"Genuine love for people
and genuine worship towards God
hang on the pursuit of joy."
— John Piper
Welcome
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Preparation
As a household, give yourselves a few moments to settle in. Take a few deep breaths. Check-in with yourself/household: name the thoughts that are filling your mind in this moment.
Take a few more deep breaths.
Now be reminded of the joy of God in this call to worship.
Call to Worship
based on Psalm 36:7-9, 100:4
How priceless is the unfailing love of God!
People take refuge in the shadow of His wings.
They feast on the abundance of His house;
He gives them drink from His river of delights.
For with Him is the fountain of life;
in His light we see light.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
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In the Bible, God invites us to worship because it is not our natural impulse to come to Him. Still He calls, reminding us of His pursuing love. May we respond out of gratitude.
Opening Prayer
Jesus, maker and renewer of all things, what a gift to know you and your redeeming work! You are our Savior, our Liberator, our Healer, our Rest, and our Joy. May our hearts be captured by your spectacular love and renewed by your Spirit so that we might follow you with abundant joy. For the sake of your glorious name, Amen.
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Prayer is simply conversation with God. Our worship is filled with prayer as we seek to know and delight in our Father.
Song of Praise
Verse 1:
Are you thirsty, are you empty
Come and drink these living waters
Tired and broken, peace unspoken
Rest beside these living waters
Chorus:
There’s a river that flows with mercy and love
Bringing joy to the city of our God
There our hope is secure, do not fear anymore
Praise to the Lord of living waters
Verse 2:
Christ is calling, find refreshing at the cross of living waters
Lay your life down, all the old gone
Rise up in these living waters
Chorus:
There’s a river that flows with mercy and love
Bringing joy to the city of our God
There our hope is secure, do not fear anymore
Praise to the Lord of living waters
Bridge:
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after Thee
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship Thee
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship Thee
Verse 3:
Spirit moving, mercy washing
Healing in these living waters
Lead your children to the shoreline
Life is in these living waters
Chorus:
There’s a river that flows with mercy and love
Bringing joy to the city of our God
There our hope is secure, do not fear anymore
Praise to the Lord of living waters
Living Waters by Ed Cash and Kristyn Getty As The Deer by Martin Nystrom
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Music at Redeemer seeks to remind us of the beauties of the Lord and express our deepest emotions: joy and praise, sadness and anger, love and gratitude, fear and hope. We sing because we believe God is the greatest hero and joy the world has ever known. He is mighty enough to receive cosmic praise, and tender enough to handle our most fragile whimpers and hurts.
Song of Praise
Verse:
I approach the throne of glory
Nothing in my hands I bring
But the promise of acceptance From a good and gracious King
Verse:
I will give to You my burden
As You give to me Your strength
Come and fill me with Your Spirit
As I sing to You this praise
Chorus:
You deserve the greater glory
Overcome, I lift my voice
To the King in need of nothing
Empty handed I rejoice
You deserve the greater glory
Overcome with joy I sing By Your love I am accepted
You’re a good and gracious King
Verse:
O what grace that You would see me
As Your child and as Your friend
Safe, secure in You forever
I pour out my praise again
Chorus:
You deserve the greater glory
Overcome, I lift my voice
To the King in need of nothing
Empty handed I rejoice
You deserve the greater glory
Overcome with joy I sing By Your love I am accepted
You’re a good and gracious King
Bridge:
Holy, holy, Lord Almighty
Good and gracious Good and gracious
Holy, holy, Lord Almighty
Good and gracious King
Chorus:
You deserve the greater glory
Overcome, I lift my voice
To the King in need of nothing
Empty handed I rejoice
You deserve the greater glory
Overcome with joy I sing By Your love I am accepted
You’re a good and gracious King
© 2016 CityAlight Music Words and music by Jonny Robinson, James Ferguson, Michael Farren
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Music at Redeemer seeks to remind us of the beauties of the Lord and express our deepest emotions: joy and praise, sadness and anger, love and gratitude, fear and hope. We sing because we believe God is the greatest hero and joy the world has ever known. He is mighty enough to receive cosmic praise, and tender enough to handle our most fragile whimpers and hurts.
Prayer of Confession
Before you begin, remember that the Father already extends his forgiveness and smiling love through Jesus. There is nothing left to earn. All that remains is to receive.
Heavenly Father,
You are the river of all joy,
and the fountain of all delight.
Forgive us for thinking of you as anything less than that.
Forgive us for not delighting in you.
[Silent Confession]
God of grace,
Open our eyes to your laughter,
our ears to your songs of delight,
and restore to us the joy of your salvation.
Through Jesus we pray.
Amen.
