Description

Numbers 21:4-9

Sometimes it seems all works against us.  Having faith in Jesus Christ does not mean life becomes easy.  Just the opposite.  So it was for the Israelites.  They had been rescued from Egypt, they had received the Law on Sinai, and they marched toward the Promised Land.  But the Promised Land seemed far off.  They were stuck in wilderness.  And they complained.  And God sent slithering snakes as punishment.  And when the Israelites repented, God responded not by removing the snakes, but by providing salvation in the midst of the snakes.  God’s promise is not to make life easy, but to be with us in the midst of difficulty, even if the difficulty is of our own doing.  

 

… We Lift Our Hearts in Worship …

[Preservice options include videos (countdowns, worship music, welcomes), worship music CD, or live music by worship band.]

 

Time of Praise and Worship

Mighty to Save

Ben Fielding & Reuben Morgan, ©2006 Hillsong Publishing (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Waiting Here for You

Chris Tomlin, Martin Smith, & Jesse Reeves, ©2011 sixsteps Music / worshiptogether.com Songs / Vamos Publishing (Admin. at EMICMGPublishing.com) (ASCAP) / Curious? Music UK (PRS) (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Wonderful, Merciful Savior

Dawn Rodgers & Eric Wyse, ©1989 1989 Word Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.) Dayspring Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)

[Traditional Options]

Jesus Refuge of the Weary

LSB 423; LBW 93; LW 90

O Dearest Jesus, What Law Have You Broken

CHH 210; EH 158; ELW 349; HLC 152; LBW 123; LSB 439; LW 119; NCH 218; PH 93; WC 231; UMH 289; WAR 282

O Christ, You Walked The Road

LSB 424

 

Invocation and Introduction of Today’s Theme 

Pastor:            Welcome!   We gather as the people of God to celebrate His goodness.

ALL                  We are His people, living and loving in His name. 

Pastor:            And so we begin in His name, calling upon Him here and now:

ALL                  In the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Opening Prayer 

Pastor              Almighty God, Your ways are not our ways.  You are beyond our ability to understand, or describe.  You are mighty beyond all measure.                                       You  hold all things in Your hands.  There is none like You.  And yet You allow us to suffer, to writhe, to be persecuted.  And when we                                           complain, You provide salvation not by removing the difficulties, but by offering redemption in the midst of our struggles.  Fill us with the                                 Spirit of Jesus that we might always look to Him, and live.  In His name.

ALL                  Amen. 

  

Time of Greeting 

Time of Confession and Forgiveness

[Alternate location:  following Message]

 Pastor            We confess our sins to God, our Father.

Almighty God, we acknowledge we do not always live as Your people.

ALL                  You love us beyond measure, and provide for us in every way, yet we never seem satisfied. 

                         We think life should be easy because we are Your people.  And we complain when it is not. 

                           You provide food and drink, house and home, and we want more.

                            You promise Your presence, but we want Your presents. 

                            Grace is not enough.  We want a side of comfort to go with it.And we whine.  We are ungrateful.  We think of all kinds                                 of people who have it better than us (people who aren’t as good as us). 

                          ‘Why does this happen to me’, we ask.  ‘It’s not fair’, we declare.  ‘I deserve better’, we protest.  ‘Blah, blah, blah!’ 

                           Enough.  We are sinful.  And we are silent.  Now

 (a brief silence) 

Pastor             Hear the wonderful story of grace.  God provides a Redeemer in the midst of our sin.  For the Israelites, who were snake bit, it was a serpent                              on a pole.   They were to look, and live.  For us, it’s a Son, on a cross.  And we look, and live.  Jesus died and rose again that in the midst of                                  our struggles, and in the midst even of our complaining, we are forgiven.  I proclaim it now:  In the stead and by the command of our Lord                                  and Savior Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

ALL                  We look and live.  Amen. 

   

… We Hear God’s Word …

[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]

 

First Reading:  Numbers 21:4-9                       

God provides redemption not by removing snakes, but by His grace in the midst of snakes. 

4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea] to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” 6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.