Worship Notes for Sunday, May 12, 2013
Today we celebrate the Ascension of Christ to His place of glory and power and the right hand of the Father. In many ways, the Ascension and Pentecost (next Sunday) are the completion of the work of the cross and redemption and the Season of Easter. The death of death and the conquering of sin is sealed in the resurrection and finished in the position of authority that Christ has. In addition, we begin a several week series on The Lord’s Prayer from Luke 11 focusing on our Father and His hallowed name.We begin with singing Verse 7 from Crown Him with Many Crowns who is enthroned in worlds above. The Call to Worship from Psalm 115 for to His name alone belongs glory. We continue by singing All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name and our hymn for May, Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness.
The New Testament Reading from Colossians 1 reminds us of the glory of the ascended Christ by whom all things were created and hold together and He is the head of the Church. The Prayer of Confession confronts our hearts desire to supplant the rule of Christ by looking to our own interests and acting as if we were equal with God.
Our next hymn, Psalm 5: Hear My Words, focuses on the practice of prayer and the desire for the Lord to hear us and bring us into worship. The Profession from God’s Word from Psalm 121 reassures us that God, our Father, is our keeper. The Hymns of Communion include Our Father and Sing to Jesus—that talks of the ascension as an example of the exaltation of Christ.
The final hymn, O Christ, Our Hope, sings of the work of Christ in the death and resurrection as well as the ascension.
