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 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.
Photos this week from Sojourn’s J-Town campus, courtesy Sarah Horrar.
Call To Worship
It’s the third Sunday in Advent: a season when the church celebrates and anticipates the coming of Jesus at Christmas. Each week, as we light these candles, we remember that Christ has come and Christ will come again. Our world is a dark place, and the birth of the Savior is like a beacon, indicating the hope and light that has come to us.
Hear the word of the Lord:
(First Candle)
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
- Isaiah 9:2
(Second Candle)
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
(Third Candle)
He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” - Isaiah 49:6
Song: Joy, Joy from our new album, A Child Is Born. You can listen to “Joy, Joy” in its entirety here.
Prayer of Lament:
Though the good news of the Christ-child has been announced to the world, there remains brokenness all around us. As we long for Christ’s return to set things right, let us pray:
Lord God,
We long for the coming of your kingdom in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
The signs that your kingdom has not come sadden us.
We grieve over war, disease & death.
We mourn over Christians being persecuted & killed because they follow you.
We regret broken and un-reconciled relationships.
Lord Jesus, we long for your return when you will lift up the brokenhearted and restore peace.
In this season of Advent, give us a deeper understanding of the hope we have beyond this world.
Help us to cling to the promises you have made in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Song: Abide With Me
Assurance:
On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, “Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!
For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior and He takes delight in us with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all of our fears. He will rejoice over us with joyful songs
- Based on Zephaniah 3:16-17
In the darkness, God gives us a reason to rejoice by giving Himself to us. Let us sing to our great God!
Song: Joy To The World lyrics by Isaac Watts, modern melody from East Campus Worship Pastor Jamie Barnes. We recorded this on Advent Songs. You can listen to “Joy To The World” here.
Peace: God and sinners are reconciled. That means we can reach out to one another with a spirit of love and welcome. Let’s greet each other now.
Then our preacher preached a sermon on God’s covenant with mankind after the Great Flood, and Noah’s sin (from our Genesis sermon series). You can hear Sojourn sermons in theSojourn Church iTunes podcast or in the Sermon Resource library at sojournchurch.com.
Song: God is With Us written by Sojourn’s Jeremy Quillo, recorded on Advent Songs. Listen to “God is With Us” in its entirety here. This was our communion hymn of the week.
Reading:
“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”
-Titus 3:4-7
Song: This is The Christ written by Sandra McCracken and recorded on our A Child Is Born album. Hear “This Is The Christ” in its entirety here.
Song: Hosanna, In The Highest another great song written by Jeremy Quillo. You can hear this one from our Advent Songs page.
Benediction
May the God, who loved you enough to send His Son into this world, grant you peace as you await his return and prepare for an eternity shouting his praise. Go now in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.
I love how you folks use songs both new and old, and with such purpose! I’d love to find the chords to Sandra McCracken’s “This is the Christ”.
Nice! Love the flow of worship at Sojourn.