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 from our Midtown Campus, courtesy Matt Herp.
Opening Song: Band leader’s choice
Call To Worship: Each week, we begin our services with a Call to Worship. It’s something that the church has done throughout history. It’s a reminder that we don’t gather here out of our own wisdom or cleverness, but we gather because God has called us to Him and invited us to know him through Jesus Christ. It’s not a grudging duty or a spiritual chore to worship the Living God. It’s the greatest privilege on earth. Hear the word of the Lord:
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
I long, yes, I faint with longing
to enter the courts of the Lord.
With my whole being, body and soul,
I will shout joyfully to the living God.
Psalm 84:1-2
Let’s hear that again, and read the underlined portions with me:
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
I long, yes, I faint with longing
to enter the courts of the Lord.
With my whole being, body and soul,
I will shout joyfully to the living God.
Psalm 84:1-2
We gather here, with God’s people, and in the presence of God’s spirit. Let’s not miss this opportunity to lift our voices and sing together.
Song: Invitation Fountain
Song: Holy
Prayer of Confession
Singing about the holiness of God – how pure and perfect He is – often reminds us of how weak and broken we are. We’re far from holy, far from perfect, and we’re burdened with uncountable flaws and weaknesses. The prophet Isaiah, when he beheld the holiness of God, cried out in desperation over his sinfulness:
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple…
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
(Isaiah 6:1,5)
Each week when we gather, we remember that God is holy, and that we are a people of unclean lips. Let’s do that now as we silently confess our sins to the Lord
[SILENCE]
Lord, may we have the eyes to see your holiness and feel ruined.
May we know the depths of our sin and the heights of your holiness.
Forgive us for sinning against one another,
and forgive us for sinning against you.
Through the blood of Jesus, we plead for mercy and grace,
knowing that he welcomes and forgives sinners like us.
It’s through his name we ask all these things,
Amen.
Friends, remember this truth and declare it with me:
No matter how deep our sins,
How far we’ve fallen,
Or what shameful things we’ve done
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
He who knew no sin became sin for us
That we might be the righteousness of God!
Amen! Let’s sing!
Song: There is a Peace written by Sojourn’s Charlie Richardson. We recorded this on our Before The Throne album.
Passing the Peace:
In Christ, a holy God has forgiven our sins and made us into a family. So let’s welcome one another now with the joy that’s ours as the redeemed family of God.
Giving
Then our preacher taught from Titus 3:1-8 – Engaging Culture. You can hear Sojourn sermons in theSojourn Church iTunes podcast or in the Sermon Resource library at sojournchurch.com.
Song: Death in His Grave, our communion song of the week. This is one of the songs we’ve recorded for our upcoming Sojourn Live worship album, which we’ll release around Thanksgiving time. You can hear “Death In His Grave” and learn about this great John Mark McMillan song here.
Song: Cling to the Crucified
Reading:
This is the God we worship… Declare this with me:
To Jesus Christ, who loves us
and freed us from our sins by his blood
and made us to be a kingdom,
priests serving his God and Father,
to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
—from Revelation 1:5-6
Amen!
Lord may our lives,
which you have transformed by your gracious love,
truly be lived for your glory
as we serve you and your kingdom,
now and forever.
Amen.
Song: All You Saints, Adopted Ones written by Mike Cosper and Brooks Ritter, based on a hymn by Isaac Watts. We haven’t recorded this one yet but, one day ….
Benediction:
May the love of the cross,
the power of the resurrection,
and the presence of the living Lord
be with you always.
And the blessing of the eternal God,
creator and sustainer,
risen and ascended Lord and Savior,
giver of holiness and love,
be upon you now and evermore.
Peace Be With You.
And Also With You.
