Description
Matthew 28:16-20
Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He addressed his disciples on a mountain telling them to go, but where would they go? The disciples were commissioned to go to all nations with the purpose of making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey the commands of Jesus. He promised to always be with them, even though His physical body would soon be gone. As followers of Jesus, we are to obey His Great Commission and spread the light of the Gospel to those in the world held in darkness. Will you do your part? Go with God.
We Lift Our Hearts in Worship
[Preservice options include video countdowns, worship song videos, welcomes), CDs, or live music.]
Welcome & Time of Greeting
Time of Praise and Worship
Our God Saves
Brenton Brown and Paul Baloche, ©2007 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) Integrity’s Hosanna! Music Leadworship Songs (Admin. by Integrity Music, Inc.)
King of Kings
Brooke Ligertwood, Jason Ingram & Scott Ligertwood, © 2019 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) Fellow Ships Music (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC) So Essential Tunes (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)
Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)
Wilbur Chapman, Mark Hall, & Michael Bleecker, © 2009 Word Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.) My Refuge Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (Admin. by Sony/ATV Songs LLC)
[Traditional Options]
Holy, Holy, Holy
BH 75 1; BH 91 2; CH 3; CHH 4; EH 362; ELW 413; HWC 262; HPW 2; HFG 323; HLC 1; HGP 51; HSP 12; LBW 165; LSB 507; LW 168; NCH 277; PH 580; RH 213; RS 624; STTL 2; WC 2; UMH 64; WAR 136; WHM 47; WIS 8
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus
CH 377; CHH 377; EH 460,461; ELW 392; HS98 851; HWC 223; HLC 174; LBW 158; LSB 821; NCH 257; PH 144; STTL 273; WC 263; WAR 320
O Christ Who Called the Twelve
LSB 856
Invocation
Pastor / Worship Leader
Greetings, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ!
Worshipers
Greetings to you!
Pastor / Worship Leader
Our eyes cannot see God, our ears cannot hear Him, but by faith we believe in God Almighty.
Worshipers
Yes, we believe in God above.
Pastor / Worship Leader
We believe in the Holy Trinity.
Worshipers
Eternal, holy, and true- we believe in the triune God. Amen.
Opening Prayer / Theme Introduction
Pastor / Worship Leader
Almighty God, the Creator of Heaven and the Maker of Earth, we are Your people. We are Your humble servants and followers. We recognize Your authority and fear Your holy name, Lord God. We are humbled that You desire us, mere humans, to dwell in Your presence for eternity.
Worshipers
Lord God, we bless You. We honor You and obey Your command to go. We pray this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit- three-in-one, Amen.
Time of Confession and Forgiveness
[Alternate location: following Message]
Pastor / Worship Leader
Jesus Christ, our high priest, empathizes with our weaknesses. He was tested in every way, just as we are today. Yet Christ died, resurrected, and is without sin.
Worshipers
Because of Jesus, we approach God’s throne of grace with confidence.
Pastor / Worship Leader
So, Lord, here we are, splattered and spotted with sin. You see us- the good, the bad, and the ugly-through the lens of Jesus Christ’s blood sacrifice for us.
Worshipers
We confess that we are sinners. We have been tested and weakness has overcome us. We have given ourselves to sin. Forgive us, Father.
Pastor / Worship Leader
The good Lord grants us mercy and grace. He forgives us and removes our sin as far as the east is from the west.
Worshipers
Thank You, Lord! You are the God who forgives. We love You, amen.
We Hear God’s Word
[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]
First Reading Genesis 1:1-2:4a
In seven days, God majestically created and ordered the heavens and the earth into existence. The whole earth displayed the glory of God.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
