Hear the message.....live God's word........
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105
That Thing We Do: Worship
What are we really doing when we gather on Sunday morning? Many of us come to the church building Sunday after Sunday without ever really asking the question, "Why?" In this series, we explore the various "things we do" during our worship services from prelude to benediction and find how they help us to be planted in the Story of God, express our praise, and have our lives formed by the Gospel.
January 2, 2011: "That Thing We Do: Prelude" Psalm 46, Mark 1:9-13. The Prelude is preparation: a reminder to be present in God's presence. Is the prelude just a time to enjoy some background music or may it be an opportunity to enhance our engagement and experience of the worship event?
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January 9, 2011: "That Thing We Do: Call to Worship and Invocation" Psalm 96, Revelation 4. The Call to worship is an invitation into the most worthwhile, life-changing, and cosmic activity we could undertake.
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January 16, 2011: "That Thing We Do: Singing (Part 1- Why We Sing)" Psalm 100, Colossians 3:15-17. Music in worship allows us to express more fully and be formed more deeply as a community.
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January 23, 2011: "That Thing We do: Singing (Part 2-How We Sing)" 1 Samuel 6:14-16, 20-22, Isaiah 29:13-14. The "worship wars" have been a divisive, but constant reality in the American Church over the last half-century at least. Should we sing hymns or contemporary praise songs, guitars, organs...? What should we sing during our worship services?
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January 30, 2011: "That Thing We Do: Offering" 1 Chronicles 29:1-13. Is the Offering the practical, pay-the-bills moment of the worship service, an obligation? Or is it a significant part of the worship event, a celebration?
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February 6, 2011: "That Thing We Do: Communion" 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:23-29. Do we just practice Communion "because Jesus said so"? Because it is just that thing we do the first Sunday of the month? Or because Communion draws us into the center God, our lives, and the Church.
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February 13, 2011: "That Thing We Do : Prayer" Nehemiah 1:3-11, Matthew 6:7-13. Prayer emphasizes the worship ENCOUNTER of God and his people.
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February 20, 2011: "That Thing We Do: Scripture Readings and Sermon" Nehemiah 8, 2 Timothy 3:15-4:5. Are we looking to be entertained or are we expecting to encounter God through his Word? What should we expect from the preacher? And how will we know if something's gone wrong in a sermon?
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February 27, 2011: "That Thing We Do: Baptism" Exodus 24: 3-8, Romans 6: 3-14. Immersion, sprinkling, infants, adults- the debates go on. But what if we didn't look at baptism as just a rule that had to be done right? What if baptism is a picture of the Gospel and the Gospel life? We start there and then look at some of the other questions in that light.
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March 6, 2011: "That Thing We Do: Opportunities, Benediction, Response" James 1:19-27. Worship services are the Gospel Life concentrate. When we come to worship together, how do we do so in a way that will help the Gospel to overflow outside of our walls?
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Point Place United Church of Christ 4920-297th Toledo Oh 43611 419-726-7390 office@pointplaceucc.org