Living Room Worship, 3/29
Our prayer is that the next few weeks would be focused on Jesus and his life, death and resurrection in a particular way as we prepare to remember his death and celebrate his resurrection on Good Friday and Easter. We are taking a few weeks off from our study of Romans to work through a few portions of Mark’s gospel and consider Jesus together, and the gospel he announced. In the midst of all that’s happening in our world right now, may we be truly mesmerized by King Jesus. He was no peaceful comforter. He was no modern religious proverb deliverer. He is a wild and glorious and shocking and beautiful King who has conquered sin and death. Let him be shocking to you again.
"But you cannot go on ‘explaining away’ for ever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You cannot go on ‘seeing through’ things for ever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond it is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? It is no use trying to ‘see through’ first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To ‘see through’ all things is the same as not to see."
- C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
Call to Worship
The call to worship is a reminder that God welcomes us into His presence. [Leader reads aloud, taken from Isaiah 55:1-3]
“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
And your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.”
He Will Hold Me Fast
When I fear my faith will fail
Christ will hold me fast
When the tempter would prevail
He will hold me fast
I could never keep my hold
Through life's fearful path
For my love is often cold
He must hold me fast
He will hold me fast
He will hold me fast
For my Savior loves me so
He will hold me fast
Those He saves are His delight
Christ will hold me fast
Precious in His holy sight
He will hold me fast
He'll not let my soul be lost
His Promises shall last
Bought by Him at such a cost
He will hold me fast
For my life He bled and died
Christ will hold me fast
Justice has been satisfied
He will hold me fast
Raised with Him to endless life
He will hold me fast
Till our faith is turned to sight
When He comes at last
Confession of Sin
As we come into the presence of God, we are made aware of ways that we have failed to love Him, trust Him and obey Him. He promises that all who confess their sins will be forgiven and cleansed. God, through the work of Jesus deals completely with our guilt and our shame. We encourage you to kneel, bow your head, and reflect on ways that you have not lived in step with God’s commands and confess these to our good King and Father. You will stand when the Assurance is read. [Invite everyone present to kneel and read this passage of Scripture together, taken from Psalm 51]
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight.
so that you may be justified in your words, and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
You will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise.
[Confess sins privately]
Assurance of Pardon
[Leader will read this aloud once all rise]
God makes wonderful promises to those who confess their sins and ask Him for mercy. In 1 John 1:5-10:
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
All Together: Thanks be to God
Be Thou My Vision
Be Thou my vision
O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me
Save that Thou art
Thou my best thought
By day or by night
Waking or sleeping
Thy presence my light
Be Thou my wisdom
And Thou my true Word
I ever with Thee
And Thou with me Lord
Thou my great Father
I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling
And I with Thee one
Riches I heed not
Nor man's empty praise
Thou mine inheritance
Now and always
Thou and Thou only
Be first in my heart
High King of heaven
My treasure Thou art
High King of heaven
When vict'ry is won
May I reach heaven's joys
O bright heaven's Sun
Heart of my own heart
Whatever be-fall
Still be my vision
O Ruler of all
Heart of my own heart
Whatever be-fall
Still be my vision
O Ruler of all
The Nicene Creed
Creeds represent one of the Church’s earliest attempts to define the bounds of what we confess to be true. It focuses primarily on the incarnation of Jesus, the trinitarian nature of God, and the unity of the church being rooted in the apostolic witness, which is given to us in the Bible.
[Read together]
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
We believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
We believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Scripture Readings and Homily
[Please read the scriptures aloud.]
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5
New Testament Reading: Mark 8:22-38
Prayer
Our God is not detached from our world - He hears and answers our prayers. During this time of great need, we are all aware of our need for God to move and display his power and glory in both the world around us and in the lives of those near to us. Whether you are alone or with your family, take a moment to pray aloud [together], asking God to move in specific ways for those in your home, your neighbors, and your city.
[Below are some scriptures you can read to help guide your prayer time]
Psalm 27
Psalm 42
Psalm 91
Proverbs 2:1-8
Matthew 6:9-13
Benediction
God now sends us into the world, to both tell our neighbors about Jesus’ work, and to wield our lives for their good.
Doxology [Everyone stands, raises their hands, and sings together]
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow Praise Him, all creatures here below Praise Him above, ye heavenly host Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen.
[Remain standing as the leader reads aloud, taken from Isaiah 55:10-13]
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
“For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
Leader: May the peace of God be with you,
Together: And also with you!
Interpreting and Applying the Sermon Text
We encourage you to take some time in the coming days to reflect on the sermon text and answer the following questions individually or with friends and family.
How does it make a difference in how one relates to Jesus, in calling him King, from those that only call him a messenger or one of the prophets?
The blind man’s sight is a great depiction of our own blurry vision of seeing Jesus for who He is. How is Jesus confronting your blurry vision of Him this week?
We are to take up our cross and follow Jesus. For the ways that Jesus is still foggy to you this week, what specific ways do you need to come to him and die?