Redeemed to Redeem

The unfolding drama, that is the life of Moses, continues into Exodus 2-4 with the call of Moses.  Moses grew into a man in Pharaoh’s house.  Then one day, Moses, after witnessing the murder of a Hebrew man out in the field, took it upon himself to murder the murderer thus becoming a murderer himself.  He thought no one saw him but the next day Pharaoh found out and Moses fled into the desert so he would not be killed.  While in the desert, he took a wife and became a sheepherder for the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro.  For many years (till he was 80yrs old) Moses wandered through the desert without any inclination that his life would have any other meaning or purpose.

When Moses was nearly eighty years old he was watching over his flock and he saw a mysterious bush burning but not being consumed. He went closer to take a look.  As he drew nearer, God himself called to Moses out of the bush, “Moses!  Moses!”  Moses was stricken with fear and took off his shoes and bowed himself before the Lord. 

God called Moses for a special mission but Moses himself felt inadequate for the job.  The end of Exodus 3 and the beginning of 4 record for us an almost humorous exchange of words between God and Moses.  God condescends to Moses insecurities and assures him that He will be with him and give him success.  He even turns Moses rod into a snake and back again as well as his hand to leprosy and back as much to convince Moses than anyone else.  Though reluctant, Moses accepted the mission along with His brother Aaron.

The story of the call of Moses is a wonderful illustration of God’s sovereign grace.  Here was a man with God’s grace on him form the beginning: rescued from death in the Nile River by Pharaoh’s daughter; raised in Pharaoh’s house as a son; one who felt a great burden for his kinsmen who labored under the oppressive hand of the Egyptians; who stood in the presence of God and was not consumed; then a murder who was toiling away his years as a sheepherder.  But now, a man called by God in his old age for a very special mission.  A mission to set the captives free.

Like Moses, God has called all Christians for a special mission.  A mission that has been the theme of redemptive history from the early chapters of Genesis, to redeem a people back to himself for his glory.  There is no clearer command than Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  This is our mission and God’s promise.  We must go and make disciples.  Like Moses, we may feel that we are inadequate for the mission but, like Moses, we have the promise that God will be with us. 

Last week we looked at Romans 8:28 and here is the rest of thought that completes the picture for us: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?  Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The thing that Moses and we fail to understand is that it’s not about us.  It’s about God.  It’s about his will being done for His glory, not ours.  We have no reason to feel inadequate or fearful because God is for us and He is empowering us for mission to spread the good news about what Jesus did.  The Lord has equipped each one (whether mute, deaf, seeing, blind, etc.) to fulfill His calling.  If we suffer for the sake of the Gospel then so be it.  “Count it all Joy!”  In so doing, we suffer alongside of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If God can use Moses’ “stick” than He can surely use us!  Go, on mission!

Lord's Supper Liturgy

Lord’s Supper Service

The Lord’s Supper is a special event in the life of a church.  It’s all about remembering what God graciously did in punishing His Son to forgive our sins.  It’s about God’s grace in applying that saving work to us through the gift of faith in Christ alone.  It’s about the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternity with him where sickness, sorrow, toil, pain, and death shall be no more and we shall see him face to face. It’s all about what God has done for us, what he is doing for us, and what he is going to do for us in Christ.

Words of Institution

In I Corinthians 11:23-29, we have the words of institution of the Lord’s Supper delivered to us by the apostle Paul.  Here the word of the Lord,

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “this is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.  Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.  That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.  But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.  But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

In light of Paul’s warning, the Lord’s Supper is also a time of self-examination.  In order for us to partake of the supper rightly, each of us must examine ourselves.  You need to ask yourselves some serious questions.  Do you realize how serious your sin is to Holy God?  Are you resting fully in what Christ has done to forgive you for your sins (His perfect life, sacrificial death, and resurrection)?  Are you persevering in faith and repentance?

If you have not trusted Him as Savior, there is good news: Jesus says,

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

(Matthew 11:28-30)

And John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

If you are trusting in Christ as your Savior and sin has hindered your fellowship with God and your brother there is good news for you as well, I John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Invitation

If you have trusted Christ as your Savior and you have properly examined yourself and confessed your sins then you may joyfully partake of the Lord’s Supper this morning.  But, I urge you, by the Words of the Apostle Paul, if these things are not true of you then do not partake of the Lord’s Supper lest you eat and drink judgment upon yourself.

