Reflect (October 23, 2016)

Welcome to the Sunday Gathering recap (songs, hymns, liturgy and sermon). This blog gives you an opportunity 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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REDEEMER VISION - The Gospel

CALL TO WORSHIP

Blessed be the Lord! For he has heard the voice of our pleas for mercy.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped.

Our hearts exult the Lord and with our song we give thanks to Him.

The Lord is the strength of His people; he is our saving refuge! Praise be to God!

Based on Psalm 28:8

Song: Rock of Ages 

Song: Rejoice

CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE

God has lavishly poured his grace onto us in Christ. He is the giver of all good gifts. Yet so often we worship the gifts he has given us, rather than Him. We boast in them and neglect to give glory to the one who has given us everything. Take a moment to confess to God now, your tendency to forget him, to worship his gifts rather than him.

Hear this glorious reminder to us now:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Song: Saviour of the World

PASSING OF THE PEACE

PREACHING OF THE WORD

We started our Redeemer Vision sermon series this week and Gary Aston preached to us from 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. He reminded us from the passage that our boast should only ever be in Jesus Christ and him crucified. 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 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: How Deep the Father's Love for Us

Song: Hallelujah What a Saviour 

COMMITMENT READING

Father God, we pray that by your Spirit you would help us to be a church always
centered around the Gospel. Help us to only preach Christ and Him crucified.

Protect us from disunity and grumbling that we would always strive to build one
another up and challenge one another in the Gospel. May our only boast be in
Jesus Christ and his finished work for us on the cross. Amen.

Song: Be Thou My Vision 

BENEDICTION

May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Peace be with you.

And also with you. 

Amen.

PRAY

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We want to do all we can to encourage you to pray. As we shared in the Redeemer 2020 vision, the primary thing we want to call you to is prayer. Without seeking God in prayer all of our plans are in vain. But prayer is hard and it is easy to get discouraged. In my experience, one of the easiest ways to get discouraged in prayer is to think it relies on our ability. But prayer is not primarily about us. It’s not about the greatness of our ability; the eloquence of our words; even the level of our faithfulness. Prayer is about the power of God.

There’s a part in Ephesians where Paul is talking about prayer. After he has told them some of the ways he is praying he reminds them of who they are praying to:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. (Ephesians 3:20)

Paul tells us that it isn’t just that God is capable of doing more than we can ask- that would be an amazing thing in and of itself. But no, he says God is capable of doing even more than we could imagine. So your loftiest thought, your most outrageous expectation, the things that you never dare mention to anyone because they sound too much, Paul says God is capable of outstripping all of those. And, as if to reassure us, Paul says his power is already at work in us. His Holy Spirit has already brought us from spiritual death to spiritual life, opening our eyes to the truth of the gospel. The same power of God is now at work in the church, working to bring about his plans and purposes.That’s why we read that verse together at our prayer and planning nights.

So when we pray it’s not about our ability, what we are capable of. No, we have confidence in prayer because God is faithful, because God is powerful, because he is the one who has all that we require and knows all that we need. So please use the prayer cards to pray regularly for the 2020 vision. Download the wallpapers so you are reminded to pray. Do whatever you can to pray that God would allow us to grow, plant & impact to see the city and beyond transformed by Jesus.

‘Thou art coming to a King,

Large petitions with thee bring;

For His grace and power are such,

None can ever ask too much’ 

-John Newton

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Redeemer Vision

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While you listen, reflect on the Gathering this sermon is from. 

While you listen, reflect on the Gathering this sermon is from.

While you listen, reflect on the Gathering this sermon is from. 

While you listen, reflect on the Gathering this sermon is from. 

While you listen, reflect on the Gathering this sermon is from. 

While you listen, reflect on the Gathering this sermon is from. 

Prepare (October 23, 2016)

This blog gives you a glimpse into the upcoming Sunday Gathering. It's an opportunity 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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REDEEMER VISION - The Gospel

SERMON

Gary Aston will be kicking off our Redeemer Vision sermon series by beginning with the Gospel. The Gospel shapes everything we do and so where better to start. He'll be taking us to 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 to help us think through why our boast should only be in Jesus.

LITURGY

COMMITMENT READING

Father God, we pray that by your Spirit you would help us to be a church always centered around the Gospel. Help us to only preach Christ and Him crucified.

Protect us from disunity and grumbling, that we would always strive to build one another up and challenge one another in the Gospel. May our only boast be in Jesus Christ and his finished work for us on the cross. Amen. 

MUSIC

• Rock of Ages (Dustin Kensrue): A wonderful reminder that God is our rock and refuge, we can hide ourselves in him and find safety. 

• Be Thou My Vision (Ascend the Hill): A plea that God would be our vision in all of life's circumstances, that he would be our everything and our delight.