Week 1: Learning from the whole family of God
Status: Fine details being worked through with my worship cycle team
I have detailed, to a large extent, the kinds of elements my local church will include, according to our unique needs and gifts. I have provided some ideas for alternate songs and other service elements that may be effective for your unique church. Please keep in the forefront of your mind, that INSPIRING Worship is the aim, which ultimately means that our task, as servants of our congregations, is to find that which will be inspiring for them, not just copying the 'church next door'.
Worship Service outline
|
Prelude |
"He reigns" - Newsboys | Children's Choir |
| Welcome & Call to worship | Spiel (as children take their places with congregation) | Worship Leader |
| Worship |
All over the world (Start with chorus ... powerpoint footage in spoken part "your name, your renown ...) |
Worship Band & Powerpoint |
| Ancient of Days (Start with "Every tongue in heaven and earth" then Worship Leader speaks Revelation/Daniel verses during quiet intro and sing rest of song) | Worship Band | |
| How Great Thou Art | ||
| How Great is our God | ||
| Prayer | Recalling the deeds of God throughout history that have brought light to a dark world | Congregational member |
|
Communion |
Man of sorrows (Hallelujah! What a Saviour!) | Worship Band |
| Giving/JC Lakers | I will magnify You ("we" instead of "I") Kids to go to JC Lakers (Sunday School) after they have had opportunity to give | Worship Band |
| Campaign Video update |  | DVD |
| Prayer for the Word of God | Congregation to join in prayer for Pastor's message | Congregational/Worship Team member |
|
Message |
"Learning from the whole family of God" | Pastor |
| Response |
We speak to nations (iworship version) |
Women's vocal group |
| Send out | Ancient of Days (from "Your kingdom shall reign over all the earth") | Worship Band |
Details
Music Prelude - Setting the scene
[To set the scene of there being one global family of God, of which we are a small part. Cause people to think outside the place they gave gathered for worship to visualise the broader community of faith worshipping the One True God that day]
Children to run in from back of church building with coloured streamers/ribbons and make their way to the stage - Place ribbons/streamers around big globe of the world- take their places to dance to backing of "He reigns" by Newsboys. (A deaf lady from our church is teaching some of the children to sign the words while others will be doing dance moves)
Welcome - Call to worship Spiel
[Verbally enforce the message just given by the children for us to visualise the wider Kingdom and celebrate the God who is the Creator, Saviour and Indweller of us all]
"The Lord reigns!! And we are His people - All around the globe this very day there are thousands calling on the name of the One True God. This One True God calls us to be one people worshipping Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. So lift up your heart, engage your mind, use every ounce of your will & strength to worship Him. Join in with the worldwide chorus!
Worship
All over the world by Matt Redman
Starting with the chorus (All over the world, your song will resound...) Our church will be having the powerpoint presentation of the "artists of life" WHO HAVE BROUGHT COLOUR TO A DARK WORLD (see creative arts section below for more details) during the instrumental/spoken part of this song.
Ancient of Days
Start with "Every tongue in heaven and earth" then during quiet Intro, the Worship Leader says,
"In Daniel 7:13- we read, "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
In Revelation 7:9-10 the apostle John's says, " I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice, [and we cry out now]: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Amen!"
Song starts up again with "Blessing and honour, glory and power be unto the Ancient of Days"
How great thou art
We use Integrity Media's iworship version
How great is our God by Matt Redman
Prayer - How God has brought "colour and life' to a world in darkness
Worship Team member/congregational member to say,
"We want to take this time to pray and thank You, our great God that You have been at work throughout the whole of history. We want to bring to mind, the stories of how You have brought Your light and life to give colour to our world, and to remind ourselves of the hope we have that You are at work in our world even now. Your heart is for every person of every nation, tribe and tongue and you have always been at work on behalf of Your people throughout history - from shutting the mouths of the lions for Daniel, to healing someone in our very own congregation; from parting the waters of the Red Sea, to providing employment to one of our own people here; from the calling of Abraham, to the sending out of one of our very own people into a new area of ministry. From forgiving and using King David to display your glory, to forigiving and using us. Thank You for being the hope and light of the world."
Communion
Worship leader to say, "We're going to take the time to celebrate the essense of what makes believers from the north, east, south and west, ONE people ... though many believe in an Intelligent designer of the universe, and many believe we can experience God in some personal way, without the acceptance of the shed blood of Jesus, the Son of God, we cannot truly be ONE - His blood seals our acceptance into God's universal family. Let's join together and celebrate the life given to us, and those across the other side of the globe, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Please make your way to the front and receive the bread and the wine - His body broken for you, His blood shed for you, then take your seats, and let's together, at the same time, eat and drink in remembrance of our Lord"
People will come forward while the Worship Band play "Hallelujah! What a Saviour!" (PraiseCharts version - the Traditional Title in hymn books is 'Man of sorrows')
Giving & children to JC Lakers (Sunday School)
When people have taken their seats and have consumed the bread and wine, the Worship Leader says, "Since the days of Adam and his two boys, Cain and Abel, the heart of a genuine servant of God has been evident in the way one gives. We give today, believing that God, the Father of every believer, is faithful to those who genuinely desire to serve His purposes. We give today as an act of showing our desire for Him to take all there is of us and use it to bring new life and colour to those in our community. We give as an expression of gratitude that every good gift comes from the Father of us all. Please take this opportunity to give of your tithes and offerings and then children, you can make your way to your JC Lakers Classes. Let's join together in giving to God"
Worship Ensemble to play, "I will magnify You" but using the plural prounoun "we" to create more of a corporate, global environment.
Campaign Video Update
Prayer for the Word of God
[a sample of what a Worship Team or Congregational member might like to say]
"Your Word is enduring, eternal, global, life-transforming - and we are your people, desiring to be changed and renewed by that very Word. So Lord, speak to our listening hearts. Change the perspectives that we have long held that keep us in darkness. Shine your light of truth into those dark places that inhabit lies and mistruths, hurt and pain, and cause division among your people. May the message bring warmth, light and healing and stir within us a desire to grow more in your likeness. In the name of Jesus Christ, the light of the world, we pray. Amen.
Message
See info on Pastor's Team
Response - We speak to nations by Israel Houghton
Worship Leader to say, "The next 5 weeks could prove to be revolutionary for our church, and for the world at large. If our perceptions about one another in this place, and our perceptions about others across the globe were transformed for us to see one another through God's eyes, imagine how much closer this world would resemble the world God intended. Allow the Spirit of God to start with us, here, in this church - and then to use us to help free others in the world to see God for who He is, so that we will hear the sound of the nations worshipping Him. We speak to one another, we speak to nations - the Kingdom is coming near to you - be free!"
Women's vocal group to lead congregation in "We speak nations" - Integrity's iworship version
Send Out
"Go out into your world this week, with eyes, ears and hearts wide open to the many teaching opportunities our great Father has in store for us - learn from your neighbours, your family, your workmates, your small group members, your global brothers and sisters in Christ - learn for the purpose of bringing joy to the Father heart of God by living out His desire for us to be ONE."
Alternate Service Elements
Worship
The Music you choose needs to call people to recognise the essence of what makes us, the global people of God, one - God made us, saved us and lives in us all. The focus is on the corporate expression of faith, not so much the individual - songs that speak of "our Saviour, our God etc" and those that highlight worship across the whole earth, not just our individual worship.
Before you consider alternate songs, keep in mind that Inspiring Worship is your aim - It may be better to find some well-known songs in your current worship songslist and give them "fresh eyes" than to try and teach many new ones that are picked just because they "fit the theme".
