Description
Luke 13:31-35
God is in the business of making covenants. The one He makes with Abram in Genesis 15 is a unique covenant because He doesn’t actually require anything from Abram. In fact, when it comes time to make the covenant through the shedding of blood, Abram is completely asleep and unable to even make a vow to the Lord. This is a great foreshadowing of the covenant that God makes with us through Jesus. He gives us the blessing of Jesus through His sacrifice. And He makes it unilaterally, meaning we cannot participate or add to the covenant through our own promises. He gives it freely because of His grace.
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
Beautiful News
Matt Redman, ©2006 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
God With Us
Barry Graul, Bart Millard, Jim Bryson, Mike Scheuchzer, & Nathan Cochran, ©2007 Simpleville Music (Admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc.) Wet As A Fish Music (Admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc.) Catalogs Simpleville Music
All Because of Jesus
Steve Fee, ©2007 Worship Together Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) Six Steps BMI Designee (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
[Traditional Options]
O Love, How Deep
EH 448/449; ELW 322; LBW 88; LSB 544; LW 275; NCH 209; PH 83; WC 193; UMH 267; WR 244
Glory Be To Jesus
EH 479; HLC 143; LBW 95; LSB 433; LW 98
Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus
EH 495; HLC 95; UMH 325
Invocation and Introduction of Today’s Theme
Pastor: O Lord God, we prepare our hearts and minds to worship You this day.
ALL: Praise be to You, O God.
Pastor: You have shown faithfulness to Your people through Your promises, from the covenant You made with Abram to the covenant made through Your only-begotten son, Jesus Christ.
ALL: Praise be to You, O God.
Pastor: There is nothing we need to do to earn that blessing. You have given it to us freely. Even when we turn from You, Your boundless love and mercy is continually offered to us.
ALL: Praise be to You O God.
Pastor: We are also blessed to be a blessing to others who have not experienced the joy of Your salvation.
ALL: Praise be to You O God.
Pastor: We give You praise, almighty God, now and forevermore!
ALL: Praise be to You O God.
Pastor: Great are You LORD and worthy of glory! I lift up my voice and proclaim Your majesty and all that You have done for Your people. Great are Your promises, O LORD. The covenant You make with Your people is strong and steadfast. You delivered Your promise to Abram that he would become a great nation, one whose number would rival the stars in the sky. You delivered that promise to set up Your ultimate promise; a shoot from the stump of Jesse that would take on the yoke of all the world’s sins. It is through His death and glorious resurrection that the covenant has been restored, and that His people can revel and find joy in his salvation, and peace through life everlasting. Holy is the LORD God Almighty! May You be worshipped and adored for all eternity!
Time of Greeting
Time of Confession and Forgiveness
[Alternate location: following Message]
Pastor: Almighty God, we have acted as if Your covenant isn’t good enough for us.
ALL: Hear our cries of mercy, O Lord.
Pastor: We have let our sinful nature and our spiritual laziness take precedent over Your word and Your ways.
ALL: Hear our cries of mercy, O Lord.
Pastor: Our actions have also kept us from sharing the promise of Your covenant with others. We have hoarded a gift, even though we act as if we don’t want it.
ALL: Hear our cries of mercy, O Lord.
Pastor: We don’t deserve Your covenant relationship. We deserve Your temporal and eternal punishment. Yet in Your divine wisdom, You know what we have done, even when we try to keep these things a secret. We lay these sins out before You and repent of them.
ALL: Hear our cries of mercy, O Lord.
Pastor: We pray for Your boundless mercy, for the sake of Your precious son Jesus Christ, so that we may once again enjoy the covenant relationship You have created.
(pause for silent reflection)
Pastor: Almighty God has heard your cries for mercy, and has met your confession with compassion. I, as a called and ordained servant of the word, announce the grace of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ to all of you. Your sins have been forgiven by His death and glorious resurrection. May the good tidings of God’s grace provide you a sense of spiritual renewal. Amen.
We Hear God’s Word
[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]
First Reading: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
The Abrahamic covenant is foundational in understanding how God establishes covenants with His people. It involves promises and sacrifices that demonstrate the lengths God would go through to stay in a relationship with His children.
1 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield ,your very great reward.” 2 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” 4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” 8 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” 9 So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—
