Journey of Worship

We continued through the book of 1 Peter this week. Many Christians live today as if the world were our final destination. We pour our life resources and energy into things that will barely last 50 years, let alone eternity. We frequently cave in to the old sinful desires. We struggle to remain faithful in the midst of great suffering. We’ve lost sight  of the glorious inheritance waiting for us.

God calls us to live as “strangers” in this world, spiritual sojourners that are just passing through. As children of the living God, our focus should be on eternity as we point people to the living Christ who paid it all for us. Our priorities and lifestyle should undergo a radical transformation.

In 1 Peter, Peter unpacks what this transformed life looks like and how it should interact with this world. In 1 Peter 4:7-11, Peter tells us that time is short, and God is counting on the church to step up and be all that He calls it to be. The end of all things is near, so we need to understand how to live with the end in sight.

Service flow: (Song links go to AmazonMp3 where songs are $0.99 and DRM free)

Welcome/Announcements/Greeting
Call to Worship from Galatians 3:26-29
Our God Saves (Baloche/Brown)
Hear Our Praises (Morgan)
Responsive Reading focused on the hope and source of our salvation
The Solid Rock (Bradbury/Mote arr. Chapman)
Video: “Our Hope” from Organic Videos via www.evangelize.com
Prayer and Preparation for Communion
Communion
Message
Offering
Revelation Song (Riddle)
Sing to the King (Foote)
Dismissal (Titus 2:11-14)

What a great week. The theme of the service was on living in anticipation of the second coming of Christ. The first part of the service, building up to communion, was focused on the hope and security found in Christ as the source of salvation. It was a great lead up to communion that then moved into the message.

The message was delivered with excellence and boldness about what it means to live in preparation for the second coming of Christ. Our senior pastor clearly laid out the biblical expectations of how we are to live in these times and the focus we are to have. It’s about keeping our eyes and lives focused on Christ as we continue to live, love, and serve for the glory of God.

As we moved to the conclusion of the service, we picked up on the ending theme of our passage from 1 Peter 4:11 and the expectation and celebration of the Christ who is coming to reign. We began to do that by introducing “Revelation Song” as a special number. I have to say, the worship team was all over it. What passion and energy was conveyed. By the end, we invited the congregation to join in on the last few times of the chorus, and then kicked into Sing to the King. There was such an energy and feeling of celebration as we concluded the time together.

I hope that people will carry the expectation of Christ’s coming and be energized to the live the life He has called us to live becuase of the Word that was spoken and the songs that were sung.

For more service recaps from churches all over, check out Sunday Setlists at fredmckinnon.com.

Thanks!

Related posts:

1. Sunday Setlist: 5/10/09
2. Sunday Setlist: 6/28/09
3. Sunday Setlist: 5/31/09