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
EZEKIEL - A New People
CALL TO WORSHIP
When the church gathers, we bring our lives and stories. Some of you might be here today with a burden that feels too big to carry, the burden of bad health, loss of job, family difficulty. Whatever your burden might be, the scriptures remind us that no matter what our heartache is, we can bring it before the Father. Let’s pray this psalm together:
How long, LORD? Will you forget me for ever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
Consider and answer, me, O LORD my God and give light to my eyes. Don’t let my enemies gloat, Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.
(Based on Psalm 13)
Song: O God of Mercy Hear our Plea
Song: Jesus
CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE
We've already sung that creation is groaning for Jesus to return. In Romans 8, Paul tells us that it's not just creation that groans, but us. We long for Christ to return so that we can be restored and our earthly bodies transformed into to heavenly ones. When we look around at the world we live in, we experience that groaning. We see evil and suffering in a world where life is needed. When sin entered the world, all of creation was broken, sin shattered the good and perfect creation God had made and we still live in that reality now. Take a moment to reflect on that now, to confess to God the damaging effects of sin in your own life and lamenting where you see that sin in the world around us...
In his word God tells us that creation is still groaning and the effects of sin are still a reality for us. But God is still good, Jesus has taken our sin and the world's sin upon him and dealt with it so that we could have a future hope. A hope of no pain or suffering. We can only experience this new life through Christ. Let's sing this next song asking that God would lead us back to him, the source of all life.
Song: Lead us Back
PASSING OF THE PEACE
PREACHING OF THE WORD
Gary Aston preached to us this week on the power God has to bring life from Ezekiel 37. Click here to listen to that sermon.
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: Hallelujah What a Saviour
Song: Lamb of God
COMMITMENT READING
We can only know new life in Christ. He is the only one who can bring us from death to live. Let's hear these words of commitment that speak of the truth that is ours in Christ:
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
(Ephesians 2:1-7)
Jesus death and resurrection gives us hope of new life now and one that leads into eternity. We can look forward to a day where all of creation will be restored to new life. Let's sing out in light of that truth together now.
Song: New Again
BENEDICTION
May you go knowing the life giving power of God the Father, the self giving love of God the Son, and the reviving breath of God the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you.
And also with you.
Amen.