WORSHIP SONG OPTIONS:
|
SONG TITLE |
FIRST LINE/RELEVANT LINES |
MUSIC RESOURCE/COMPOSER www.christianlyrics.com |
| Ancient of Days | From every nation, all of creation bow before the Ancient of Days | Praise & Worship Resource Chorus Book |
| Shout to the Lord | My Jesus, My Saviour (change to "our" Jesus etc) all the earth let us sing | Darlene Zschech/Hillsong Music |
| All over the world | All over the world your song will resound, all over the world your praises ring out | Matt Redman & Martin Smith |
| He reigns | It's the song of the redeemed rising from the African plain, | Steve Taylor & Peter Furler (Newsboys) |
| How Great is our God | Sing with me, how great is our God, and all will see how great is our God | Matt Redman |
| Our God is an awesome God | Our God is an awesome God, he reigns from heaven above | Rick Founds |
| All the heavens | Holy, holy are you Lord, the whole earth is filled with your glory | Darlene Zschech |
| Bless the Lord | For your beauty, for your wisdom, and your splendour awesome God... | Jeff Deyo |
| Come now is the time to worship | One day every tongue will confess You are Lord | |
| Let everything that has breath | Let everything that has breath praise the Lord | Ron Kenoly |
| Glorify Your name | Father we love You...Glorify your name in all the earth | Scripture in Song |
| Blessed be the Lord God almighty | Father in Heaven how we love You | Scripture in Song |
| Hear our Praises (Hillsong) | From the mountains, to the valleys, hear our praises rise to You, from the heavens, to the nations ... | |
| The heavens shall declare | All creation bows at the coming of the King | Praise & Worship Resource Chorus Book |
| Highest (Hillsong) | Glory to God, let every heart sing, Glory to God in the highest | |
| How great Thou art | O Lord our God, when we in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands have made... | iworship version |
| There is nothing like
|
There is nothing like, there is nothing like, Your love | Hillsong Music |
| Exalt the Lord our God | And worship at His footstool | |
|
I will magnify You (with "I" being replaced by "we") |
We will magnify You, we will | Parachute Band |
| I can only imagine | I can only imagine when that day comes and I find myself standing in the sun | |
| Our heart | Our heart, our desire is to see the nations worship | Bob Fitts |
| Shine Jesus Shine | Fill this land with the Father's glory | Graham Kendrick |
| Reflector | I wanna be a reflector ... let the whole world know that Jesus lives in me | Planet Shakers |
| Here I am to worship | Light of the world, you stepped down into darkness ... | |
| We speak to nations | Hear the sound, the sound of the nations worshipping | Israel Houghton - Integrity iworship |
| Resonate | Let all nature sing, Let the earth rejoice, We will resonate, resonate Your glory | Sonic Flood |
| Pray | Every national tribe and tongue will proclaim your kingdom come | Darlene Zschech |
Communion Focus
For churches that do not regularly have a time of communion, this is a most appropriate time to spend retelling and reliving the last supper as it reminds us of the essence of what makes us a part of the family of God - the life, death and ressurection of Jesus Christ. The common link to other believers is the active belief that Jesus' blood was shed for us.
For those who do regularly participate in communion, it may give fresh eyes and new life, to pose to your congregation that this is no mere ritual, but a retelling of the story of what makes us one with those on the other side of the globe - his blood seals our acceptance into his universal family. Perhaps you could even get your people to visualise others all across the globe, who will this day be worshipping the same God you are - the God who became flesh and dwelt among us and now lives in us. As you are engaging in communion, you may like to have a visual display, such as powerpoint, of different people groups around the world - this will be a strong reminder that we are one through the blood of Jesus.
OPTIONS:
| SONG TITLE |
FIRST LINE/RELEVANT LINES | MUSIC RESOURCE/COMPOSER |
| Above All | Like a rose, trampled on the ground, you took the fall and thought of me above all |
Paul Baloche & Lenny LeBlanc |
| Amazes Me | On my knees I bow down and sing about the Healer and the hope I've found, you took my sin, took my shame, washed them all away |  |
| Amazing Love | My Lord, what love is this, that pays so dearly | Graham Kendrick |
| How Deep the Father's love for us | ... that He should give His only Son, to make a wretch His treasure |  |
| Find me at the Cross | Find me at the cross, down on my knees, thank You for saving me |  |
| From Heaven you came (The servant King) | This is our God, the servant King, He calls us now to follow Him | Graham Kendrick |
| The Old Rugged Cross | To that old rugged Cross I will ever be true | Public Domain |
| When I survey | Forbid it Lord that I should boast save in the death of Christ my God | Public Domain |
| Once again | Jesus Christ, I think upon your sacrifice | Matt Redman |
| Worthy is the Lamb | Thank You for the cross Lord | Hillsong |
| It's your blood that cleanses me | It's your blood that gives me life | Scripture in Song |
|  |  |  |
Creative arts
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION - The "artists of life" WHO HAVE BROUGHT COLOUR TO A DARK WORLD
Either during the instrumental of this song or in another appropriate place in your worship journey in Week 1, you could have powerpoint footage depicting those who have worshipped God throughout history and therefore brought COLOUR and LIFE to their world. You could travel as far back in history to Enoch, Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, and travel as far forward to the children in your very own congregation who are serving and worshipping God today. You may like to include well-known Christians from your country or town - eg famous sportsmen and sportswomen, TV celebrities who have made an impact in their part of the world. You could either display their names on the pictures themselves, or call out the names of those that appear on the screen. You could end the presentation with pictures of people from your very own church. This will provide a visual storytelling of how we we are part of the community of faith as a result of the faithful who have served God diligently and how we are called to be just as faithful in colouring our world around us now.
