and Thine alone,

Can change the leper’s spots

And melt the heart of stone

And when before the throne

I stand in Him complete,

Jesus died my soul to save

My lips shall still repeat

Oh, praise the One who paid my debt

And raised this life up from the dead

The Assurance of God’s Goodness – 2 Timothy 2:8-13

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.

This next song is new for us and I’ve decided to introduce it because it reminds me of the intimacy into which Jesus invites us…similar to when he said, “Let the little children come unto me.”

Forever Reign

You are good. You are good when there's nothing good in me

You are love. You are love on display for all to see

You are light. You are light when the darkness closes in

You are hope. You are hope. You have covered all my sin

You are peace. You are peace when my fear is crippling

You are true. You are true even in my wandering

You are joy. You are joy. You're the reason that I sing

You are life. You are life. In You death has lost its sting

(Oh) I'm running to Your arms, I'm running to Your arms

The riches of Your love will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

You are more. You are more than my words will ever say

You are Lord. You are Lord. All creation will proclaim

You are here. You are here. In Your presence I'm made whole

You are God. You are God of all else I'm letting go

My heart will sing no other Name, Jesus, Jesus

Sermon—1 John 1:5-2:8

Let this last song be your song of joy and mission as you go into this broken world to demonstrate God’s goodness and faithfulness in such a way that those to whom love is a stranger may find in you a generous friend.

Lord For Your Glory

Lord for Your glory we sing Your praises

We magnify Your holy name

All for Your glory, Lord we bring blessing

We seek to honor You all of our days

We lift our hands! We lift our praise to You!

We worship all You are in spirit and truth!

We lift our hearts! We live our lives to You!

We offer all we are for the glory of You!

Lord for Your glory we have been chosen

You have been faithful to Your own

Almighty Father we are Your children

We lay down all we have here at Your throne

We lift our hands! We lift our praise to You!

We worship all You are in spirit and truth!

We lift our hearts! We live our lives to You!

We offer all we are! We offer all we have!

We offer all our lives for the glory of You!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Corporate Worship August 21, 2011

Worship 8-21-11

We are gathered in the name of the Lord…Thanks be to God!

We say, “Thanks be to God!” the way someone who has just heard the greatest news in the world would say it. Our gathering together is because of the saving work of Jesus Christ and this is the greatest news the world has ever known.

Thanks be to God, who has called us into this place to show to us his steadfast loving-kindness in Christ Jesus. Now hear your call to worship. This is God’s Word:

The Steadfast Love of the Lord – Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness (steadfast loving-kindness) and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

there is no shadow of turning with thee;

thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;

as thou hast been thou forever wilt be.

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see:

all I have needed thy hand hath provided –

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,

join with all nature in manifold witness

to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,

strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

The Father has shown himself faithful. He has shown to us his steadfast loving-kindness. His tenderness toward us shows how incapable we are of showing kindness to others so we find ourselves condemned in our rebellion. Here now God’s Word and find yourself in this story:

The Wrath of God – Zechariah 7:8-12

And the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Public Domain / I. Watts & L. Mason / CCLI#1888005

When I survey the wondrous cross

on which the Prince of glory died,

my richest gain I count but loss,

and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

save in the death of Christ, my God;

all the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,

sorrow and love flow mingled down;

did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

that were a present far too small;

love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul, my life, my all.

The story of David and Mephibosheth is a great example of what it means to be a good king. A good king is marked by his generosity toward others. Find yourself the poor cripple in this story, in need of Kingly generosity:

A Good King – 2 Samuel 9:1-7

And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”

Let us read this together, confessing our sins together as one body:

Corporate Confession

Father of Lights, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast loving kindness, you have bound yourself in covenant to us, promising by your eternal power to

redeem us for your own sake, to see your appropriate wrath appeased by the blood sacrifice of your only son Jesus Christ. In our repentance we turn from

our sinful ways seeking your loving arms that you may hold us to your bosom and bestow on us by your Holy Spirit, the affections of Christ. Amen.

Jesus, Thank You

The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend,

the agonies of Calvary.
You, the perfect Holy One, crushed your Son,

who drank the bitter cup reserved for me.

Your blood has washed away my sin. Jesus, thank you.
The Father's wrath completely satisfied, Jesus, thank you.
Once Your enemy, now seated at your table, Jesus, thank you.

By your perfect sacrifice I've been brought near.

Your enemy you've made Your friend.
Pouring out the riches of your glorious grace,

your mercy and your kindness know no end.

Lover of my soul, I want to live for you.

This is the kindness of God, that he would send his Son to pay our ransom and to free us unto acts of loving-kindness. In this freedom Jesus calls us to follow him. Now hear his loving words and do not turn away but run to Him:

The Great King – Mark 10:17-22

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ”And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Jesus What a Friend for Sinners

Public Domain. J. Wilbur Chapman & Rowland Hugh Pritchard. CCLI#1888005

Jesus what a Friend for sinners!

Jesus lover of my soul;

friends may fail me, foes assail me,

he my Savior makes me whole.

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Hallelujah, what a Friend!

Saving, helping, keeping, loving,

he is with me to the end.

Jesus what a strength in weakness!

Let me hide myself in him;

tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,

he my strength, my vict’ry wins.

Jesus what a guide and keeper!

While the tempest still is high,

storms about me, night o’ertakes me,

he, my pilot, hears my cry.

Jesus I do now receive him,

more than all in him I find;

he hath granted me forgiveness,

I am his and he is mine.

Now if you have—even with the weakest faith—seen the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ, then know with confidence in the power of the resurrection that your sins, past present and future are forgiven and just as you are seated at the right hand of the Father, in Christ, you may now be seated.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Welcome...

I've thought it a cool, hipster thing to have your own blog but up until now I've had no good motivating reason to sit in front of a blank screen and put my thoughts down without it turning into a "Dear Diary" moment. Then I realized that I actually do have something to contribute to the worship conversations that have been going on for thousands of years.
On a weekly basis I construct liturgies for my church's Sunday gathering. These liturgies include song-singing, prayers, confessions, scripture readings and pastoral insights all derived from the scripture passage that my pastor preaches from when he gives his sermon. The goal is to create a time in which we as God's people once again enter the grand story of the Gospel so that it might change us into the likeness of His Son. The flow of these liturgies will always follow the story of redemption: creation, fall, redemption and restoration.
What I hope to provide for you in this blog is a chance to prepare yourself for the Sunday gathering (whether you go to my church or not) by finding yourself drawn into the revelation of this glorious story. My plan is to post the liturgy prior to the Sunday gathering so that you can pray though and meditate on the passages, see how they are weaved in such a way as to show us more of Christ as we see his gospel revealed in a fresh way. You will also have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the songs we are singing (and if you have recordings of them, sing them as you pray). So read through each week's post in preparation for Sunday and you just may discover that Sunday Sabbath is invading the rest of the week.
My hope and prayer is that you will see the glory of Jesus by singing, praying and meditating on his beautiful words.

Grace and Peace,
Jim