Welcome to sojournmusic.com’s weekly worship music set list review & service recap. You’ll not only read a list of the songs we led following the Call To Worship, but also the readings and prayers from our liturgy. You can find links to the set lists of this church and many other churches each week in the Worship Blog Carnival at theworshipcommunity.com. And you can learn about some of the songs we sing at Sojourn Gathered each week in advance of the Sunday service by reading my “Getting Ready For Sunday” post each Thursday at Sojourn’s online journal, TravelBlog.
Call to Worship
Welcome! As most of you know, tomorrow is Labor Day, a day set aside to rest and recognize the hard work done by all workers in this country. When we gather as the church we recognize that God is calling us all to truly remember, celebrate, and rest in a much greater work than we could ever do – a work that He alone has finished through His Son Jesus Christ. Let’s proclaim the word of the Lord:
“I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people.
How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!
All who delight in Him should ponder them.
Everything he does reveals His glory and majesty.
His righteousness never fails.
He causes us to remember His wonderful works.
How gracious and merciful is our Lord!
He has paid a full ransom for His people.
He has guaranteed His covenant with us forever.
His name awesome and holy.
Let us praise Him forever!”
-based off Psalm 111
Let’s stand and sing of the finished work of our holy God.
Song: Gifted Response written by Matt Redman. As the title indicates, this song is a response to God’s call to worship — a “gifted” response because as the lyrics say “Father, we cannot come to you by our own merit.”
Confession
Let’s pray:
Merciful Father,we are prideful people. We toil, labor, and strive
To make a name for ourselves before You and before men.
We forget that there is no one like You,
And that even our best works can earn nothing from You.
You alone are worthy of praise.
Forgive us for trying to take your glory for ourselves.
Father, open our eyes to the fullness of your glory.
Crush our idols that we may desire nothing and no one above you.
May your Spirit lead our hearts to cherish and rest in the finished work
of Jesus Christ – his life, death, and resurrection.
Amen.
Song: May Your Power Rest On Me written by Sojourn’s Joel Gerdis and Neil Robins, inspired by “Hymn 15″ by Isaac Watts. We recorded this on Over The Grave: The Hymns Of Isaac Watts, Volume One. You can hear “May Your Power Rest On Me” in its entirety on our Over The Grave page.
Song: I Boast No More written by Isaac Watts and Sandra McCracken. This song is an celebration of the assurance we have in Christ, and a repudiation of our own merits.
Now for the loss, I bear His name
What was my gain, I count as loss
My former pride, I call my shame
And nail my glory to His cross
Assurance/Passing of the Peace
Hear the good news of the Gospel:
“For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.”
-Romans 3:20-22
All who have put their faith in Jesus Christ have peace with God. Let us greet one another as holy brothers and sisters with that same peace.
Giving;
Father,
All we have comes from You and belongs to You.
We thank you for your loving care over our lives.
We give back to you today from gifts we could never earn for ourselves
So that your greatest gift of grace to us, the gospel of Jesus Christ,
Can be proclaimed by your people to all the world.
We thank you for giving us the grace to trust Jesus as our Savior,
For giving us the Holy Spirit as our Helper,
And for calling us your children now and forever.
Amen.
Video – (or instrumental)
Then our pastors preached a campus-specific sermon at each campus. We took a one-week break from our current PROOF sermon series.
Song: Your Blood Says Everything written by Billy Somerville. This was our Communion hymn of the week.
Song: Let Your Blood Plead For Me written by Sojourn’s Jeremy Quillo, Mike Cosper and me – Bobby Gilles, inspired by Hymn 115 by Isaac Watts. Hear “Let Your Blood Plead For Me” in full from our The Water And The Blood page, and watch the Sojourn band perform it live below:
Reading
“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”
-Titus 2:11-14
Song: The Solid Rock written by Edward Mote, William Bradbury and Brian Eichelberger. This classic was our “song for the Sending.”
When darkness seems to hide his face
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
Then our pastors made this special video announcement:
Benediction
Go in confidence as God’s dearly loved children
And live by the Spirit in all you do,
Resting secure in your hope and Savior Jesus Christ.
Peace be with you.
