Impact Video

 

Impact is a short-term mission sending organization that sends small teams on cross cultural trips. Watch the video to learn more about Impact, and to hear testimonies from folks sent over the last 20 years.

 

 

Call to Worship based on Psalm 130

 

Holy God, Creator of Life,
you call us out of our dark places,
offering us the grace of new life.
When we see nothing but hopelessness,
you surprise us with the breath of your spirit.
Call us out of our complacency and routines,
set us free from our self-imposed bonds,
and fill us with your spirit of life, compassion, and peace,
In the name of Jesus, your anointed one, we gather for worship. Amen.

 

Scripture Reading – Jonah 2:2-4

 

 

Song – Give To Our God Immortal Praise

 

 

Scripture Reading – Hebrew 5:7

 

 

Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Forgiveness Based on Psalm 32:1-8

 

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Therefore, let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Lord, thank you for forgiving us, releasing us, and defeating the power of sin. You alone are Savior and you alone deserve all honor, glory and praise, Amen.

 

Scripture – Psalm 130 (ESV)

 

 

Video Sermon

 

 

Song – His Mercy Is More

 

 

Confession of Faith Adapted from the Heidelberg Catechism Question 60

 

Leader: How are you righteous before God?
Congregation: Only by a true faith in Jesus Christ;

 

So that, though my conscience accuse me,
that I have grossly transgressed all the commandments of God,
and kept none of them, and am still inclined to all kinds of evil;
Notwithstanding, God, without any merit of mine, but only of mere grace,
grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness
and holiness of Christ;

 

Even so, God views me as if I never had committed any sin:
indeed, as if I had fully accomplished all that obedience
which Christ has accomplished for me;
Inasmuch as I embrace such benefit with a trusting heart.
Leader: Indeed! This is the good news that frees you to truly love God and serve others.

 

Communion

 

 

When our congregation gathered for the sacrament of communion with all the saints from every time and place, we heard again the story of God’s mighty acts and the love shown us in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Now we share in this sacrament again, and this bread and cup of blessing, that we may share in these same gifts and be strengthened by the Christian community, even though we gather separately for now.

 

On the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.

 

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me. For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
As you take the simple elements in your home, state, “The body of Christ” and “The Blood of Christ.” Know that God is with you, loves you, and is committed to you. Amen.

 

Song – It is Well with My Soul

 

 

Benediction

 

May we cry out to God from the very depths of our being, for we know he listens, cares, forgives, and redeems! Amen.

 

Questions for Reflection

 

1) What other passages in scripture encourage us to cry out to God with honesty?

 

2) How do you view God? What images of God come to mind when you think of God?

 

3) In what ways are you longing for God now? In what ways is your soul waiting?

 

4) Why does Psalm 130 start on an individual level and end on a communal note? What does that trajectory teach us about forgiveness, hope, and God?