Prepare (June 5, 2016)

This blog gives you a glimpse into the upcoming Sunday Gathering. It's an opportunity for you to read through the passage we'll be studying together, pray through some of the liturgy we'll be using, and listen to a selection of the songs we’ll be singing.

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The Challenges of Work

SERMON

This week Tom Thrower is going to be taking us through some of the challenges of working in a sinful and broken world.

LITURGY

Confession & Assurance

So often our hearts wander and bow down to idols that we've put in the place of God: money, success, security, comfort. We value these things above God, believing they will bring us true joy and true satisfaction.

The hope of the gospel is that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. So we can rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

MUSIC

• In Tenderness He Sought Me (Citizens): A wonderful reminder that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• How Deep the Father’s Love (Stuart Townend): A reflection on the depth of  God’s love shown to us in the cross of Christ.  

Reflect (May 29, 2016)

Welcome to the recap of songs, hymns, liturgy and sermon from this past Sunday’s gathering. This blog exists to give you the chance to reflect on what you heard in the gathering or catch up if you weren’t able to be with us.

*The indented sections are responses read aloud by the congregation during the Gathering.

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What Went Wrong With Work

CALL TO WORSHIP

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name for ever.
(Psalm 86:8-12)

Song: How Great Is Our God

Song: 10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)

Confession and Assurance

Heavenly Father we thank you that you are a generous God, one who loves to pour good gifts onto his children. Yet we know, that sin has corrupted us and the good gifts you give to us.

We confess that so often we use these gifts for selfish gain. We take what you have given us and use it to build ourselves up, putting ourselves in your place rather than serving you and serving others. Help us, by your spirit to not let these things become idols but to use them to glorify you. Amen.

Song: Shine Into Our Night

Song: Made Alive

Passing of the Peace

Preaching of the Word

Gary Aston preached the third in our series "Vocation: Working in God's World". He explored what went wrong with work looking at Genesis 3. Click here to listen to that sermon.

Communion

Every week we want to respond to what God has done for us in Jesus. One of the great ways he has provided for us to remember the truth of the gospel is giving us communion. As we take the bread and the wine we remember what Jesus has done for us.

Post Communion Reading

Jesus’ death brings us life and this meal reminds us that we are fed by Jesus and forgiven because of Jesus.

We rejoice that You have died, rose again, and are now with the Father advocating for us. Amen.

With our money, time, and talent we give generously, knowing that through Your Son, Jesus, You have generously given to us.

We rejoice that You have given everything and we joyfully give everything back to Your care. Amen.

Song: When I Survey

Song: This I Believe

Commitment Reading

"Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)"               (Ephesians 5:1-2, 8-9)

When Jesus gave himself up for us, he took our darkness upon him on the cross, defeating sin and declaring us righteous. Not only do we get to enjoy work in light of that truth but we also get to look to a day where all things will be made new. Where work will be restored and sin will be no more.

Song: New Again

Benediction

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Peace be with you.

And also with you.
Amen.

At Redeemer We...

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
- Romans 12:1 -

The Bible calls us to see that, in Christ, the whole life of a Christian should rightly be considered worship. But the New Testament also recognises that the church gathers in different places and in different ways to offer praise and worship to God together. That’s why, at Redeemer, we love our Sunday gatherings. They are a chance for us, together, to continue our worship of God as a community, to hear from God through his word, to encourage and build one another up in the gospel and to be a witness of the good news to our local community. 

At Redeemer we want the contours of the gospel shape everything we do, including our Sunday gatherings. So every Sunday we structure the whole gathering to re-present the gospel. This means we don’t only hear the gospel as the sermon is preached, but we celebrate the story of the gospel in the structure of the gathering itself. That is why our liturgy--the way we form our gatherings--follows the story of the gospel from the call to worship right through to the benediction. 

We believe God wants to meet with us, not only as we gather on a Sunday, but each week as we live out lives of worship to him. So, to help Sundays saturate the rest of our week, we'll be posting weekly blogs to both reflect on the previous Sunday gathering and prepare for the upcoming one. In the "Prepare" blog post you will find a snippet of the liturgy we’ll be using the following Sunday as well as songs we’ll be singing and the Bible passage we’ll be studying together. The "Reflect" post will be a full rundown of the previous Sunday’s gathering including all liturgy, songs and a link to the sermon audio. 

Our great prayer is that these posts would be used by God to prepare your hearts for what he has to say to you through his word and to continue to reflect on what he has been teaching you through our Sunday gatherings.

God bless,

Gary Aston