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, 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.
Photos by Chuck Heeke, from Sojourn New Albany.
Song: Sing My Soul by Sojourn’s Brooks Ritter, Rebecca Elliott and T.J. Hester.
Call to Worship
Be encouraged today and know that the same God that gathers us and calls us to worship is a God who commits to loving us and granting us peace. Jesus welcomes the broken, the worn out and the tired to come and experience rest. Hear his invitation:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
-Matthew 11:28-30
Let’s declare this together:
Our hope is in the Lord, who welcomes broken sinners like us and freely offers grace. Let his name be praised!
Song: Come Ye Sinner by Joseph Hart
Song: Invitation Fountain by Michael Pritzl
Confession
Instead of running to Jesus for rest, we run to a number of other things that ultimately disappoint. When we put all of our hope in something that is not God, we are guilty of idolatry. The scriptures say this:
What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you?
How foolish to trust in your own creation -a god that can’t even talk!
What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols, ‘Wake up and save us!’
To speechless stone images you say, ‘Rise up and teach us!’
Can an idol tell you what to do?
They may be overlaid with gold and silver, but they are lifeless inside.
But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.
- Habukuk 2:18-20
Let’s be silent before God now and confess our own idolatry. (Silence)
Pray this with me:
Lord God, Creator of Earth and Heaven – Silence the lies of the false gods in our life, that we may hear the voice of Jesus, in whom we find true peace and rest for our souls. Amen.
Song: May Your Power Rest on Me by Joel Gerdis and Neil Robins, from our Over The Grave album.
Assurance/Peace
Despite our sin, God grants us peace and forgiveness in Jesus. Listen:
He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. – Romans 4:25, 5:1-2
Let’s continue to celebrate this peace as by sharing it and greeting one another.
Giving
Then our preacher taught from Psalm 131 – “Rest in Silence and Solitude.” This was part of our Rest summer sermon series. You can hear Sojourn sermons in theSojourn Church iTunes podcast or in the Sermon Resource library at sojournchurch.com.
Song: Nothing But the Blood by Robert Lowry and Page CXVI.
Song: Your Blood Says Everything by Billy Sommerville.
Reading
In the book of 1 Kings, Solomon finishes building the temple. In dedicating it to God, he spoke these words to the people that declared the Lord’s faithfulness. Let’s echo his confession:
Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised.
Not one word has failed of all the good promises he has given to his people.
May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May we turn our hearts to God and walk in obedience to him.
-1 Kings 8:56-58
Song: Rock of Ages by Augustus Toplady and Thomas Hastings, arranged by Brooks Ritter. Hear our version in full and read about “Rock of Ages” here.
Benediction
Go as ones hidden in Christ and made holy by his shed blood. Go in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.
You guys are awesome! Question: How far out in advance do you plan your services (Music & Liturgy)? Thanks! You guys have always been a blessing to me.
What an amazing resource you have here. Thank you for sharing! This is a huge blessing and encouragement to many.