So, at this time, I’d like us to pause for a moment of silent reflection and self-examination.  I encourage you to use this time to confess sin, to praise God for his gracious plan of redemption, to remember the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus, to thank him for all the benefits of his saving work and the privilege of communing with Him at His table.  Will you bow with me?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we admit to you this morning that we are utterly sinful and unworthy of your favor.  We want to thank you for your grace and your mercy and love for us in that while we were yet sinners you sent your only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to save us from our sinful condition.  It was your plan before the foundation of the world.  Thank you Jesus for living a perfect life, for dying on the cross and shedding your blood for our sins, for defeating death and sin and satisfying the Father’s wrath that was aimed at us.  Father, thank you for the assurance of knowing that all those who trust Jesus Christ will one day spend eternity with you because on the third day Jesus rose again and ascended to your mighty right hand where he is today as our great high priest making intercession for us.  Lord, enable us day by day to live by faith in your Son, to walk by your Spirit, and serve in the strength that you supply.  And, as we come to your table this morning may we remember why Jesus died – to cleanse and to heal; to satisfy your righteousness and justice.  May we remember His eternal love and boundless grace.  May we receive the assurance of forgiveness, eternal life, and the hope of glory.  As the bread and cup nourish our body, so may your indwelling Holy Spirit strengthen our soul, until the day of Christ’s appearing when we will hunger and thirst no more, and sit with him at his heavenly table.  We ask that you would come quickly Lord Jesus.  Amen.

Lord’s Supper

Men, if you would come forward to receive the elements.

Hold up the bread

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.  (I Cor. 11:23-24)

Hold up the cup

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.  (I Cor. 11:25-26)

Congregational Lord’s Prayer (Mat. 6:9-13)

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Lord’s Supper

Men, if you would pass out the bread.

The body of our Lord, Jesus Christ, which was given for us.  Let us eat together.

Men, if you would pass out the cup.

The blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, through which we have the forgiveness of sins.  Let us drink together.

Redeeming the Past

Paul says, in Romans 8:28, that “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  Many of us can say this verse by heart.  We know it in our heads but the question is, “do we believe it in our hearts?”  As we look around at the world today, at our lives, and the lives of those we have relationships with, we sometimes ask, “really God, all things work together for good?”  When all around is war, murder, violence, sexism, racism, abortion, euthanasia, genocide, suicide, hunger…do you believe that all things work together for good? 

The story of Moses found in Exodus 1-2 challenges the notion that God is passive and uninvolved in the affairs of men.  As the drama unfolds in the pages of Scripture, God’s sovereignty and his providential work in the redemption of mankind becomes a clear theme as a continuation of the foundation laid in Genesis.  God is good!

Exodus begins with the Israelites toiling under the oppressive hand of the evil Egyptian Pharaoh.   Joseph and his generation were dead and the children of Israel had multiplied to such a number that the new Pharaoh felt threatened that they might join his enemies and defeat him.  So he devised and executed a plan of oppression.  He ruthlessly made them work as slaves under harsh taskmasters and afflicted them with heavy burdens.  He ordered the Hebrew midwives to murder every son born to the Hebrew women and when the Hebrew midwives disobeyed for fear of God, Pharaoh ordered all baby boys to be thrown to the crocodiles of the Nile River.  Thousands were killed!  Despite Pharaoh’s evil intensions and cruel treatment, God continued to bless the Israelites.  As slaves, they multiplied--Under order to abort baby boys, they continued to multiply and grow strong--As soldiers took babies by force and threw them into the Nile, a deliverer was born. 

In the midst of all this turmoil, there was a certain baby boy who was born to the wife of a Levite woman.  She hid him for three months and when she could hide him no more she made a basket (an ark), put pitch and bitumen on it (like Noah), and placed in the water of the Nile River.  (It’s almost like God is giving us this story to teach us something bigger here.J)  God then providentially brings Pharaoh’s daughter to the bank of the river who finds the baby and decides to keep him as her own son, have his own mother nurse him, and name him Moses which means taken out of the water.

