Reflect (January 19, 2020)

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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CHURCH PLANTING: What is church planting?

CALL TO WORSHIP

We all know that the world we live in has much that is dark. But the wonderful truth of the bible is that God is light and that he has shone his light into the darkness. From the moment that sin entered the world God has been working out his plans to roll back the darkness.

Hear this call to worship that reminds us that it is through Jesus that God has shone his light into the world.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

[John 1:1-5]

SONG: HOW GREAT THOU ART

SONG: INDESCRIBABLE

CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE

God is light and as followers of Jesus he calls us as the church to walk in the light. But the truth is that all of us fail to live in the light of Jesus. We too often continue in the darkness that God warns us of:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

[1 John 1:5-6]

Confession is a moment in our gathering where we speak openly to God and own our sin. So in this moment of quiet, let me invite you to confess the ways that you have failed to walk in the light of God this week.

But Jesus came to defeat the darkness. Through his life, death and resurrection he defeated sin. So hear this assurance:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

[1 Jhn 1:7-9]

SONG: OH GOD

PASSING OF THE PEACE

PREACHING OF THE WORD

Gary Aston preached from God’s word to us this Sunday as we continued in our series on church planting. Click here to listen to that sermon.

COMMUNION

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: LEAD US BACK

SONG: OCEANS (WHERE FEET MAY FAIL)

COMMITMENT READING

Heavenly Father we ask that you would help us to bring your light into our homes, work places, families and friendships. Would our relationships be life-giving rather than joy- sapping.

Help us to be a blessing to those around us and boldly share the gospel with the people you have put in our lives. Equip us as we seek to act against injustice and oppression in our city, living lives that demonstrate the gospel to a watching world. Amen.

SONG: BE THOU MY VISION

BENEDICTION

May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

And also with you.

Prepare (January 19, 2020)

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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CHURCH PLANTING: What is church planting?

SERMON

Gary Aston will be preaching from God’s word to us continuing in our series on church planting.

LITURGY

CALL TO WORSHIP

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 (John 1:1-5)

MUSIC

Oh God (Dustin Kensrue): An assurance that God is present with us in our struggles, when we feel alone and far from Him he is with us. A wonderful reminder that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Lead us Back (Sojourn): A song of confession that we so often seek security, comfort and the worship of other idols above God. A plea that God would lead us back to life in him.

Reflect (January 12, 2020)

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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CHURCH PLANTING: What is the Church?

The bible starts with God as the beginning of everything and so each of our Sunday gatherings begins with God too.
At the start of the bible we see that God rejoiced in the world he created and that he made people to share in the joy of what he made.
Let's join with the Psalmist to declare our praise of the God who made all things:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.

(Psalm 19:1-6)

Let's raise our voices as we sing together in praise of our great creator.

Song: Come Praise and Glorify

Song: 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)

CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE

God calls his church to be a living picture of what he is like. To demonstrate to a watching world what the love of Jesus looks like. So Jesus calls the church to be a people deeply united. But the truth is that we so often fail to love one another as we should. We are driven by our own selfish desires and agendas. We don't serve and love one another as we are called to.

In this time of confession bring before God how you have failed to love others as you have been loved.

But even as we confess our failure to do this we have the assurance that Jesus is working to produce that unity between us. He prays for that kind of unity in his church.

"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me."

John 17:20-23

Let's sing with the assurance that the Holy Spirit is at work amongst us.

Song: Rock of Ages

PASSING OF THE PEACE

PREACHING OF THE WORD

Gary Aston preached from God’s word to us this Sunday as we began a new series on church planting. 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: How Deep the Fathers Love for Us

Song: Oh For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

COMMITMENT READING

Through what Jesus has done for us we have a new and wonderful identity. As the church gathered together let's declare who we are:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

[1 Pt 2:9]

Song: All Glory be to Christ

BENEDICTION

May we enter this New Year knowing the security that comes from being in Christ. The deep joy that comes from being a child of God. And the certainty of knowing God's presence with us through the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you.

And also with you.

Prepare (January 12, 2020)

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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CHURCH PLANTING: What is the church?

SERMON

Gary Aston will be preaching from God’s word to us in the first in a new series on church planting. He will be preaching from Acts 2:1-4, 41-47.

LITURGY

CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE

"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me."

John 17:20-23

MUSIC

Come Praise and Glorify (Sovereign Grace): A call to praise and glorify the God who has shown his grace to us in Christ.

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing (Zach Sprowls): A new take on the old hymn, reminding us of the hope we have in the Gospel, that one day the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory.