Description
John 14:15-21
Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure by communicating the importance of love. Willing obedience to Christ indicates a genuine love for Him, but obedience can be difficult because of our sinful nature at work against our spiritual nature. Jesus knew this and promised to send The Helper to function as His ambassador in His physical absence and to dwell with and in Christ’s followers. We are not alone in this life- we have God’s unified presence to help us.
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
Build My Life
Brett Younker, Karl Martin, Kirby Elizabeth Kaple, Matt Redman, and Pat Barrett © 2016 Martin, Karl Andrew, Kaple Music, Capitol CMG Genesis, Housefires Sounds, Said And Done Music, sixsteps Music, Thankyou Music, worshiptogether.com songs, Bethel Music Publishing
Breath of Heaven
Chris Brown, Mack Brock, Steven Furtick, ©2017 Elevation Worship Publishing (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)
Holy Spirit
Bryan Torwalt & Katie Torwalt © 2011 Capitol CMG Genesis (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Jesus Culture Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
[Traditional Options]
Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling
ELW 582; LBW 523; LSB 650; LW 164; NCH 59; WC 289
Voices Raised To You
ELW 845; HS98 895; LSB 795
Eternal Spirit of the Living Christ
EH 698; ELW 402; LBW 441; LSB 769; LW 432; NCH 520; WAR 475
Invocation
Pastor / Worship Leader
Praise God, all people!
Worshipers
Let our praises be heard and lifted high to the Lord!
Pastor / Worship Leader
He preserves our lives and keeps our feet from slipping. He refines us like silver and brings us to a place of peace and abundance in Him.
Worshipers
We will praise the Lord, for surely He listens! We will pray to Him for He hears us. His love is not withheld from us, and He accepts us with open arms. Praise the Lord!
Opening Prayer / Theme Introduction
Pastor / Worship Leader
Living God, You are here amongst us. You are present in believers as the Holy Spirit of God, sent to be our companion, sent to steer us to You. We love You, Lord. We are so grateful to be a part of Your loving and intimate Kingdom family. We long to know You, to see You, and to be in Your holy presence. Accept our worship today. May our lips praise You and may our hearts be unified with Yours.
Worshipers
Amen.
Time of Confession and Forgiveness
[Alternate location: following Message]
Pastor / Worship Leader
Father examine our hearts.
Worshipers
We are sinful and lack judgment.
Pastor / Worship Leader
We ruin our lives by diving headfirst into sin.
Worshipers
We ask you to cleanse us. Wash over us with the blood of Christ.
Pastor / Worship Leader
We beg for mercy; we are sorry for our sins and reject the way of the enemy.
Worshipers
Teach us Your way, O Lord, that we may delight in You and walk in Your path. In Jesus’ name we ask this, Amen.
We Hear God’s Word
[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]
First Reading Acts 17:22-31
Paul’s spirit was provoked while he was in Athens because the city was full of idols. He preached to the people about the Living God, not formed by human hands, but alive and commanding of true repentance.
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