The story of the birth of Moses, not unlike the story of Noah, is a story about Jesus.  Moses is a shadow of a deliverer who was yet to come.  Like Noah, Moses was chosen by God to deliver his people.  Like Noah, Moses faced watery judgment and lived.  Like Noah and Moses, Jesus was chosen by God to endure suffering at the hands of evil men and live.

The question is, “so what?”  What does this old story have to do with us?  How does this old story relate to all things working together for good?  Well…like Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, all those who love God and have been called by Him can live by faith knowing that all things work together for good.  This is not just any old story but it’s our story.  God’s chosen people in every age have endured suffering as a means to their sanctification and we are no different.

Christians of old had to wrestle with the same questions that we wrestle with.  Surely, the Israelites questioned whether God was working all things for good while toiling in Egypt and they must have wondered where God was when their babies were being murdered by the thousands at the hand of Pharaoh.  As the drama unfolds we can see clearly what God was up to.  He was purifying a people for himself.  He was and is sovereignly working in the affairs of men to fulfill a promise that he made to Adam and Eve--The promise of one that would defeat sin and Satan forever thereby delivering His people from their sin once and for all.

As we face the sins of our past and make war against sin in the present and as we face suffering in this life, we can rest in the fact that God is in control.  He is working all things together for our good.  Although we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death He has promised to be their with us, to guide us, protect us, comfort us, provide for us, and assure us that greener pastures lie ahead.  This does not mean that we will not face hardship in this life.  It doesn’t mean that we will always understand why God has chosen to do things the way that he has chosen. But, it does mean, like Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and all the saints of years gone by that our momentary sufferings in this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  

What ever you have done and whatever has been done to you is for your good.  God is good.  He is Sovereign.  He is providentially working in your life to draw you closer to Him and conform you into His image.  Redeem the past.  Accept what God has done and is doing as good and use it for good in the life of others.

The Gospel of Exodus…to be continued…

For more on suffering, read Romans 8 in its entirety.  

The Tears of God

The book of Genesis is the seedpod or the beginning of all things.  After six days, the triune God pronounces all of his creation including mankind, very good.  What once was formless and void, an uninhabited chaotic ball of water, is now teaming with order and beauty and life.  The man that God created (Adam) is the king of the earth.  He lives in perfect harmony with God, his wife (Eve), and nature.  But this perfect world was short lived.  Man chose to rebel against God by eating from the one tree of the garden that God forbid him to eat from.  Adam’s fatal choice (the fall) plunged the human race into total depravity.  God exercised his justice along with his grace by punishing Adam for his disobedience while letting him live outside the garden in hopes that the promised seed of the woman would soon redeem them from there sinful condition.

In Genesis chapter 6, we have pictured for us what life was like east of Eden.  Man was fruitful and multiplied upon the earth but with the multiplication came multiplied sin.  The condition of mankind was so corrupt that God looked upon the hearts of the people that he created and saw that they were completely wicked and that the very intentions of the thoughts of their hearts were only evil continually.  And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it GRIEVED him in his heart.  So the Lord once again turned the earth back into a chaotic ball of watery judgment. 

“It grieved him in his heart,” is not a throw away line.  As many times as we have read the story of Noah and the great flood, how many times have we stopped to think about these most important words?  Six words that give us a window into the heart of our God.  A God who is not first, creator, but who is first, Father.  A loving Father who is grieved to his very core that the world that he created has fallen so far from glory.  Our God cries!  He cries for mankind, who was created in his image to live in perfect harmony with him, but who has fallen into the depths of depravity and lost his first love. 

The awful and wonderful thing about God’s grief is that it is our salvation.  The whole story of Noah and the ark is about Jesus.  It is a foreshadowing of the one who would come (the seed of the woman) and save mankind from the final judgment (by fire).  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.  God, our Father, sent his Son into this world to pay the penalty for our sin.  He lived a perfect life, he died on the cross and shed his blood, and he rose again defeating death and sin.  Only a relational God who is intimately involved in the lives of his children would do such a thing.  His grief is motivated by his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.  