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This prayer helps us bring the most shame-filled parts of our hearts and lives to Jesus. Although God already knows everything about us, when we confess to him our wrong, we experience afresh his unending forgiveness and welcome.
Assurance of Grace
Zepheniah 3:17 & Romans 8:15-16
The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Know that in Christ you are forgiven, loved, and delighted in!
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The assurance is a powerful reminder that God always has grace for the wayward. He never leaves us in our sin. For all who trust in Jesus, this grace is assuredly and undoubtedly yours. Sin is not powerful enough to sway God's love and grace for you.
Song of Trust
Verse:
Where does my help come from?
Where does my help come from?
When trouble rolls and the tempest blows?
And my hope is gone?
Where can my faith be strong?
Yeah where can my faith be strong?
When all I hear is the voice of fear
And it rages on
Chorus:
I lift my eyes to the heavens
I lift my eyes to the hills
My Lord surrounds me like mountains
He never shakes, never shakes, never will
Verse:
What if my world should fall?
What if my world should fall?
When I’m left betrayed or my riches fade
And I lose it all?
Where does my help come from?
Where does my help come from?
When trouble rolls and the tempest blows?
And my hope is gone?
Chorus:
I lift my eyes to the heavens
I lift my eyes to the hills
My Lord surrounds me like mountains
He never shakes, never shakes, never will
Bridge:
My God is with me
A fortress mighty
His river runs to make me glad
No pain is stronger,
No night is longer
Nothing can break the rock on which I stand
Chorus:
I lift my eyes to the heavens
I lift my eyes to the hills
My Lord surrounds me like mountains
He never shakes, never shakes, never will
Tag:
He never shakes, never shakes, never will
He never shakes, never shakes, never will
By Paul Ranheim & Kirk Sauers
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Music at Redeemer seeks to remind us of the beauties of the Lord and express our deepest emotions: joy and praise, sadness and anger, love and gratitude, fear and hope. We sing because we believe God is the greatest hero and joy the world has ever known. He is mighty enough to receive cosmic praise, and tender enough to handle our most fragile whimpers and hurts.
Prompted Prayer
Take a few minutes to pray aloud for our needs and those of our world, prompted by the following.
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We pray for ourselves, our community, and our world because God asks us to.
Prayer is simply conversation with God. Our worship is filled with prayer as we seek to know and delight in our Father.
Scripture Set-up
We briefly unpack the text to set up your reflection on this passage.
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For centuries, Christians have gathered to hear God's word preached, explained, and applied. We believe the word of God contained in the Bible are words of life, joy, and true freedom.
Scripture
Philippians 2:19-30
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.
I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on
him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.
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Since the earliest days of Christianity, followers of Jesus have read Scripture as part of their worship. We believe God meets us in His word and that we are people who need to be shaped by this encounter.
Reflection & Prayer
Take an extended time to prayerfully ponder and apply this passage. If you're with others, share your responses together. Feel free to journal or draw your thoughts and emotions.
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For centuries, Christians have found a variety of ways to slow down and consider God and His word. Especially if this is an unfamiliar practice, we encourage you try being present in this way, asking the Holy Spirit to fill the sacred moment.
Song of Response
Verse:
Where can we run, where can we hide
That You will not find us, God?
Deepest of depths, highest of heights
Your love, it chases us
No matter where we’ve been
No matter what we’ve done
We can’t escape Your love
Chorus:
We will never see the end
We will never see the end of Your goodness
We will never see the end
We will never see the end of Your goodness
Verse:
Though we pass through the fire or we pass through the flood
You will be with us, God
Though we walk through the valley, the darkest of night
Your love will be our light
And when we are in plenty or we are in want
You will always be enough
Chorus:
We will never see the end
We will never see the end of Your goodness
We will never see the end
We will never see the end of Your goodness
Bridge:
And in our darkest hours, on our hardest days
We do not have to be afraid
For You will never leave, You will not forsake
The promises You have made
Chorus:
We will never see the end
We will never see the end of Your goodness
We will never see the end
We will never see the end of Your goodness
By Jessica Ray Langdon
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Music at Redeemer seeks to remind us of the beauties of the Lord and express our deepest emotions: joy and praise, sadness and anger, love and gratitude, fear and hope. We sing because we believe God is the greatest hero and joy the world has ever known. He is mighty enough to receive cosmic praise, and tender enough to handle our most fragile whimpers and hurts.
Benediction
Romans 15:13
Open your ears to hear and your heart to receive these words of God's blessing:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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God gets the final word of our service—and it is one of grace. Receive this blessing from the mouth and heart of our Father.
Sources: ESV Bible, NLT Bible, The Message
© 2021 Redeemer Longmont