Sunday Meditation, July 11
Witnesses to the End of the Earth
Scripture for Meditation: Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Hymn of Mission: Across the Lands
You're the Word of God the Father
From before the world began.
Ev'ry star and ev'ry planet
Has been fashioned by Your hand.
All creation holds together
By the power of Your voice.
Let the skies declare Your glory;
Let the land and seas rejoice!Chorus:
You're the Author of creation;
You're the Lord of ev'ry man;
And Your cry of love rings out across the lands.Yet You left the gaze of angels,
Came to seek and save the lost,
And exchanged the joy of heaven
For the anguish of a cross.
With a prayer You fed the hungry;
With a word You calmed the sea;
Yet how silently You suffered
That the guilty may go free!With a shout You rose victorious,
Wresting vict'ry from the grave,
And ascended into heaven,
Leading captives in Your way.
Now You stand before the Father,
Interceding for Your own;
From each tribe and tongue and nation,
You are leading sinners home!Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend. Copyright © 2003 Thankyou Music
Used by permission. CCLI #2783020
Offertory Hymn of Witness: Thy Mercy, My God, Is the Theme of My Song
Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart and the boast of my tongue.
Thy free grace alone from the first to the last
Hath won my affections and bound my soul fast.Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here;
Sin would reduce me to utter despair;
But through Thy free goodness my spirits revive,
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart;
Dissolved by Thy goodness I fall to the ground
And weep for the praise of the mercy I’ve found.Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own
And the covenant love of Thy crucified Son;
All praise to the Spirit whose whisper divine
Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine.
All praise to the Spirit whose whisper divine
Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine!Words by John Stoker
Music by Sandra McCracken
© 2001 Same Old Dress Music (ASCAP)
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
CCLI #2783020
Prayer of Blessing
Responsive Reading: Psalm 67
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!
Hymn of Praise: Hallelujah! What a Savior!
“Man of sorrows,” what a name for the Son of God who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah! What a Savior!Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood! Hallelujah! What a Savior!Guilty, vile, and helpless, we; spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atonement! Can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!Lifted up was He to die, “It is finished,” was His cry;
Now in heav’n exalted high! Hallelujah! What a Savior!When He comes, our glorious King, all His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew this song we’ll sing: Hallelujah! What a Savior!Philip P. Bliss, 1838-1876
Prayer of Corporate Confession
Silence for Personal Confession
Assurance of Pardon: I Corinthians 15:21, 22
For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Response: Thanks be to God.
Hymn of Triumph: Jesus Shall Reign*
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Doth his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.Refrain:
He shall reign in glory, crowned with grace and might;
Bless His name and praise our sovereign King.
He shall reign forever with His chosen Bride,
And all the earth shall sing that Jesus is the King.People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song;
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His Name.Let every creature rise and bring
Blessing and honor to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud amen!Words by Isaac Watts. Music by John Hatton.
Adapted by Ryan Foglesong.
© 2010 Resolved Music.
All Rights Reserved. CCLI #2783020*Children may leave during this song.
Ministry of the Word
Hymn of Obedience: O Church, Arise
O church, arise and put your armor on;
Hear the call of Christ our captain;
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given.
With shield of faith and belt of truth
We'll stand against the devil's lies;
An army bold whose battle cry is "Love!"
Reaching out to those in darkness.Our call to war, to love the captive soul,
But to rage against the captor;
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole
We will fight with faith and valor.
When faced with trials on ev'ry side,
We know the outcome is secure,
And Christ will have the prize for which He died—
An inheritance of nations.Come, see the cross where love and mercy meet,
As the Son of God is stricken;
Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet,
For the Conqueror has risen!
And as the stone is rolled away,
And Christ emerges from the grave,
This vict'ry march continues till the day
Ev'ry eye and heart shall see Him.So Spirit, come, put strength in ev'ry stride,
Give grace for ev'ry hurdle,
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still line the way,
Retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their calls and hunger for the day
When, with Christ, we stand in glory.Words and music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music
Used by permission. CCLI #2783020
*All Scripture, English Standard Version. © 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission.