Worship Notes for Sunday, October 14, 2012
In addition to the regular Worship Notes, this morning we will start a series of articles intended to explain and expound on the various aspects of the Service of Worship. Firstly, this is a service of worship—we serve the Lord through worship much like an attentive waiter serves a meal with the focus and intent being to please the patron and provide for them what is requested. Our attention should be on the glory of God alone and not our own preferences or needs—but with the understanding that as His name is exalted in Word and prayer (including singing), He shapes our preferences and meets our needs.Secondly, the overall flow of the service is designed to remind us on a weekly basis of the truth of the Gospel—God call us; we are confronted with the nature and character of God; we are moved to repentance in recognition of our sin; God instructs us, equips us, and changes us through His Word; He welcomes us into the New Covenant as depicted in the sacrament of communion; and He sends us out missionally to portray, convey, and spread the Gospel through all of life. Therefore, on a weekly basis we walk through the Gospel as it applies to our personal and corporate identities.
This week we see the definitive call of this Gospel in the story of the demon possessed man in Mark 5—Jesus defeats our enemies but disrupts our complacency. We begin with the Call to Worship from Psalm 51 and the declaration of praise and song of joy for the redemption that comes from God. We continue by singing Come Thou Almighty King and Holy God We Praise Your Name that both highlight the work of the three-persons of the Godhead in bearing the sacred witness of the Gospel.
The New Testament Reading from Ephesians 2 speaks to the wall of hostility that Christ has broken down as our peace. However, the love of the world and the desires of the flesh continue at war with our love for God. And thus we confess our sins based on I John 2.
Our concluding hymn, Forth in Thy Name, sets out the call and prayer to pursue the Gospel imperatives in all areas of life for the Glory of the Lord and spreading of the Kingdom.
