Welcome to the Sunday Gathering recap (songs, hymns, liturgy and sermon). This blog gives you an opportunity to reflect on what you heard in the gathering or catch up if you weren’t able to be with us.
*The indented sections are responses read aloud by the congregation during the Gathering
CHURCH PLANTING: Planting and prayer.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Sunday when we gather together we have an opportunity to praise God as a community. To join our voices together to sing and to declare God's greatness. So let's join together as we begin with this call to worship:
Praise be to you, LORD, from everlasting to everlasting.
Yours, LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honour come from you; you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
(1 Chronicles 29:10-13)
SONG: HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD
SONG: EVERLASTING GOD
CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE
Even though we've experienced God's saving power in our lives we still choose to love other things before Him. We exchange the glory of God for worldly things. We orientate our lives around possessions, status, security. We love ourselves instead of God and centre lives on our pleasures and reputation. God tells us in his word that we've exchanged the truth about God for a lie, we've worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator. We love so many other things before God, the one who has given us everything and place our trust in them.
Take a moment to reflect on that, to reflect on where you put your trust and what you centre your life on. To confess your sin before God and seek his forgiveness.
Whilst we were still sinners, Jesus died for us, he took the wrath of God upon him for our sin, for our rebellion and yet we can now know freedom and salvation because of him.
SONG: MY ONE COMFORT
PASSING OF THE PEACE
Because of Christ's work on the cross, his death and resurrection, we have been brought back into communion with our God and have been made righteous! We have peace with our creator, our heavenly Father. And that same peace is among us this afternoon, because the Spirit of God unites us together in Christ!
READING OF THE WORD
PREACHING OF THE WORD
Steve Timmis preached from Ephesians 6:10-20 to us this Sunday as we continued in our series on church planting. Click here to listen to that sermon.
PRE-COMMUNION READING
COMMUNION
Every week we want to respond to what God has done for us in Jesus. One of the great ways he has provided for us to remember the truth of the gospel is giving us communion. As we take the bread and wine we remember what Jesus has done for us.
POST COMMUNION READING
Jesus' death brings us life and this meal reminds us that we are fed by Jesus and forgiven because of Jesus.
We rejoice that You have died, rose again, and are now with the Father advocating for us. Amen.
With our money, time, and talent we give generously, knowing that through Your Son, Jesus, You have generously given to us.
We rejoice that You have given everything and we joyfully give everything back to Your care. Amen.
SONG: JESUS PAID IT ALL
COMMITMENT READING
One thing we sometimes like to do as a church is affirm our faith and what we believe by reading the Apostle's Creed together. The Apostle's creed is a summary of what the church believes and teaches. As we say the Creed, we join Christians past and present, and from all over the world, in proclaiming our common faith. You'll notice the word 'catholic' is used which simply means the 'whole church' and is not referring to Roman Catholic here. So when we say I believe in the catholic church we mean that every follower of Jesus is a member of The church.
Would you like to join with me in reading these words together:
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, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he shall come to judge the quick 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.
SONG: THIS I BELIEVE (THE CREED)
BENEDICTION
Brothers and Sisters, go, knowing that one day the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Peace be with you
And also with you.