Description
Mark 12:28-37
Which commandment is the most important? This question, asked by a teacher of the law, was answered perfectly by Jesus: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” But Jesus didn’t stop there. He added that loving your neighbor as yourself was included in these two greatest commandments. How are you loving God in your daily walk with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? How can you show the love of God to people in your life like Jesus, especially when loving feels difficult or impossible?
We Lift Our Hearts in Worship
[Preservice options include video countdowns, worship song videos, welcomes), CDs, or live music.]
Welcome & Time of Greeting
Pastor / Worship Leader
Praise the Lord!
Worshipers
Praise the Lord!
Pastor/ Worship Leader
Let us sing a new song to the Lord. Let us rejoice in our Maker!
Time of Praise and Worship
Promises
Jared Anderson, ©2006 Vertical Worship Songs (Admin. by Integrity Music, Inc.)
Reaching For You
Lincoln Brewster & Paul Baloche, ©2010 Integrity’s Praise! Music, Integrity Worship Music (Admin. by Integrity Music, Inc.) Leadworship Songs (Admin. by Integrity Music, Inc.)
Praise
Brandon Lake, Chandler Moore, Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Pat Barrett, and Steven Furtick, ©2023 Music by Elevation Worship Publishing, Maverick City Publishing/for Humans Publishing, Mavrick city Publishing Worldwide (Admin by Essential Publishing) Housefires Sounds, Capitol CMG Genesis, Capitol CMG Paragon, Writers Roof Publishing (Admin by Capitol Publishing)
[Traditional Options]
Renew Me O Eternal Light
LBW 511; LSB 704; LW 373
O God, My Faithful God
ELW 806; LBW 504; LSB 696; LW 371; PH 277
I Surrender All
BH 75 347; BH 91 275; CH 596; HWC 366; HPW 42; HFG 408; HLC 373; HGP 362; HSP 275; RH 483; STTL 486; WC 579; UMH 354; WAR 474; WHM 404; WIS 287
Invocation
Pastor / Worship Leader
Holy Creator may our praises rise up and bless you! May you be glorified in our worship as we sing songs and bring you praise.
Worshipers
We worship the Lord, our God, our Maker! He is worthy of all of our praise.
Opening Prayer / Theme Introduction
Pastor / Worship Leader
Lord God, You deserve our whole hearts and nothing less. We bring you our first and best worship, laying aside everything that we did, said, and thought this morning. Holy Spirit, focus our attention on You. Break our hearts as Yours breaks for the lost souls dying in this world. Rid us of pride, arrogance, guilt, shame, and help us to put on a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
Worshipers
We love you, God, with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. In the name of Jesus, the name above all names, Amen.
Time of Confession and Forgiveness
[Alternate location: following Message]
Pastor / Worship Leader
Merciful God, we confess that we have not always loved You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We confess that we have allowed idols in our lives and worshiped them instead of You.
Worshipers
Lord, forgive us. We have failed in so many ways. We have not lived out our faith as Your children.
Pastor / Worship Leader
We confess that we have not always loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have failed to display kindness, compassion, and understanding, and at times we have acted in ways that do not reflect Your love.
Worshipers
Lord, we have not obeyed Your first and greatest commandment. We ask for Your mercy.
Pastor / Worship Leader
We read in Lamentations 3:22 that “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end.” Worshipers, our sins have been washed white as snow by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Worshipers
We receive Your mercy and forgiveness, Lord, and we thank You for Your blood sacrifice for us. We love You. Thank You for loving us. Amen.
We Hear God’s Word
[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]
First Reading Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Moses urged the Israelites to pass on the commandments given to them and to teach their children the ways of the Lord. He encouraged them to obey God’s laws, to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength.
1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
