Download: Readings and Song Lyrics for March 13, 2022
Reflection
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Romans 1:16
Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Call to Worship
John 1:1-5, 10-14, 3:16 CSB
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
All things were created through Him,
and apart from Him not one thing was created
that has been created.
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
That light shines in the darkness,
and yet the darkness did not overcome it.
He was in the world, and the world was created through Him,
and yet the world did not recognize Him.
He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.
But to all who did receive Him,
He gave them the right to be children of God,
to those who believe in His name,
who were born, not of natural descent,
or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man,
but of God.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
We observed His glory,
the glory as the one and only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
For God loved the world in this way:
He gave His one and only Son,
so that everyone who believes in Him
will not perish but have eternal life.
Our Sung Call to Worship
Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery
Verse 1
Come behold the wondrous mystery,
In the dawning of the King.
He, the theme of heaven’s praises,
Robed in frail humanity.
In our longing, in our darkness,
Now the light of life has come!
Look to Christ who condescended,
Took on flesh to ransom us.
Verse 2
Come behold the wondrous mystery:
He the perfect Son of Man,
In His living, in His suffering,
Never trace nor stain of sin.
See the true and better Adam,
Come to save the hell-bound man,
Christ the great and sure fulfillment
Of the law; in Him we stand.
Verse 3
Come behold the wondrous mystery:
Christ the Lord upon the tree.
In the stead of ruined sinners
Hangs the Lamb in victory!
See the price of our redemption,
See the Father’s plan unfold,
Bringing many sons to glory:
Grace unmeasured, love untold!
Verse 4
Come behold the wondrous mystery:
Slain by death, the God of life.
But no grave could e’er restrain Him;
Praise the Lord, He is alive!
What a foretaste of deliv’rance,
How unwavering our hope.
Christ in power resurrected,
As we will be when He comes.
Ending
What a foretaste of deliv’rance,
How unwavering our hope.
Christ in power resurrected,
As we will be when he comes.
Words and Music by Matt Papa, Matt Boswell, and Michael Bleecker
©2012 Bleecker Publishing, Getty Music Hymns and Songs, Getty Music Publishing, Love Your Enemies Publishing, McKinney Music, Inc.
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
From Luther’s Small Catechism
Let’s confess our sins together:
I, a poor sinner, plead guilty before God of all sins.
I have lived as if God did not matter and as if I mattered most.
My Lord’s name I have not honored as I should;
my worship and prayers have faltered.
I have not let His love have its way with me,
and so my love for others has failed.
There are those whom I have hurt,
and those whom I have failed to help.
My thoughts and desires have been soiled with sin.
Time of silent confession.
Our Sung Confession
Lord I Need You
Verse 1
Lord, I come, I confess,
Bowing here I find my rest,
And without You, I fall apart.
You’re the one that guides my heart. (Chorus)
Chorus
Lord, I need You! Oh, I need You!
Ev’ry hour I need You!
My one defense, my righteousness—
Oh, God, how I need You.
Verse 2
Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more.
Where grace is found is where You are.
And where You are, Lord, I am free;
Holiness is Christ in me. (Chorus)
Bridge
So teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way.
And when I cannot stand I’ll fall on You.
Jesus, You’re my hope and stay. (2 X’s then Chorus)
Tag
My one defense, my righteousness—
Oh, God, how I need You.
Words and Music by Jesse Reeves, Matt Maher, Christy Nockels and Daniel Carson
©2011 sixsteps Music, Sweater Weather Music, Thankyou Music, Valley Of Songs Music, worshiptogether.com songs
Assurance and Peace
We profess our assurance of salvation and peace in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Remember the Gospel
Hebrews 2:9; 4:14, 16; 6:19
We see Jesus,
who was made a little lower than the angels,
now crowned with glory and honor
because He suffered death,
so that by the grace of God he might taste
death for everyone.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest
who has gone through the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God,
let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help us in our time of need.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul,
firm and secure.
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
Man of Sorrows
Verse 1
Man of sorrows, Lamb of God,
By His own betrayed.
The sin of man and wrath of God
Has been on Jesus laid.
Verse 2
Silent as He stood accused,
Beaten mocked and scorned,
Bowing to the Father’s will,
He took a crown of thorns. (Chorus)
Chorus
Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation,
Where Your love poured out over me.
Now my soul cries out, hallelujah,
Praise and honor unto Thee.
Verse 3
Sent of heaven, God’s own Son
To purchase and redeem
And reconcile the very ones
Who nailed Him to that tree. (Chorus)
Bridge
Now my debt is paid, it is paid in full
By the precious blood that my Jesus spilled.
Now the curse of sin has no hold on me
Whom the Son sets free, Oh is free indeed. (Chorus)
Verse 4
See the stone is rolled away,
Behold the empty tomb.
Hallelujah, God be praised,
He’s risen from the grave. (Chorus)
Tag
Praise and honor unto Thee.
Words and Music by Matt Crocker and Brooke Ligertwood
©2012 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia
Come Thou Fount
Verse 1
Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise:
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Verse 2
Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home:
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand’ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
Verse 3
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Tag
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Words by Robert Robinson
Music: Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music
©Public Domain
Thanksgiving and Petition
We Give Thanks in Prayer and Offer Petitions to God
We express our gratitude to God our Father for Christ’s work on the cross for us and bring our requests before him. In bringing our requests, we confess that we believe God truly is a good father, who cares about our needs and gives us what he knows is best.
We Give Thanks by Giving
We give financial offerings to support the work of the church because of our gratitude to God. By giving we confess we are trusting in God’s provision for us as well.
On the first Sunday of each month we have two offerings—one for the general fund and a second one for the benevolence ministry of our church.
You may give electronically at gabcames.org/giving/ or place your offering in the boxes at the back of the sanctuary or send a check in the mail.
Scripture Reading
Acts 20:1-16
1After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. 3 There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, 6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.
7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.
13 But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15 And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.
This is the word of the Lord.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Sermon
Acts 20:1-16 – “Jesus Changes Everything” – Dean Van Every
Sending
Having heard and confessed the Gospel, we are sent into the world on mission in Christ, which we express in spoken word.
Blessing
Hebrews 10:24
This week let us hold unswervingly
to the hope we profess,
for He who promised is faithful.