TEXT: Ephesians 1:15-19aSERVICE VIDEO: youtu.be/4pdLWYwrt0w

What are your prayers like? Is it grace before meals? Quick “thank you, God” prayers when you dodge a fender bender? Do you have a certain time and way you pray on a regular basis? Do you tend toward prayers of praise? Of thanks? Of confession? Of asking God for help? All of those are valid ways to pray, and there are more! Likewise, there are many kinds and forms of prayer in scripture, from praise to thanks to confession to petitions to lament and more.

This summer we’ve been digging into different elements of our worship service to see why we use them and how we might understand and experience them more meaningfully and deeply. Even within our service we pray in different ways. I often pray before the sermon. I pray at the Lord’s Table. We pray a prayer of confession most Sundays. We sometimes pray the “Lord’s Prayer” together.

We also take time every Sunday to pray prayers of intercession and petition. The formal name for this element is the “Prayers of the People” though I often label it “Prayers of Intercession” in our bulletin. Most Sundays I lead that prayer, informed by our e-mail prayer ministry, our prayer ministry, and my own interactions with folks. Sometimes Eric or Christy will lead, or one of our elders. And sometimes we have times of open prayer and you actively pray prayers in this corporate community setting. Those are all “Prayers of the People.” And a little later in the service Christy will lead you in this important element of worship.

This morning I want to look at the particular form of prayer in which we pray for the needs of others, also called intercessory prayer. It is at the heart of the “Prayers of the People.” It is not the only way to pray, but it is an important way to pray!

The Example of Jesus (John 17)

Earlier this summer Jim Hinton preached on the “Lord’s Prayer” in which Jesus taught his disciples how to pray using the short prayer we often use in worship. I won’t go back through that this morning.

The disciples also learned how (and when) to pray by observing the example of Jesus. Scripture records multiple examples of Jesus praying, and since those prayers are recorded, it seems evident that some of the disciples were near enough to hear or were otherwise present with him.

John 17 records one of the lengthier prayers of Jesus in which Jesus prayers for his disciples and those who would come after them and believe. It’s one of the passages I’ve taught and preached on many times over the years. It’s where Jesus ask God not to remove those followers (that’s us!) OUT OF the world and to protect them from becoming indistinguishably OF the world. Jesus asks the Father to protect and empower them as they are sent INTO the world in the way he was sent.

There’s much to unpack there about our identity, mission, and purpose in the world, but the main thing I want to highlight this morning is that Jesus is praying for his followers and even praying for us. That’s intercessory prayer: to pray for others, for God’s will and purpose and protection for them.

Let’s look a little more deeply at two other passages in which this kind of prayer is modeled.

A Prayer of Paul (Ephesians 1:15-19a)

Ephesians chapter one is one of the most beautiful and compact statements of what God has done in Christ to be found in scripture. The first fourteen verses describe the salvation of God that at once the power, love, mercy, and grace of God toward all who believe. It is described as an inheritance and a gift that God has intended, planned, and enacted from the beginning. And after that long burst of theology, the Apostle Paul moves into a prayer. It begins with thanks for those in Ephesus who have believed and received this salvation-gift from God. And it moves into intercession, with Paul praying for the Ephesians to understand at the heart-level just how rich and glorious this salvation is.

Let’s look at it in some det

TEXT: Ephesians 5:18b-21; Isaiah 12:1-6SERVICE VIDEO: youtu.be/VQ2oFRGEC5g

I’d like to begin by singing Happy Birthday with you to three people celebrating their birthday this weekend: Carlotta, Maria, and Myrna. What a great GSPC birthday weekend! Let’s sing…

Why do we sing?

Almost everyone will join in singing “Happy Birthday” to celebrate someone they love (or even someone they don’t know – have you ever done that at a restaurant?)!

We sing along with favorite songs on the radio (or music delivery system or your choice). Whether the words or the beat, music elicits a response from us. Even if we are embarrassed to sing publicly, most of you have probably belted one out in the car.

We sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and favorite Christmas songs, perhaps because they bring back memories or make us feel a part of something special.

Singing can express a wide range of emotions: there are happy songs, sad songs, angry songs, and much more.

Singing can communicate a message, sometimes more effectively than speech alone. The music helps anchor the message in our minds in different ways than spoken word alone. I marvel sometimes at the amount of lyrical content teenagers (of each generation) can recall. Ad agencies use this to great effect: do you know this one… “We are Farmers…. [bum ba bum bum, bum bum bum]!” Not much content there, but it’s hard not to join in and you definitely remember the company name!

Some people like make music; others like to listen to music. And while it varies greatly from culture to culture and generation to generation, music transcends cultures and is present in almost every one. It seems like something that God has created in humanity that is an integral part of who we are.

And so today we are going to look broadly at the reasons we sing in worship. Some overlap with the human and cultural reasons I’ve already described. But in addition to that, God is worthy of our praise and music, so there are some specific ways to bring music to bear when we worship. Some of what we’ll look at simply talks about praise, but almost any kind of praise you can do can also be done with music and singing. We are going to look at some of the biblical reasons that music and song are an important part of our worship service.

Our call to worship from Psalm 96 commands, “Sing to the Lord, all the earth!” So we are going to dig into scripture to understand a little better what that means.

Worthy of Praise (Isaiah 12)

Now I realize some people just love to sing for the sake of singing. But the primary reason we sing is not love of singing. The primary reason we sing is to praise God. And we praise God for two reasons: for who God is and for what God has done. We do that because God is WORTHY of praise. God’s being and character are so amazing and awe-inspiring that if we know or encounter God in even the smallest way it should elicit a praise-response from us in the same way that a breath-taking sunrise or expanse of mountains or ocean view brings about a “Wow!” In fact, God made those things! And that leads to what God has done… from creation to merciful redemption of humanity to new life in Christ, God’s works should also elicit “Wow” and “Thank you!” and many other expressions of praise.

Listen again to our call to worship with this in mind. Psalm 96 calls upon us to sing and praise God and gives these very reasons for doing so:

1 Sing to the Lord a new song;Sing to the Lord, all the earth.2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name;Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.3 Tell of His glory among the nations,His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised…

Proclaim God’s glory and wonderful deeds… God’s greatness and salvation.

Isaiah 12 details some more of our reasons for singing, our reasons for praise:

v.1 – “I will give thanks… for although you were angry with me, your anger is turned away, and you comfort me.” – w

TEXT: 1 John 1:1-10SERVICE VIDEO: youtu.be/NM1DBAwJ-ZM

Guest Preacher: Quay Youngblood

Manuscript not available.

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TEXT: Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 67SERVICE VIDEO: youtu.be/ZJw_4whpfwE

“The Lord bless you and keep you, and make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you…” (Numbers 6:25)

Last week we talked about the beginning of worship, the invitation and call to worship. We realized that it begins before you even step into this room, when greeters and other worshipers ask about your week and how you are doing and invite conversation and dialogue.

Today we are talking about the end of the service: the benediction or blessing. I’ll touch on the other uses of the word blessing, but mainly upon that particular kind of blessing. And it is similar to the invitation to worship in that it doesn’t just end our time here, but goes with you back out into the world.

This is also a special service in that we’ll have an opportunity to do plenty of blessing throughout the service. So I look forward to digging deep into the idea and practice of blessing that we find in scripture!

Bless and Blessing

I want to begin with a brief overview of three main uses of the biblical words for ‘bless’ and ‘blessing’.

1. God blesses us (and other things)

God is the source of all blessing and we see that throughout scripture, beginning in Creation. As God created the world, He blessed the fish and birds (Genesis 1:22); the humans (1:28 and 5:2) and even the seventh day, the Sabbath (2:3). Moving forward, God blessed Abraham and his family (Genesis 12:2-3; 22:15-18). There are many uses of the adjective form of the word, “Blessed is/are…,” which helps us understand what it means to be blessed by God. Consider Jeremiah 17:7-8, “Blessed is the one who trusts the Lord.” Or the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, “Blessed are the peacemakers…” (and many other examples). If you look at a number of these descriptions of who is blessed you will see that they share something in common: obedience to the will and Word of the Lord. Jesus says this directly in Luke 11:28, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it.” Or Revelation 1:3, “Blessed is the one who reads and hears and heeds the Word.”

Obedience is the common thread. Blessing is not what comes after rubbing the genie bottle. It’s not winning the lottery. It is the consequence – often the natural consequence – of pursuing and following the will of the Lord. That’s the definition of blessed: to seek and follow the Lord. Creation was God’s perfect will enacted. God pronounced it ‘good’ – and so it was blessed. If obeying God’s Word leads you to be a peacemaker, than you ARE blessed. If it leads you to being merciful, you ARE blessed. And God has blessed you. So if you pray and ask God to bless you or an endeavor or a church, God’s loving and gracious response is, “Then keep my commandments; follow my Word; follow me!” That’s what it means to be blessed.

2. We bless God

There are also many examples in scripture, particularly in the Psalms, of us blessing God. “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me bless His holy name!” (Psalm 103:1) And in the New Testament, several epistles have near the beginning and after the greeting, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor 1:3; Eph 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3) We sing a song here, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul.” So what does it mean for a human being to “bless God” when God is already all in all and it’s God’s will that defines blessing?

It is like a short prayer or declaration: “I align myself with you, O Lord… I want to read and hear and heed your Word!” It’s a declaration of intent, like saying “Your will and Word are holy, good, and perfect, O Lord; may I be found within that place of blessing.” It’s a relational and intentional word and action. Think of saying “I love you” to someone to whom you are close. It’s not just heaping affection upon them; real love puts the needs and wants of the other person in the foreground. “I love you” means I stand ready to love and serve and do what it is that is importan

TEXT: John 4:7-42SERVICE VIDEO: youtu.be/UWkk4cS_090

“Behold, I am making all things new… I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.” (Revelation 21:5-6)

Jesus invites us into worship. Today we are focused in on that invitation or call to worship. It’s one of the first things we do in our worship service, but those few short lines of scripture represent the greater and ongoing invitation from Jesus to all who could come and drink of the living water he offers to us. This summer we are digging into the meaning and biblical basis for the things we do in our worship service and today we are looking at the “Call to Worship.”

I thought about simply talking about what worship is. That’s the direction we went in Sunday school. And I’d love to give you resources on what worship is. I even wrote a devotional book about it and would be glad to give you one if you want it! But for the sermon today I want to look at some of the different ways Jesus invites us into worship using the conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well.

Invitation at the Well (vv.7-25)

What’s going on with you today?

The story begins with a Samaritan woman coming to the well outside her town to draw water. Jesus was traveling with the disciples, but they had all gone into the town to buy food. And Jesus was at the well. The preceding verses say he was tired from the journey and stopped there to rest. But when he sees her there preparing to draw some water from the well, he initiates conversation by asking for a drink. The literal translation is “Give me a drink” (v.7) but it’s not an order, simply a request for water, “May I have some water?” And while he is surely thirsty it becomes clear that he intends more depth to the conversation. But he is meeting her where she is. He’s noticed what she is doing and is inviting more conversation and interaction. Isn’t that an interesting way to contemplate beginning a time of worship.

What’s going on with you today? How was your week? Anything on your mind this morning?

While I don’t begin our formal worship service with those questions, consider that we almost always have folks at the door inviting and welcoming you into the building. They greet you and invite conversation. And then you all are notorious for staying out there [the gathering area]… we’ve had to ring handbells, ask people to come in, and sometimes I even go out to say we are ready to start. You all are checking in with each other or meeting new people. It is how we begin our morning of worship together here. What’s going on with you today? So many of you have already asked or been asked this question!

Are you ever surprised at this? I’m sure newcomers and visitors have been. The woman was surprised that Jesus interacted with her. It was twice unusual because in that culture men didn’t speak to women publicly and Jews didn’t interact with Samaritans. And the Samaritan-Jewish difference was because of religious and racial history. Jesus doesn’t address this question at this point, but sticks on the topic of water to offer her something of greatest value.

There is life and truth and blessing through Jesus Christ

He goes on to say, “If you knew the gift of God and who [you are talking to]… you would have asked and He would have given you living water” (v.10) Jesus is actually offering her water! If she only knew what God was doing and who Jesus was, she would have asked him for water instead. He has “living water.” Perhaps this does answer her question about why he is talking to her. It is not a casual exchange; rather Jesus says that God is up to something and through what he says and how he says it, he invites her into further conversation.

