As you make your way through today’s worship service, instructions and suggestions will be included in italics. Get a cup of coffee and settle in for this time of worship with your community.

Foyer Conversation

Song of Worship – “King of My Heart”

Let the King of my heart
Be the mountain where I run
The fountain I drink from
Oh, He is my song
Let the King of my heart
Be the shadow where I hide
The ransom for my life
Oh, He is my song

You are good, good, oh
You are good, good, oh

And let the King of my heart
Be the wind inside my sails
The anchor in the waves
Oh, He is my song
Let the King of my heart
Be the fire inside my veins
The echo of my days
Oh, He is my song

You are good, good, oh
You are good, good, oh
You are good, good, oh
You are good, good, oh

You’re never gonna let, never gonna let me down
You’re never gonna let, never gonna let me down

You are good, good, oh
You are good, good, oh
You are good, good, oh
You are good, good, oh

When the night is holding on to me, God is holding on
When the night is holding on to me, God is holding on

Greet One Another

Take a couple minutes to reach out to those in your faith community with a call, a text, a video chat, an email, etc. Remember those who might be feeling alone and extend the peace of Christ to them.

Call to Worship

If you are meeting with others, have on person read the plain print, and the other(s) read the bold.

Teach us your way, O LORD, that we may walk in your truth;
give us undivided hearts to honor your name.
We give thanks to you, O God, with our whole heart, and we glorify your name forever.
For you, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Invitation to Silence

Scripture Reading – Romans 6:1-4

Song of Worship – “There is a Green Hill”

Confession and Assurance

The proof of God’s amazing love is this: while we were sinners Christ died for us. Because we have faith in him, we dare to approach God with confidence. In humility and faith let us confess our sin to God.

God of our salvation, our rescue, our health: all things are yours, and when we bring hearts, hands, and voices to worship, we bring you what is yours. Yet we do not serve you as we ought, and the world is deeply torn by all the tensions and outright conflicts that come from worshiping less than yourself. Our good will towards others has no firm foundation and crumbles at the first tremor of real testing. In our personal affairs and our larger judgments, we try to heal deep wounds with superficial cures. Holy and loving God, forgive us. Confront us with your way of righting wrong, your strange and wondrous work of redemption through the sacrificial love of Jesus. Amen.

Song of Response – “My Burden is Easy”

Come to me, you who are weary
And I will give you rest
Come to me, you who are weary
And I will give you rest

Take my yoke upon you
For I am humble and gentle in heart
And my burden is easy
My burden is easy
Take my yoke upon you
And I will teach you
For my burden is easy
My burden is easy

You will find rest
You will find rest
You will find rest for your soul

Giving and Giving Thanks

Take some time to give thanks. If you are with others, name aloud some of the things for which you are grateful on this day. If you’re alone, try writing out a list.

Clicking the buttons below will take you to some info on how you can give to your church now.

Scripture Reading – Psalm 86

Praying the Psalm for Others

Using language captured from the psalm, take a few minutes to pray for others, embedding the names and situations of those who come to mind or seem to “fit” within these intercessions:

Guard ______’s life, for they are faithful to You (v.2)

Have mercy on ______, O Lord, for they call to You all day long. (v.3)

Bring joy to your servant, ______, O Lord, for they trust in You. (v.4)

May ______ know and believe that You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You. (v.5)

Kids’ Activities

Take a few moments and look up Romans 3:23 and Romans 13:14. Read these verses to your kids and explain that even if we do good things we still can’t ever be perfect so we need the grace of Jesus to cover us. Print off the two colouring pages and have your kids colour them in. When they are done, cut out the clothes and place them over the boy and girl as an object lesson showing Jesus’ grace is enough.

Another fun activity: Have kids put on as many of their clothes as possible. Layer! Layer! Layer! When they are done, ask if all their shirts and pants would keep them warm on the coldest day of the year. Answer: Nope! They would need snowsuits and boots. Even then we can’t stay outside without special protection on the coldest days. Jesus’ grace covers us with the forgiveness we need because we can’t do it ourselves.

Sermon

Before listening to the message today we invite you to gather a few things to assist in our full senses encounter of God’s grace:

1. Gather a favourite scented candle, essential oil, incense stick, or even Febreze if you are in a pinch. This will help with the reflection at the mid-way point in the message.
2. Gather a pitcher with water and a large bowl or basin. This will be for the after message reflection in which we are invited to remember our baptism and to feel God’s grace wash over us.

Song of Worship – “In Christ Alone”

Announcements, Benediction, and Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise him all creatures here below
Praise him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen