Prepare (November 3, 2019)

This blog gives you a glimpse into the upcoming Sunday Gathering. It's an opportunity to read through the passage we'll be studying together, pray through some of the liturgy we'll be using, and listen to a selection of the songs we’ll be singing

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ROMANS - God’s Sovereignty & Our Responsibility

SERMON

Gary Aston will be preaching to us this Sunday from Romans 9:30-10:21 looking at God’s sovereignty and our responsibility.

LITURGY

COMMITMENT READING

Father God, keep us from looking to the world for fulfilment. Instead, give us strength to continually look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. 

By your Spirit’s work in our hearts, give us the faith and courage to hold onto the gospel above all else. 

Remind us of your love and of your kingdom that we have been brought into. 

May we go from this gathering and boldly live out our mission to proclaim Jesus as saviour, redeemer and king. Amen.

 MUSIC

• Be Thou My Vision (Ascend the Hill): A song that asks for God to be central to our lives, that we would treasure Jesus and his gospel above all else.

• Nothing but the Blood: A hymn that reflects on the blood of Jesus that saves us from our sin and cleanses us from our impurity.

Reflect (October 27, 2019)

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

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ROMANS - Certainty

CALL TO WORSHIP

Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name; worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness.

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King for ever. The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

(based on Psalm 29)

Song: O God of Our Salvation

Song: A God Who Saves

Father God, as we hear of your faithfulness to us and sing of the redemption we have known in Jesus, we confess that so often we forget this. We confess that so often we forget grace is a gift from you. Forgive us for believing it is our actions that make us right with you. Forgive us being self-righteous, believing our performance has earned our salvation. Remind us that our salvation rests on what Jesus has already done for us, not what we have done. Amen. As Christians we need to be reminded that grace is a gift from God to us, it's not something our works have earned for us. Let's remind one another of this truth as we sing this next song together now.

Song: Grace Alone

PASSING OF THE PEACE

PREACHING OF THE WORD

Tom Thrower preached from God’s word to us this Sunday as we thought about certainty of salvation from Romans 9:6-29 . 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: The Power of the Cross

Song: I Stand Amazed

COMMITMENT READING

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:38-39)

Song: Nothing in All the Earth

BENEDICTION

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Peace be with you.

And also with you.

Prepare (October 27, 2019)

This blog gives you a glimpse into the upcoming Sunday Gathering. It's an opportunity to read through the passage we'll be studying together, pray through some of the liturgy we'll be using, and listen to a selection of the songs we’ll be singing

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ROMANS - Certainty

SERMON

This Sunday Tom Thrower will be preaching to us from Romans 9:6-29 looking at how we can have certainty of our salvation as Christians.

LITURGY

CALL TO WORSHIP

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

(Romans 8:38-39) 

 MUSIC

• Nothing in All the Earth (Sovereign Grace): A song of assurance that speaks of the confidence we can have in our salvation through Jesus death and resurrection.

• Grace Alone (Dustin Kensrue): A song that affirms that it is by grace we are saved, not by our works.

Reflect (October 20, 2019)

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

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ROMANS - Recap

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: Jesus is the Lord of All

Song: How Great is Our God

We've already heard that God is the ruler of all the earth. We've sung that Jesus is the lord of all, and yet so often our hearts wander and desire to bow down to other masters. Rather than trusting God's sovereignty, we seek to become the kings and rulers of our own lives. We don't give Jesus lordship over our lives, instead we let other things rule us and make them our priority instead. Why don't you take a moment to reflect on that now, and confess to God where you see this tendency in your own heart...

Father God, forgive us for failing to trust you and your sovereignty in our lives. Reveal the parts of our lives where we are slow to give you control. Help us to see that your plans and purposes are greater than ours and would we know the peace that comes from trusting in you. Amen

The truth of the gospel is that there is forgiveness for us to be received through faith in Jesus. In putting our trust in him, we can know freedom from all our sin through his gift of grace. Let's sing out about this offer of grace together now.

Song: Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy

PASSING OF THE PEACE

PREACHING OF THE WORD

This week we were back in our Romans sermon series, Gary Aston preached to us from Romans 9:1-5 . 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: There is a Fountain

Song: See the Lamb

COMMITMENT READING

Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, all things were created through him and for him.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. So he is first in everything.

(Colossians 1:15-18)

Song: The Lion and the Lamb

BENEDICTION

God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light. To him be honour and might forever. Amen

(1 Timothy 6:15-16)

Peace be with you.

And also with you.