Description
Mark 1:14-20
Jesus said “Come, Follow Me” and the disciples dropped what they were doing and followed Him. Wow! Was it really that easy? Or, had God been preparing the hearts of the disciples for quite some time. God has always been at work behind the scenes, preparing his people to “Go” when He calls. How does he prepare us? And how do we prepare ourselves so that when Jesus says “Come”, we’re ready to “Go”?
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
Arise
Don Moen & Paul Baloche, ©2003 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music
Come and See
Lenny Leblanc, ©1989 and this arr. ©1997 Doulos Publishing, a div. of Maranatha! Music
Lord, Reign In Me
Brenton Brown, ©1998 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (Admin. by Vineyard Music UK)
Come, Let Us Worship And Bow Down
Dave Doherty, ©1980 Maranatha! Music
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Charles Wesley & Felix Mendelssohn, ©Public Domain
Available on www.PraiseCharts.com, www.LifewayWorship.com, www.MusicNotes.com
[Traditional Options]
Hark The Voice of Jesus Calling Follow Me
BH 91 591; HFG 669; HLC 493; LBW 381; LSB 826/827; LW 318; RH 365
Today Your Mercy Calls Us
LBW 304; LSB 915; LW 347
Invocation and Introduction of Today’s Theme
Pastor (or Worship Team) Great are the works of the Lord!
All Holy and awesome is His name!
Pastor The LORD our God is one LORD.
All We gather in His name.
Pastor Father, Son, and Spirit
All Praise the name of the LORD!
Prayer Opening
Pastor Great and Mighty God, we thank you for keeping vigil over our lives; for protecting us, providing for us, teaching us, and preparing us for what lies ahead. By the power of Your Spirit, give us teachable hearts and minds so that we may obediently follow Your Son, Jesus – who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit as the One True God now and forever.
ALL Amen.
Time of Greeting
Time of Confession and Forgiveness
[Alternate location: following Message]
Pastor: We are called to follow Jesus, but the truth is we follow many things. Perhaps we follow some things more fervently than we follow our Savior. We follow our favorite celebrities, we follow our favorite TV show, we even follow perfect strangers on Twitter. Let us confess our divided hearts to the Lord and seek His forgiveness.
All: Lord, we confess that we have sometimes followed idols of this world more zealously than we have followed after You.
Lord, we confess that we have put our faith in people of this world rather than trusting in You.
Lord, we confess that we have chased after material things rather than being content with Your provision.
Lord, we confess that we have sometimes run from Your call rather than join You in Your work.
Lord, we confess that we have not always recognized Your voice.
Forgive us for our divided and selfish hearts.
Pastor: To repent means to “change your mind, and go the opposite direction”. But God does not wait until we get it all perfect before He forgives us. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, He has forgiven your sin. Now, may the Holy Spirit grant you the strength and courage to walk in true repentance and grace.
All: Thanks be to God, holy and awesome is His name.
We Hear God’s Word
[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]
First Reading: Jonah 3:1-5, 10
At first, Jonah resisted God’s instruction, but reconsidered after being tossed overboard a boat and swallowed by a big fish. This passage finds God giving Jonah a second chance to deliver a message of repentance to the Ninevites.
1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