Pictures for this presentation can be obtained on the net by doing a www.google.com on a person's name (eg John Wesley, William Booth, King David, Martin Luther, Martin Luther-King) and then click images - You will find quite a few paintings or sketches depicting those "heroes of the faith" who have long been deceased (eg King David, Abraham) Beware that there are pictures that have copyright restrictions. You will need to find those who know how to either teach you how to download them and make them into a picture presentation (like Powerpoint), or find someone who is willing and able to do it for you.
DRAMAS - do a google search on christian dramas. They need to focus on the global church/learning from those who are different to you/
AESTHETICS - You may wish to decorate the worship area with all kinds of visuals to stimulate people to think more broadly about how they are being called by God to colour their world - how they can personally demonstrate the art of living as Jesus did. If your church already has a team of people involved in aesthetics, speak to them regarding any ideas you have and find out what they so you can make sure the worship & visual journey for your people has a sense of continuity and seamlessness.
GIVING
Since the days of Adam and his two boys, Cain and Abel, the heart of a genuine servant of God has been evident in the way one gives. We give today, believing that God, the Father of every believer, is faithful to those who genuinely desire to serve His purposes. We give today as an act of showing our desire for Him to take all there is of us and use it to bring new life and colour to those in our community. We give as an expression of gratitude that every good gift comes from the Father of us all.
WORSHIP THROUGH SCRIPTURE -
Weaved throughout your time of worship, you may like to use the power of Scripture that will help your congregation focus on the global family of God, His eternal Kingdom and His desire to bring light wherever there is darkness in the world
OPTIONS:
Revelation 7:9-10 I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." (NIV)
Daniel 7:13-14 "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (NIV)
1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit into one bodyâ€â€whether Jews or Greeks, slave or freeâ€â€and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (NIV)
Prayer - How God has brought "colour and life' to a world in darkness
This is a verbal recounting of how God has brought His light and life to give colour to our world. It is to emphasize that our Father God has been at work throughout the whole of history, and to give hope and renewed belief that He is at work in our world even now. Every child of His from every nation, tribe and tongue have access to the One Great God who listens to and answers prayer. For this, we want to thank Him - that we are a part of His global family, worshipping Him right now in this pocket of history and that He can use us to bring colour and life to our world.
OPTIONS: You could instruct people to call out in a loud voice, the deeds God has performed on behalf of His people throughout history - from shutting the mouths of the lions for Daniel, to healing someone in your very own congregation; from parting the waters of the Red Sea, to providing employment to one of your church members; from the calling of Abraham, to the sending out of one of your own people into a new area of ministry.
You may choose one person who communicates well in corporate prayer to do a similar thing - to pull together in a prayer of thanks, the things that God done throughout the history of mankind, and the things He has done in your very corner of the world that has brought new life, colour and vibrancy.
You may want to use the powerpoint presentation of the "artists of life" as a visual way of thanking God for what He has accomplished in the world through these children of his. Instead of it being played during an instrumental part of a worship song, you could have the visuals being displayed as someone is offering up a prayer of thanks for those who have been 'artists of life' and coloured the world of others and have influenced their own personal journey of faith.
Prayer for the one who will bring the 'Word of God'
Before the pastor comes to give his message, you may like to choose an appropriate person or people to pray that the enduring, eternal, global Word of God will transform the hearts and minds of those listening today - that it will break down the dividing walls of hostility that still remain among God's people, and there will be a new perspective of God and of His global family as your people read and study from the "Color Your World" book this week.
Message/Sermon
You may like to have the message at the beginning of the service so that whatever worship follows is a direct response to the message about the whole family of God being called to worship the One True Living God and learning from each other to grow in His likeness. For more sermon ideas, see the Pastor's Team
Response
Send Out/Benediction
"Jesus told us to pray that His Kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven - in heaven, there is one bride joined to one groom - one body worshipping one God. That is what He longs for here and now - let's go out this week with our eyes open and our hearts questioning how we can learn from our other brothers and sisters and what walls need to be broken down so we can be the One body Christ died for."
OPTIONS:
Any number of songs from the above list could be used
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