While the story of Noah and the ark is a real event in history that had very real affects on all of creation, we must not overlook the redemptive note that cries out from the pages of Scripture.  Just like Noah, Jesus was chosen by God to save mankind.  Just like Noah, Jesus went through the waters God’s wrath.  Just like Noah, Jesus endured the wrath and lived.  But unlike Noah, Jesus endured the wrath and emerged victoriously sinless.  Jesus died once, the righteous for the unrighteous, to appease the wrath of God so that we would not have to experience the fiery judgment to come.  That’s Good News!

Although thousands of years separate us from our great ancestor, Noah, and from our earthly elder brother, Jesus Christ, the world that we live in is not so different  (sinful, violent, and awaiting judgment).  Like Noah and Jesus, Christians are God’s ambassadors warning the world of the judgment to come and spreading the good news of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  The question is, “is your heart GRIEVED for the lost and dying peoples of the world who face impending doom or are you indifferent?”  Beloved, God is love so let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  If you’ve been born of God then the love of God should lead you to grieve for the lost. But like Noah, who by faith built an ark and warned the people of his day of coming judgment, we must not be paralyzed by grief but persevere in faith and good works for the glory of God.

On the Internet

On the Internet by Hubert Dreyfus is a critique of the use of the Internet for distance learning.  His main themes are embodiment, hyperlinks, distance learning, telepresence, and nihilism.  Dreyfus critically exposes the weaknesses of the internet on all of these fronts.  While there will inevitably be some weakness’ when using the medium of the internet (as with any medium), I thought that Dreyfus spent too much time arguing against the extreme claims and misuses of the internet and not enough time presenting the positive uses of the internet.  Chapter 2, “How Far is Distance Learning from Education?” was of special interest to me.

Dryfus begins with some facts.  He says that knowledge is doubling every year or so which calls for a new wave of technology he terms “hyperlearning”.  Hyperlearning refers not only to the accelerated pace of learning but also to the unprecedented degree of connectedness of knowledge, experience, media, and brains – both human and nonhuman.  He then jumps right into exposing the weakness of other touted technologies of the past (like the motion picture and the radio) insinuating that the Internet will prove to be equally as ineffective at educating the masses as they were.  And, his argument continues as to the pros and cons of face-to-face learner and teacher over against the virtual/disembodied experience delivered by the Internet.

When it comes to communication, specifically in the context of education, Dreyfus goes to great lengths to convince his readers of the absolute advantage of face-to-face learning over against distance learning.  Nobody will deny that communication is more than just words.  This is an obvious weakness to distance education.  But, Dreyful continually argues the extremes in order to dismiss the whole.  For example, he argues for how ridiculous it would be for medical students to sit at home and experience surgical procedure through the lens of a camera and a microphone attached to the surgeon.  Who would disagree?  This is obviously stretching the claims of what the virtual education is able to accomplish without admitting to what it can accomplish.

Dreyfus breaks down the learning process into 7 helpful stages: Novice, Advanced Beginner, Competence, Proficiency, Expertise, Mastery, and Practical Wisdom.  These areas are helpful for understanding his conclusion.  He concludes that in the best-case scenario the distance learner can only achieve level three (Competence).  Every level beyond competence requires the honing of theories and principles learned under the watchful eye and skillful hand of an embodied master.  For this reason, he concludes that distance learning delivered by means of the Internet ALONE falls short of producing educated individuals with full mastery of their field of study.  

In defense of the use of the Internet for distance learning I would argue that neither the distance education teacher nor the learner is just a voice in cyberspace with no context, authority, or identity.  The distance learner is not locked in a dungeon somewhere and chained to a desk chair in front of a computer screen.  Modern distance education programs offer many great delivery methods such as:  real time classes through video conferencing, mp3, cd, steaming video, recorded video…  Student to student and student to teacher forums, email, telephone, skype, and mentorship programs allow for multiple ways to keep in contact, interact, and practice with real people through the medium of the Internet and face-to-face.  The distance learner has the advantage of putting what he has learned in theory directly into practice in the real world.  Obviously, discernment must be used as what areas of study are suited to this method. 

