Description
Ephesians 4:17—5:2
We are God’s beloved people! Alleluia! This means we get to be different than others in this world. This status – members of God’s family – lends us the ability to love and act as He does. In our Epistle reading today, Paul lays out many ways that we are able to live as imitators of God, and, in so doing, reflect the Glory and Love of Christ to everyone around us.
We Lift Our Hearts in Worship
[Preservice options include videos (countdowns, worship music, welcomes), worship music CD, or live music by worship band.]
All the People Said Amen
Matt Maher, Paul Moak, & Trevor Morgan, © 2013 Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Publishing (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.), Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), Valley Of Songs Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), Trevor Morgan Music
10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)
Matt Redman & Jonas Myrin, ©2011 Thankyou Music, Said And Done Music, sixsteps Music, SHOUT! Publishing (Admin EMI CMG Publishing)
Lord, Reign In Me
Brenton Brown, ©1998 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (Admin. by Vineyard Music UK)
[Traditional Options]
Light of Light, O Sole Begotten
LSB 914
All Christians Who Have Been Baptized
LSB 596
Lord Of Glory, You Have Bought Us
ELW 707; LBW 424; LW 402; LSB 851
Invocation and Introduction of Today’s Theme
Pastor Let us come together as God’s people!
ALL Amen! We gather together in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Opening Prayer
Pastor Oh Lord God, King of the Universe,
ALL We praise You for gathering us here this day, people of Your own redeeming. We pray that as You gather us You would bless us with Your Word and lift us up in faith, that forever we would be Your people in this world. Amen.
Time of Greeting
Time of Confession and Forgiveness
[Alternate location: following Message]
Pastor Beloved are we who gather in the name of the Lord!
ALL Amen!
Pastor As we are now gathered, and now that the Lord has drawn near, it is right for us to acknowledge who we are in relationship to Him and one another. While we are His beloved children and bound together as brothers and sisters forever, we often do not honor this truth with our words and actions. We have each turned and sinned against our Lord and one another. Let us trust in the infinite mercy of our heavenly Father and confess our sins before Him and one another.
Moment of silence
Pastor We pray,
ALL Oh Lord God, we have sinned against You and one another. We enjoy Your blessings one moment then turn away from you the next. We don’t care for one another as You have asked. We often leave things undone that You place before us. We pray that You would pour Your grace upon us today and forgive us, renew us, and lead us, that we may forever enjoy being Your people. Amen.
Pastor Our Father is perfectly merciful and full of grace. He has had mercy upon you, He does love you unconditionally. In the stead and by the command on my Lord, I announce His perfect grace for you today, your sins are forgiven, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
ALL Amen!
We Hear God’s Word
[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]
First Reading 1 Kings 19:1–8
Elijah, by the power of the Lord, had just defeated and killed all of the false prophets that Jezebal had brought into Israel. She was furious and Elijah fled in despair. But the Lord cared for him and led him to safety and peace.
1Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.
P This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
