Worship - Second Sunday of Easter
(11 April 2021)
Call to Worship:
Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, you his servants;
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.
(Psalm 113)
Opening Prayer:
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, 1979)
Music – Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Call to Worship:
Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, you his servants;
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.
(Psalm 113)
Opening Prayer:
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, 1979)
Music – Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
The Gospel Project: Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection
Prayer for Children and Youth:
(Take a moment to pray for the children and youth who are connected with our church. Pray for the children/youth and their parents during this new school year. Pray for Pastor Andrew and the Sunday School teachers and youth leaders who lead Berwick Baptist Church’s ministries to children and youth in our community.)
Prayer of Adoration:
Almighty God, we often praise you for what you have done for us (and this we should do and do so often!), but God, help us to remember that you are worthy of our praise and adoration simply for who you are, apart from what you have done for us.
This morning we praise you for your transcendence—that you God are high and lifted up. Your word tells us that you, the LORD, are exalted over all the nations, that your glory is above the heavens and that there is none like you, the One who sits enthroned on high. You God are the great King of all the universe, you are high and lifted up, and we praise you.
Yet, this transcendence does not mean that you are removed and do not care about what you have created. You lovingly rule over all things. For your word also teaches that you are a God who is both transcendent and immanent—that you are a God who stoops done and looks on the heavens and the earth—and this was done in the most amazing way through the coming of Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity who took on flesh and dwelt among us, living the perfect life and dying the perfect death so that all who repent and believe in him have life in his name.
We praise you, God, for your transcendence and your immanence, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
(NOTE: Check out THIS article by John Frame on Transcendence and Immanence, which helped my thinking for this prayer)
Scripture: Read Acts 4:32–35
Scriptural Response: Read Psalm 133
Prayer of Confession:
Merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you
with our whole heart and mind and strength.
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be,
so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your holy name.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
(Reprinted by Permission from The Worship Sourcebook, © 2004, CRC Publications)
Assurance of Pardon:
If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Thanks be to God!
Music – And Can It Be:
Scriptural Response: Read Psalm 133
Prayer of Confession:
Merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you
with our whole heart and mind and strength.
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be,
so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your holy name.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
(Reprinted by Permission from The Worship Sourcebook, © 2004, CRC Publications)
Assurance of Pardon:
If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Thanks be to God!
Music – And Can It Be:
Pastoral Prayer:
Requests:
-Church and Community
-EVBA: Centreville Baptist Church and the Rev. Dr. Steven Hopper
-Bustins and CBM
-COVID-19 Vaccine Roll Out – Canada has now reached over 1 million positive cases
We pray all these things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray…. “Our Father….”
Theological Truths – The Nicene Creed:
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he come down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
(Reprinted by Permission from The Worship Sourcebook, © 2004, CRC Publications)
Scripture: Read 1 John 1:1–2:2
Message: Jesus Christ: Incarnate Word, Advocate, and Perfect Sacrifice
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he come down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
(Reprinted by Permission from The Worship Sourcebook, © 2004, CRC Publications)
Scripture: Read 1 John 1:1–2:2
Message: Jesus Christ: Incarnate Word, Advocate, and Perfect Sacrifice
(PLEASE NOTE: In this sermon, I make use of Daniel Akin's Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary on 1, 2, 3 John (in addition to quotes from Akin directly, it is from this commentary that I got the introductory quote by Karl Menninger, and the quotes from Charles Spurgeon and Martin Luther). I also made use of John Stott's commentary on 1, 2, and 3 John and Reading the Bible Book by Book by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart. I also looked at Akin's more technically commentary in the New American Commentary series, an overview sermon on 1 John by Mark Dever, and the ESV Study Bible. These will be my main sources for this series on 1 John.)
Music – Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God:
Closing Prayer
Gracious God, we praise and thank you for this day you have given to us. Help us to not walk in darkness but to walk in the light. And help us to look to Christ as our advocate and perfect atoning sacrifice, whose blood cleanses us of all our sins. Keep us safe throughout this coming week, we pray, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, your only Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever praised, Amen.
Benediction
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, 28)
Closing Prayer
Gracious God, we praise and thank you for this day you have given to us. Help us to not walk in darkness but to walk in the light. And help us to look to Christ as our advocate and perfect atoning sacrifice, whose blood cleanses us of all our sins. Keep us safe throughout this coming week, we pray, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, your only Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever praised, Amen.
Benediction
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, 28)
|
Website by Munn Marketing © 2020
|