Sojourn’s Worship Liturgy for Baby Dedication Sunday, 4.22.2012

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.

This was a Baby Dedication Sunday across all Sojourn campuses. Photos this week are courtesy of Tom Branch, Kelly Karcher, Brad Weir, Allison Rushing and Chuck Heeke.

Call to Worship:

We come together today as God’s family in response to the kindness he has shown us. He has invited us into his own family, not because of our track record or our potential, but because of his grace. We are sinful. But God is kind. Hear the word of the Lord

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.”
-Ephesians 1:4-7

Song: Compel My Heart To Sing written by Brooks Ritter and Rebecca Elliott, based on Hymn 126 by Isaac Watts. We recorded this one last year’s The Water And The Blood, The Hymns of Isaac Watts, Volume Two.

Song: The Love of God

Baby Dedication

Song: All I Have Is Yours written by me (Bobby Gilles) and Rebecca Elliott. This song of offering is often used as a Baby Dedication song by churches, including our own on this Baby Dedication Sunday. We recorded it on Before The Throne. Hear it in full below and learn the story behind “All I Have Is Yours” here.


Assurance/Peace

We celebrate these children and these families as part of God’s big family. Hear the word of Lord:

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For we are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that we belong to Christ, we are the true children of Abraham. We are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to us.
-Galatians 3:26-29

As one in Christ, let’s greet one another here today.

Giving

Then our preacher taught from Genesis 38, the surprising story of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar. You can hear Sojourn sermons in theSojourn Church iTunes podcast or in the Sermon Resource library at sojournchurch.com.

Song: Sovereign Grace O’er Sin Abounding written by John Kent and Sandra McCracken. This was our communion hymn for the week.

Reading:

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.
Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
-Romans 8:14-17

Song: All You Saints by Isaac Watts, Brooks Ritter, Mike Cosper, Jamie Barnes.

Song: Great and Mighty by Aaron Senseman and Kinley Lange.

Benediction:

Christian, because of what Christ has done, you are accepted and called a child of God.  Go now, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Peace be with you.