September 20, 2020 - Rejoice! - A New Attitude

Tested by families, for families (and others too). Church at Home is an interactive, weekly worship service to be held from the safety of your own home. Each service will be centered around one theme and will have 3 songs, readings, and prayers, a short (4-5 min) message for children, and a longer (10 min) message for the whole family.
— Church at Home Explanation

Thank you for joining us for our Church at Home service!

Directly below in English and here in Spanish is an at-home worship service to be held with the family or as an individual or small group. Included are links to songs and pastoral messages (EnglishSpanishBilingual, and children's message) which will be made available every Saturday on Youtube. The head of the household can lead (L) and others can respond (C) or everyone can take turns. Use the links for the songs and messages at the appropriate time. Please do not feel pressured to go through the whole thing in one sitting. Rather, use each element of this service so that it serves as a blessing to you and your family. 

If you have any prayer requests, or if you worship in this way this weekend, please use or fill out our online connect card, or linked below in the service. Comment to let us know how it went and any suggestions you may have!

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Finally, for this week’s news update or more information about our church, click here.

May God bless your Church at Home worship service this week. 

Pastor William Dunn

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Rejoice!

Week 3 - A New Attitude

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” - Philippians 4:4. Really? Always rejoice? Always have joy? Don’t you know what I’m going through? Sometimes it’s hard to imagine being able to rejoice when the stresses, pains, and anxieties of life start to pile up. Yet Paul writes this beautiful, joy-filled letter to the Philippians, and he writes it from a jail cell! He writes it to a church that is suffering, poor, and persecuted. God gives this letter to us too. Rejoice! 

Today we see that when we take a close look at how Jesus was willing to go the cross for us, it gives us a new “others-focused” attitude.

Opening Song - Still, My Soul, Be Still

Invocation

L. In the name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C. Amen. 

Confession and Absolution

We begin the service by recognizing how we have fallen short of God’s will and desire for our lives, and we receive the good news that we are forgiven in Jesus Christ.

L. Let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us.

C. Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin. For faithless worrying and selfish pride, for sins of habit and sins of choice, for the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do, you should cast me away from your presence forever. O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake. 

L. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. In his great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sins. Hear the word of Christ just as he proclaimed to the paralytic: "Take heart, your sins are forgiven.” Let us take this forgiveness to heart and proclaim it to each other in the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Prayer of the Day

L. Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C. Amen. 

First Lesson - Ezekiel 33:7-11

In this reading, God gives the prophet Ezekiel the great responsibility of caring for the souls of the Israelites. He commands him to preach the law to all who lead lives of disobedience and the gospel to all who despair because of their sins.

7 But I have appointed you, son of man, to be a watchman for the house of Israel. So whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you are to warn them from me. 8 When I say to a wicked man, “Wicked man, you shall surely die,” if you do not speak to warn the wicked man against his way, that wicked man will die because of his guilt, but I will also hold you responsible for his blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he will die because of his guilt, but you will have saved your life.

10 So you, son of man, say the following to the house of Israel.

This is what you people are saying: “Certainly our rebellion and our sins weigh us down, and because of them we are rotting away. How then can we live?” 11 Say to them, “As I live, declares the LORD God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel?”

REFLECTION ON THE WORD

How should God respond to my attitude? Have I dug in my heels trying to convince myself that I am not guilty of a particular sin? Or have I recognized my sin and turned to God for forgiveness?

Second Lesson - Philippians 2:1-11

Recognizing what Jesus did on the behalf of us sinners who don’t deserve it, we are given a new attitude that puts others first too, even if they don’t deserve it!

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility consider one another better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look carefully not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5 Indeed, let this attitude be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. 6 Though he was by nature God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, 7 but he emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant. When he was born in human likeness, and his appearance was like that of any other man, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

REFLECTION ON THE WORD

How many decisions do I make each day thinking of myself before others? May I continue to marvel at the ultimate humility and selflessness that my Savior had as he lived and died for me, and may a strive to imitate him as well.

Gospel - Matthew 18:15-20

Just like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who is always looking for his lost sheep, we too will use the law with each other so that we might be brought to repent. Whenever someone repents, we will use the gospel to give them the comfort of forgiveness. This ability to preach law and gospel to the sinner is called the ministry of the keys and Christ grants it to all who believe. 

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his sin just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And, if he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as an unbeliever or a tax collector. 18 Amen I tell you: Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Amen I tell you again: If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. 20 In fact where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them.”

REFLECTION ON THE WORD

How often do I avoid confronting someone about their sin, just to avoid the conflict? Help me see that calling out sin is more loving than ignoring it.

Children's Message

Song - Make Me a Light

English Sermon -or- Bilingual Sermon 

Confession of Faith - The Apostles' Creed

We speak the truths of the faith that have united the church for thousands of years.

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. 

Offering - Facebook or PayPal

Out of thanksgiving for God’s message of grace and forgiveness, if you would like to support our ministry with a financial gift you may do so with zero fees through our Facebook page or with a small fee included through Paypal. We thank you for your gracious support.

Online Connection Card

Please use the link to connect with us online! Let us know that you worshiped with us or submit a prayer request.

General Prayer

Use this time to pray to God about anything that is on your heart and mind. Remember who God is and how he describes himself in the Bible. Focus on his eternal perspective. Consider not only your own life, but also the lives of others. Finally, pray with confidence knowing that God hears you, and pray in the name of your savior, Jesus Christ.  

The Lord's Prayer

Pray the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. 

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

The Blessing

Just as God told Aaron to bless his people in this way, we ask God’s blessing on us as we go forth in our lives.

L. The Lord bless us and keep us.
    The Lord make his face shine on us and be gracious to us.
    The Lord look on us with favor and ☩ give us peace.

C. Amen 

Closing Song - The Lord Loves You Face to Face