Description
Mark 10:2-16
The Pharisees engaged Jesus in a debate about the law of divorce, but Jesus appealed to God’s greater law of His Creation when Adam and Eve became one flesh. Once again, this left the Pharisees to question their interpretation of God’s Law and overall, His will. The topic of divorce is difficult for some who have already walked that road or others who have or are currently being affected by divorce. Heartbreak, relief, trauma, freedom, and other lingering effects can be symptoms of separation. When we look to God’s beautiful and perfect initial design, we are reminded of His will to have relationship with each and every single one of us, made possible through Jesus, who bridged and restored the divorce that sin caused, making a way to have relationship, once again, with the Father.
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
Promises
Jared Anderson, ©2006 Vertical Worship Songs (Admin. by Integrity Music, Inc.)
Holy Water
Andrew Bergthold | Ed Cash | Franni Cash | Martin Cash | Scott Cash© 2019 Andrew Bergthold Designee (Admin.by Capitol CMG Publishing) Capitol CMG Genesis (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) Capitol CMG Paragon (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) We The Kingdom ASCAP Designee (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) We The Kingdom Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Strong Enough
Matthew West © 2010 External Combustion Music / Songs For Delaney / Songs Of Southside Independent Music Publishing, LLC (Admin. by Wixen Music Publishing, LLC) (ASCAP)
[Traditional Options]
Sing Praise To God, the Highest Good
ELW 871; LBW 542; LSB 819; LW 452
I Am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus
CH 582; HWC 346; HFG 73; HLC 330; LBW 460; LSB 729; LW 408; WC 524; WHM 451
I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light
EH 490; ELW 815; LSB 411; RS 651; WC 539; UMH 206; WOV 649; WAR 249
Invocation
Pastor / Worship Leader
How majestic is the name of the Lord!
Worshipers
Majestic, indeed, is He!
Pastor / Worship Leader
His splendor and magnificence is incomparable. His glory is matchless!
Worshipers
We praise the Lord God Almighty who is the Creator of us all!
Opening Prayer / Theme Introduction
Pastor / Worship Leader
Heavenly Father, You sit enthroned in Heaven and You know all and see all. Nothing is invisible to You. You set the moon and stars in place, yet You are mindful of us. Not only do You know every intricate detail of our minds, bodies, and souls, You actually care for us and have crowned us with glory and honor. You love us so much that You sacrificed Your only Son, Jesus, to die in our place so that His cross would bridge the gap that sin created. Lord, we take our place as Your Creation, and we are humbled to be considered Your beloved. May our hearts be surrendered to You today and may we be unashamed in our act of worship before You. In the name of God our Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit we pray.
Worshipers
Amen.
Time of Confession and Forgiveness
[Alternate location: following Message]
Pastor / Worship Leader
Confession is uncomfortable. When we confess our sins to one another and the Lord, we may feel guilt, shame, embarrassment, humiliation, or even fear. But we may also feel incredible sorrow for the sins we’ve committed. Feelings of extreme gratitude will likely fill us when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. For you see, God is incredibly good. He cannot help but be anything but good. His Holy Spirit draws us near through the kindness of the Father, welcoming us into His presence, into His pure and holy light, to be cleansed, renewed, and revived. If there is a sin dividing you from having a relationship with the Lord, I invite You to confess it to Him now. He is not surprised by the extreme- He is love. Let’s enter into a time of individual confession to the Lord now.
Worshipers
(Worshipers confess their sins to the Lord in quiet reflection and prayer.)
Pastor/ Worship Leader
Holy Father full of love and grace and truth, we accept Your invitation to receive Christ’s sacrifice as our own. We accept the forgiveness offered through His death and resurrection, and we invite the Holy Spirit to be our one and only Guide in this life. Thank You for Your gift of salvation and grace.
Worshipers
In Jesus’ name we pray and seek Your face, amen.
We Hear God’s Word
[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]
First Reading Genesis 2:18-24
The Lord created a woman, Eve, to be a suitable helper for the man, Adam. Together, they became one flesh.
18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
