Home Worship Liturgy | March 29, 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 147:1-5
LEADER: Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
ALL: He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
SONG 1: "YET NOT I BUT
THROUGH CHRIST IN ME!"
What gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer
There is no more for heaven now to give
He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace
REFRAIN 1
To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
For my life is wholly bound to His
Oh how strange and divine, I can sing: all is mine!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
The night is dark but I am not forsaken
For by my side, the Saviour He will stay
I labour on in weakness and rejoicing
For in my need, His power is displayed
REFRAIN 2
To this I hold, my Shepherd will defend me
Through the deepest valley He will lead
Oh the night has been won, and I shall overcome!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven
The future sure, the price it has been paid
For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon
And He was raised to overthrow the grave
REFRAIN 3
To this I hold, my sin has been defeated
Jesus now and ever is my plea
Oh the chains are released, I can sing:
I am free! Yet not I, but through Christ in me
With every breath I long to follow Jesus
For He has said that He will bring me home
And day by day I know He will renew me
Until I stand with joy before the throne
REFRAIN 4
To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
All the glory evermore to Him
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me! (2x)
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
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: O God, Who always listens to us, Who breathes new life into us, call us forward to resurrection. We are surrounded by a world of dry bones, a world of death and despair, a world where we lose hope in our structures, ourselves, and even in You. We pray for this world in need of Your Word: for all the people who are suffering, for doctors and nurses who lay down their lives, for those who lead and make difficult decisions. So, forgive us. Forgive us for not trusting that You continually give life. Father of all, in the power of the Spirit, You know our faults and yet You promise to forgive. Keep us in Your presence and give us Your wisdom. Open our hearts to gladness, call dry bones to dance, and restore to us the joy of your salvation. We confess our lack of belief that You can heal and restore. Loving God, whose Spirit gave breath to the valley of dry bones, whose touch healed the lame and whose word raised the dead, hear our prayers today for those who are afflicted by sorrow and illness, by injustice and by despair, or by fear and weakness. Breathe into their hearts, into our hearts; speak their names, our names; and bring new life to them and to us. Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
PSALM 103:8-13
LEADER: The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
ALL: For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
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: "MY HOPE IS BUILT
ON NOTHING LESS"
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
CHORUS
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Supports me in the ‘whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in Him be found!
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
BIBLE TEACHING TEXT
EZEKIEL 37:11-14
11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
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 church.
Today, we will hear from Tony Villatoro, a pastor of Sojourn Spring Branch.
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.