Intro:
2 Cor 5 v 11-21
What do we have for anyone? All we have is the gospel. But the gospel is enough! When we gather on a Sunday morning we want to tell the whole gospel(can’t always do that in the sermon but we design the service so that the whole gospel is proclaimed each Sunday morning). Before we get into that more, let’s sing a song that does a great job of setting the gospel out.
1) The Sunday morning journey
Standing at the front of the church service you stand as an ambassador of Christ (always of course but especially so in the gathering). We go on a journey together in corporate worship and it is the people at the front who help to take us on that journey. What are the different stops on that journey? Kevin DeYoung is really helpful on this subject;
“Our service has four parts: praise, renewal, proclamation, response. We see this pattern in the covenant renewal ceremonies of Scripture and in various divine encounters. In Isaiah 6, for example, Isaiah comes before God and praises him; then he confesses sin and seeks renewal; God then speaks his word to Isaiah; and finally Isaiah responds with commitment to God.
This is also a gospel pattern: we approach God in awe, we see our sin, we hear the good news, and we respond in faith and obedience.”
You are mainly trying to fix the eyes of Christians (yes unbelievers are there too) onto Jesus Christ. You are helping to take people through these stages of awe, confession, proclamation and response. You are part of delivering this message of reconciliation – people who were once far from God have been brought near in Christ. The Christians in front of you are new creations. Jesus became sin for them so that in Jesus they might become the righteousness of God. So you are doing more than reading words on a page or asking God for stuff that we need, you areactually helping to ensure that God’s appeal to people to “no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” is made clearly and powerfully each week.
So lets think about some of the different parts of our corporate worship and try to place them into these 4 categories (praise, renewal, proclamation, response):
a) Welcome (both outside and once the service starts)
Praise and renewal. Coming in and bringing sin, worries, problems, nerves, uncertainties, failures as well as successes and thanksgivings and excitement. Eyes off self and onto the character and achievements of God. We are welcomed here despite our sin because of the glory and love of God, because Jesus paid, because Jesus won, because the Spirit is at work.
b) Confession
Renewal. So important to deliberately say who we really are and who God really is. We are in need, He can supply all of our needs.
c) Testimony
A bit of everything here (there is proclamation and there is response). But for me it goes most clearly with Praise and renewal because done well it is all about our need and the supply of the blood of Jesus to change our sinful lives into lives of glory. (This should help us to think very carefully about what we want to say in response to the questions we ask at the front – he must increase, I must decrease).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDl8euKhd3U
d) CFBS
Deliberate proclamation of God’s word directed at our children and youth but actually spoken to the whole church family. (How many often remember the CFBS better than the sermon???)
e) Intercessions and praying throughout
Again there is some of everything here. Ours are focussed on specific requests for God to give what we need.
Hard to know where to put them in the service (this is why we have regular other prayers throughout as well because we can do nothing without God’s provision).
Theyfit best into the response category because often we ask for what we need so we can serve God this week, what we want for the unbelievers around us etc. Our emphasis in Riverside would be response mostly (we don’t want a sermon, we don’t want an extended time of confession as we have corporately done that already – mostly about specific needs so that God’s people can live for God). But they include all 4 parts – awe as we come to God, renewal as we admit our need, proclamation as we stand on God’s promises and response as we look to live differently as a church family.
f) Bible Reading
Proclamation.So so important - the centre of the service? God’s word is living and active. The Spirit and the word go together. The Spirit takes the word and changes people forever.
g) Sermon
Proclamation and response.
h) Creed
Declaration of allegiance. So some proclamation but mostly for me a response from the church family to the truth of the gospel.
i) Singing
All 4!This is why we think carefully about what song goes where in the service. Earlier ones will focus more on God’s praise and character, moving on to declaring truth and standing upon it and then finishing with a response that sends us out to live again as strangers on this world until the next time when we gather to worship.
2) Motivation matters
The stakes are very high;
- heaven or hell
- the glory of God or the pride of man
- the love of Jesus or the selfishness of sin
Personal commitment in that area;
- Intercessions and personal prayer (prayer meeting should really matter to those leading intercessions at the front)
- Bible Reading and personal commitment to God’s word (standing at the front to read should come out of a heart that needs God’s word regularly)
- Testimony and zeal forevangelism (remembering what saved you should be a spur to reaching out with the gospel)
3) Spiritual practicalities matter
- Knowing you are not there because of your goodness but because of Christ’s authority
- Urgency and enthusiasm
- Mistakes and excellence: Key principle is to eliminate distractions as much as possible but to always point to Jesus as our only hope.
Practicalities really matter!
Intercessions
Intercession guidelines
Bible Reading
Practiced, slowly, understandably, engaged and enthusiastic (Norah!)
Testimony
All the time centred around Jesus Christ
