Download: Readings and Song Lyrics for March 20, 2022
Reflection
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
Genesis 2:15
Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Call to Worship
Galatians 1:3-5; Psalm 34:1-3, 8 (CSB)
Grace to you and peace from God the Father
and our Lord Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for our sins
to rescue us from this present evil age,
according to the will of our God and Father.
To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
I will boast in the Lord;
the humble will hear and be glad.
Proclaim the Lord’s greatness with me;
let us exalt his name together.
How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!
Our Sung Call to Worship
10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)
Chorus
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul,
Worship His holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul,
I’ll worship Your holy name.
Verse 1
The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning;
It’s time to sing Your song again.
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me,
Let me be singing when the evening comes. (Chorus)
Verse 2
You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger,
Your name is great and Your heart is kind;
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing,
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.
(Chorus)
Verse 3
And on that day when my strength is failing,
The end draws near and my time has come;
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending,
Ten thousand years and then forevermore.
(Chorus 2X’s)
Ending
Worship your holy name,
Lord, I’ll worship Your holy name.
Words and Music by Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin
©2011 Atlas Mountain Songs, sixsteps Music, Thankyou Music, worshiptogether.com songs
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
From Ulrich Zwingli
Almighty, eternal God!
Forgive us our sin and lead us to eternal life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Time of silent confession.
Assurance and Peace
We profess our assurance of salvation and peace in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Remember the Gospel
Galatians 3:13; 6:14 (CSB)
Hear the good news!
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law
by becoming a curse for us,
because it is written,
“Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
I will never boast about anything
except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The world has been crucified to me through the cross,
and I to the world.
Complete in Thee (distribution of the elements)
Verse 1
Complete in Thee! No work of mine
Could take, dear Lord, the place of Thine.
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And I shall stand complete in Thee!
Chorus
Yea, justified! O blessed thought!
And sanctified, salvation wrought!
Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,
And glorified I too shall be!
Verse 2
Complete in Thee, each want supplied,
And no good thing to me denied;
Since Thou my portion, Lord, will be,
I ask no more—complete in Thee! (Chorus)
Verse 3
Complete in Thee; no more shall sin,
Which Thou has conquered, reign within.
Thy blood shall bid the tempter flee,
And I shall stand, complete in Thee. (Chorus)
Verse 4
Dear Savior, when, before Thy bar,
All tribes and tongues assembled are,
Among the chosen I will be,
At Thy right hand, complete in Thee! (Chorus)
Words by Aaron Wolf and James M. Gray, Music by Ben Nyce
©Public Domain
CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor
Verse 1
Christ, the sure and steady anchor
In the fury of the storm;
When the winds of doubt blow through me
And my sails have all been torn.
In the suffering, in the sorrow,
When my sinking hopes are few,
I will hold fast to the anchor;
It shall never be removed.
Verse 2
Christ, the sure and steady anchor
While the tempest rages on;
When temptation claims the battle
And it seems the night has won.
Deeper still then goes the anchor,
Though I justly stand accused;
I will hold fast to the anchor;
It shall never be removed.
Verse 3
Christ, the sure and steady anchor
Through the floods of unbelief;
Hopeless, somehow, O my soul now
Lift your eyes to Cavalry.
This my ballast of assurance,
See His love forever proved;
I will hold fast to the anchor;
It shall never be removed.
Verse 4
Christ the sure and steady anchor,
As we face the wave of death;
When those trials give way to glory
And we draw our final breath.
We will cross that great horizon,
Clouds behind and life secured;
And the calm will be the better
For the storms that we endured.
Ending
Christ, the shore of our salvation,
Ever faithful, ever true;
We will hold fast to the anchor,
It shall never be removed.
Words and music by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa
©2015 Getty Music Hymns and Songs, Getty Music Publishing, Love Your Enemies Publishing, Messenger Hymns
Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)
Verse 1
One day when Heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelt among men, my example is He.
The Word became flesh and the light shined among us,
His glory revealed. (Chorus)
Chorus
Living, He loved me, dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away.
Rising, He justified freely forever.
One day He’s coming,
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day.
Verse 2
One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain.
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree.
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected,
Bearing our sins my Redeemer is He.
The hands that healed nations stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me. (Chorus)
Verse 3
One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door.
Then He arose over death He had conquered.
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him,
The grave could not keep Him From rising again. (Chorus)
Bridge
One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,
One day the skies with His glories will shine.
Wonderful day my Beloved One bringing.
My Savior Jesus is mine. (Chorus)
Ending after Chorus
O glorious day, glorious day.
O glorious day!
Words and Music by Michael Bleecker, J. Wilbur Chapman, and Mark Hall
©2009 Curb Songs, Be Essential Songs, My Refuge Music
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 20:17-38 (ESV)
17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.
18 And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.
This is the word of the Lord.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Sermon
Acts 20:17-38 – The Hard Work of Gospel Ministry – Pastor Michael Felkins
Sermon Discipleship Questions
1. What encouraged you?
2. What convicted you?
3. Is there anything in your life that needs to change?
Sending
Having heard and confessed the Gospel, we are sent into the world on mission in Christ, which we express in spoken word.
Blessing
Galatians 6:18 (CSB)
Brothers and sisters,
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Amen.