God is here in this place. There is more going on here than you showing up to sing, pray, and hear a sermon. There is more going on than seeing each other. God is here and is doing something! If you could see it, believe it, receive it. T

TEXT: Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26SERVICE VIDEO: youtu.be/8qHk08VSw9o

We are continuing today in our summer series called “Building Blocks of Worship.” We are looking in-depth at the different elements of our worship service, their basis in scripture, and how we might not only engage them more fully on Sunday mornings, but also throughout the week.

Today we are looking at (and celebrating!) the Lord’s Supper. Depending on your background you may have also heard it called communion, the Eucharist, or something similar. Some Christians celebrate it weekly, some monthly (as we do), or on some other time-table. And there are some differences in understanding between the various branches of the Christian Church, but all agree that at this Table we recognize and celebrate the body and blood of Christ, his life given for us.

Throughout the service I am doing a little extra “explaining” of the components of the Lord’s Supper liturgy. But for the sermon I want to focus in on two key scripture passages to talk about the meaning and purpose of the Lord’s Supper.

Sacrament

Luke 22:14-20

The text from Luke 22 parallels similar accounts in the other Gospels in describing the Last Supper and the basis for our own celebration of this meal as a sacrament. There are very lengthy and technical definitions of what makes a sacrament, but I might most simply say that a sacrament is a sign of God’s grace through Jesus Christ that Jesus commanded his followers to do. Protestant churches recognize two sacraments: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. There are other actions Jesus commanded (like foot-washing), but it doesn’t function as a sign of grace as baptism and communion do. Many Protestants (including Presbyterians) further find an historical basis for baptism and communion in the Old Testament rituals of circumcision and Passover as well. I’d love to talk about any of that! But it is all beyond the scope of a sermon, even one focused on the one sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.

So let’s focus in on our biblical text, first on the Last Supper, then in 1 Corinthians on the practice and teaching about the Lord’s Supper in the early church setting.

In Luke 22 Jesus is with the disciples the night of his arrest and crucifixion the next morning. It is Passover week and he makes a connection between the Passover meal, what he is about to suffer, and what God has in store in the future (v.16). Twice in the passage he makes reference to something coming: “I shall never again eat it (Passover) until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God” (v.16) and “I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the Kingdom of God comes” (v.18). There is clearly anticipation and hope in what he is doing.

Then he breaks the bread and takes the cup and says words that are familiar to us: “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me… This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (v.19-20)

In these words he commands that his followers “do this in remembrance of me” (v.19). This is the basis for our re-enacting the meal. Notice these same words on the front of our communion Table (In Remembrance of Me). Each time we celebrate this sacrament we remember Jesus and what the meal signifies.

He explains what the elements signify: the bread is his body, broken and given; the cup is his life poured out. And it is a “new covenant” – not replacing the old covenant(s) with Abraham and David, but fulfilling them. He is the promised one, the blessing of God’s people, the light of the world, the hope of the nations.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul delivers on to his readers what he had heard of this night from others who were there. Likely written before the Gospels, Paul’s words are almost exact duplicates, indicating that already in the first generation of followers the words and actions of the Last Supper were being repeated and re-enacted regularly among bel

GUEST PREACHER: Jason Hinton

No manuscript available.

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TEXT: Ephesians 2:14-18; 4:1-3

May the peace of Christ be with you!   (And also with you.) Good job! You knew just what to do!

We continue today in a summer series called “Building Blocks of Worship.” We are looking at some of the different elements of our worship service, at their basis in scripture, and considering how to experience them more fully in and out of the worship service. And today we are looking at the “Passing of the Peace.”

Origin

This is an element found in many or most traditional worship services across denominations and cultures. It probably has its most ancient roots in the Jewish greeting of ‘Shalom’ (which broadly means ‘peace’ or ‘peace be with you’). We also see that same practice in almost all of the New Testament letters which begin with some form of “Grace and Peace to you in Jesus Christ.” And Jesus taught and practiced the passing of the peace, teaching his followers to speak peace when they entered a house (Luke 10:5) and bidding ‘shalom’ to people in the course of his ministry (cf. Mark 5:34, the woman who touched his robe). Jesus did say there would be conflict and opposition to his message, but broadly he came to proclaim God’s peace as the angels announced at his birth (cf. Luke 2:14).

