Home Worship Liturgy | April 5, 2020
VIRTUAL SUNDAY GATHERING ORDER
1. At 10Am, log on to our Zoom Video Call for a welcome, church announcements, and prayer. (Log on as early as 9:45am and greet one another with the peace of Christ.)
2. Worship God by using this Home Worship Liturgy and pray, sing, and listen to a Sojourn Houston pastor give a short Bible teaching. (Parents are welcome to stay on the call for a 10 minute Sojourn Kids worship segment for their children.)
3. Close out your time of worship with a Doxology and Benediction.
This season of social isolation will test the depth and fortitude of our fellowship. But this season also provides a unique opportunity to lean into rhythms and spiritual disciplines that may have been neglected. We highly encourage you and your household to make use of this home liturgy, remembering that as you do, you are joining with members of all Sojourn Houston congregations throughout our city. Let us worship the Lord with thanksgiving. His mercy endures forever!
CALL TO WORSHIP
PSALM 118:4-7
LEADER: This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD.
ALL: The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!
SONG 1: "HAIL THE KING!"
We have been justified
By faith through Jesus Christ
It's only by his grace we stand
Once bound by sin and shame
Now slave to righteousness
Our faith perfected by his love
CHORUS
Praise the Savior, he has won
Our sin defeated, through his blood
Now exalted, Jesus reigns
Hail the King, praise his name!
While we were weak he died
Making us reconciled (right with God)
To God for all eternal days
And even in this fading flesh
Our only hope and rest
Is found in faith that Jesus saves
We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God!
Our hope of glory is
Found in the one who gives
Great joy to sing about
The love that he poured out
Forever lifted high
Is our Savior Jesus Christ
The gift of God given in love
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
PSALM 32
LEADER: Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity
ALL: And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
LEADER: I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,
ALL: And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
The Scriptures teach us to acknowledge our many sins and offenses, not concealing them from our heavenly Father, but confessing them with humble and obedient hearts, that we may obtain forgiveness by his goodness and mercy. Let’s pray this together:
ALL: Oh, Lord, who on this day entered the rebellious city that later rejected you: we confess that our wills are as rebellious as Jerusalem's, our faith is often more show than substance, our hearts are in need of cleansing. Have mercy on us, Son of David, Savior of our lives. Help us to lay at your feet all that we have and all that we are, trusting you to forgive what is sinful, to heal what is broken, to welcome our praises and to receive us as your own.
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
MICAH 7:18-20
LEADER: Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot.
ALL: You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.
To those who look to Jesus for their salvation and redemption, the forgiveness of sins is given in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Praise God!
SONG 2: "THE GOODNESS OF JESUS"
Come you weary heart now to Jesus
Come you anxious soul now and see
There is perfect love and comfort in your tears
Rest here in His wondrous peace
CHORUS
Oh the goodness, the goodness of Jesus
Satisfied, He is all that I need
May it be, come what may, that I rest all my days
In the goodness of Jesus
Come find what this world cannot offer
Come and find your joy here complete
Taste the living water, never thirst again
Rest here in His wondrous peace
Come and find your hope now in Jesus
He is all He said He would be
Grace is overflowing from the Saviour's heart
Rest here in His wondrous peace
May it be, come what may, that I rest all my days
In the goodness of Jesus
BIBLE TEACHING TEXT
JOHN 12:12-19
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey's colt!”
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
BIBLE TEACHING
As a congregation in a family of churches, every Sunday, we will have the privilege of hearing from a pastor of a Sojourn Houston congregation.
Today, we will hear from Cole Kirby, a pastor of Sojourn Montrose.
INDIVIDUAL/FAMILY PRAYER
LEADER: Almighty God, you have taught us to offer prayers and supplications and to give thanks for all people. We humbly ask you to receive our prayers. We pray that you will lead the nations of the world in the way of righteousness. Guide and direct our leaders, and all who administer the law of the land. Lord, in your mercy:
ALL: Hear our prayer.
LEADER: We pray that you will bind us together as the household of faith. May your Holy Spirit find a dwelling place in our homes. And bless our neighbors through the hospitality we practice in your Name. Lord, in your mercy:
ALL: Hear our prayer.
LEADER: God of mercy, give grace and the comfort of your Holy Spirit to all who are in sorrow or need, sickness or adversity. Have mercy upon those to whom death draws near, and bring consolation to the mourning. We pray especially for those we name in our hearts before you now.
Spend a few moments praying together for our city, nation, and world as we continue to respond to and experience the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. Pray for healing, mercy, and wisdom. Pray that God would mobilize us, His people, to serve our community in love.
Lastly, spend some time praying individually in regards to the Lenten season. Ask God to reveal your sin to you that you might repent and experience sanctification. Ask God to make you feel your need for Him. Ask for forgiveness, strength, perseverance, and humility.
Scripture calls every follower of Jesus to give of their finances to support the ministry of the Gospel. Thank you for giving!
SONG 4: DOXOLOGY
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him, all creatures here below!
Praise Him, above, ye heavenly hosts!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
Amen.
BENEDICTION
LEADER: Increase, O God, the spirit of neighborliness among us, that in peril we may uphold one another, in suffering tend to one another, and in homelessness, loneliness, or exile befriend one another. Grant us brave and enduring hearts that we may strengthen one another, until the disciplines and testing of these days are ended, and you again give peace in our time; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
ALL: Amen.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SUNDAY GATHERINGS
We are cancelling our in-person Sunday Gatherings until further notice. There will be a Home Worship Liturgy for our church to spend some time worshipping in their home every Sunday.
PARISH GATHERINGS
Our parishes are meeting virtually on a Zoom call.
Please go to www.sojournspringbranch.org for more information on how to stay connected with your parish.
PARISH LIFE
Communicate with those in your parish, neighbors in your street, co-workers, friends in the city, who need help or encouragement and serve them well in this season.
If you're new to Sojourn, we're eager to get you connected with a gospel family within the church that aims to love one another and serve the people in their neighborhood. This is what we call a Neighborhood Parish. As of now, we have 3 Neighborhood Parishes. This is the best way to become a part of what’s going on at Sojourn.
On Sundays at 10am, our church comes together to worship Jesus and proclaim the gospel through song, scripture, and sacrament. Corporate worship is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet that awaits us in eternity and is a powerful display of God’s glory to our city.