Among others, I believe seminary training is an ideal course of study that can use the Internet to produce master students.  Students pursuing a theological education through the Internet are able to maintain their current job, church membership, and address while getting the education that they need.  Far from being chained to a desk chair, students are able to practice what they have learned in theory in the context of their family, church, and community.  When considering the pros and cons of being on campus or learning from a distance, it’s hard to say which is better.  Each offers a unique learning experience.  Some may prefer being on campus and other may prefer using the Internet.  Both are good.  Both have advantages and disadvantages.  Seminaries and other institutions of higher learning should recognize the advantages of offering courses of study using multiple methods and means of delivery in order to produce students with full mastery of the subject matter in theory and in practice.

In conclusion, Dreyfus, after spending most of the book criticizing the Internet and its proponents, comes to a balanced conclusion himself.  The Internet, like all other mediums of communication, is imperfect.  Spoken language, body language, books, chalkboards, projectors, videos, mp3s…all have their limitations but they are good inherently.  They are gifts from God to be used wisely and responsibly for the good of all men.  Admittedly, distance education is not the end-all-be-all answer to solving the world’s problems and its use of technology obviously has its limitations but it can be used very effectively to meet the needs of modern students.  Dreyfus himself admits to using recorded lectures and other means of communication via the Internet to enhance the classroom learning experience.  

February 20, 2011

Order of Worship

Lord’s Day Morning: February 20, 2011

Call to Worship

Good Morning.  I’d like to welcome you this morning in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to worship the Lord, the almighty creator of heaven and earth, our Savior and Lord, together.

(From I Peter 1&2)

Knowing this, that all those who are trusting in Jesus Christ alone have been ransomed from the futile ways of this world, not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.  He has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light so that our faith and hope are in Him.

Please stand with me for prayer this morning…

Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving  

Lord we want to praise you this morning because you are the way, the truth, and the life.  We want to thank you for calling us out of darkness into your marvelous light.  We were once dead in our trespasses and sins and you made us alive.  We were once blind but now we see.  Lord, thank you for sending Jesus into this world to pay the penalty for our sins.  Lord, we don’t deserve your grace but we want to thank you and praise you for it.  Lord, fill us with your Holy Spirit and enable us to worship you rightly this morning.  We ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Intro to:  Marvelous Light (I Peter 2:9)

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Song 1: Marvelous Light

Congregational Reading (Exodus 20)

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Honor thy father and thy mother.

Thou shalt not kill.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Thou shalt not steal.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Thou shalt not covet.

Intro to: War Rages (Romans 7:21-24)

I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.  For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Song 2: War Rages

Intro to: Breathing the Breath (Acts 17:24-25)

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

Song 3: Breathing the Breath

Prayer of Confession

Lord, we have nothing to give that didn’t first come from your hand.  We have nothing to offer you that you did not first provide.  Every good and perfect gift comes from your kind and gracious heart.  And all we do is give back to you what always has been yours.  Lord, please accept our offering this morning and use it to glorify for your name.  We ask this in Jesus name, Amen

Offering (Offertory: Breathing the Breath)

Intro to: In Christ Alone

In CHRIST ALONE our HOPE is found!

Song 4: In Christ Alone

Intro to: I’ll Fly Away

All those who hope in Christ alone are strangers and exiles on this earth, who desire a better country, a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Song 5: I’ll Fly Away

Scripture Reading (Acts 3)

Prayer of Illumination

Sermon

Prayer of Intercession

Song of Benediction: In Christ Alone

Benediction (Philippians 4:19&21)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Invitation to Baptism

Dismiss

February 13, 2011 Evening

ORDER OF WORSHIP

Lord’s Day Evening: Sunday, February 13, 2011

Call to Worship (Michael)

Good Evening.  I’d like to welcome you this evening in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost to worship the Lord this evening. 

Psalm 1:1-4, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.  The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”

Song of Praise: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving

Gentlemen, please come forward as we prepare to receive the offering and recite the Lord’s Prayer together…

Congregational Lord’s Prayer

Offering (Special Music)

Prayer of Confession and Illumination

Sermon (Psalm 103)

Prayer of Intercession

Song of Response: Before the Throne of God Above

Missionary Letter: Gary Lankford, Mexico/USA

Share Praises and Prayer Requests

Prayer for Praises And Requests (Michael)

Song of Benediction: Be Thou My Vision

Blessing