Meaning

What does it mean to pass the peace? As I said, it is rooted in the Hebrew word ‘shalom’. That is broader than peace between people. It refers to God’s peace: peace WITH God and the peace OF God. It is what was broken at the Fall when our first parents sinned and it is what God promised to restore out of faithful love (‘hesed’) for humanity. God did this in and through Jesus Christ, so it is fitting that the angels announced Peace at the birth of Jesus. It is fitting that Jesus proclaimed God’s peace in his teaching, healing, and ministry.

And because God has extended peace to us and we share in ministry and mission with Jesus, peace does include peace between people. It is fitting that we extend that peace to others in his name. So consider our sermon text for today:

For He Himself is our peace… to you who were far away, and… to those who were near.

14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. (Ephesians 2:14-18)

Jesus is Himself our peace! And Ephesians 2 describes his peace-making work in breaking down the barrier between Jew and Gentile and reconciling both to God through the cross. Quoting Isaiah 57 (our call to worship), we read in Ephesians 2 that Jesus “came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near.” This was God’s promise and intent from the beginning!

So when we speak of God’s peace and when we speak it over one another, we are telling one part of the gracious Gospel story over one another: that God has made peace for you, even if you came from a long way off spiritually; God’s grace and peace are for you!

If we grasp that, it’s more than just a nice thing to say in the middle of the service. It is an encouraging message to speak over each other – family, friends, children, and those who might be visiting with us in worship. It’s a word of welcome and of grace.

And if we really grasp how welcoming it is I think it can even shape our attitude of hospitality and welcome. If we really believe that God offers peace to those who are far from Him, we become less judgmental, more welcome, and eager to see who might be seeking or tentatively exploring God’s love for them.

It also might shape how we see one an

TEXT: Matthew 16:13-18

In our summer series we are looking at “Building Blocks of Worship” and the various components of our worship services. Why do we pray? Why do we sing? Why do we pass the peace? Why do we have an offering and celebrate communion? What exactly IS worship? In this series we are looking at the biblical basis for how we worship as well as how each element of worship helps us grow in our worship and service to the Lord.

Today we are looking at the particular element of professing what we believe. We most often do this with the Apostles’ Creed, but we’ve used others as well, like the Westminster Catechism, the Heidelberg Catechism, and others. We could do this with our own words or by reading or quoting scripture, and sometimes we do. But the great benefit of Creeds like the Apostles’ Creed is that it is grounded completely in scripture, it organizes and summarizes many key themes of scripture, and it binds us together with Christians of many denominations, times, places, and cultures. Hopefully you get a sense of how it is rooted in scripture by the responsive readings we are using today. There is an even fuller list of references for each phrase of the Creed on the back page of the bulletin and Jim Hinton’s Sunday school class dug into some of that. And even that very long list of biblical references is just scratching the surface. I included it in case you wanted to dig into the phrases of the Creed on your own.

Today, however, I am not going to preach through the Apostles’ Creed. There is just not enough time for that. Instead, I’d like to focus on the importance of belief in scripture, using as our primary text the interchange between Jesus, the Apostles, and Peter in Matthew 16.

Confessing Belief (Matthew 16:13-18)

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. (Matthew 16:13-18)

Let’s start there in Matthew 16. It began with Jesus asking the indirect question, “Who do others say I am?” (v.13) And they gave a range of responses which are not so different than what you might hear today: a teacher, a holy man, a Rabbi or prophet. (v.14) Many people have some level of regard for Jesus even today, even if they don’t consider themselves Christian. But it was Peter’s answer that is so distinct. Jesus asked him directly, “Who do you say I am?” (v.15) And for all the times that overeager Peter got things wrong or missed the mark, he got this one just right: “You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God.” (v.16)

What does that mean? That Jesus is the Christ means he is the Messiah or anointed one that God promised to King David and through the prophets, the one who would sit on God’s eternal throne and usher in the Kingdom of God. The “Son of the living God” is both kingly and divine language, recognizing further the promise to send the Messiah through the descendants of David, who was also called a ‘son’ of God. Jesus is more than Rabbi, prophet, teacher, or a “good man.” He is the promised and anointed One God sent into the world and seats on the throne of Heaven.

Jesus goes on to tell Peter that he is blessed and that “flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” (v.17) Scripture teaches us that faith itself is a gift from God, and one God delights to give.

When I think about faith or belief, I think of at least several components. There is what

TEXT: Matthew 6:5-15SERMON: Jim Hinton, elder

Manuscript not available.

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