Sunday, October 16, 2016

CALL TO WORSHIP
Psalm 121

MUSIC
Bethel Music - This Is Amazing Grace
All Sons & Daughters - You Will Remain
Hillsong United - Say The Word
Hymn - My Jesus I Love Thee

PRAYER FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY HURRICANE MATTHEW
By Scott Wall
Less than two weeks ago, many of us watched as Hurricane Matthew slammed through several island nations in the Caribbean. One of the most devastated of these was Haiti...the emerging images and reports have revealed the scope and intensity of the storm, and how desperate the situation is for many people there in the aftermath.

For many of us standing here, the magnitude of this tragedy might feel distant...especially because our lives (with their pursuits and concerns) have continued without interruption. And it is into that gap that we want to step today...because to be a community that places Jesus at the centre is to be a community that acknowledges God's immanent presence with and for the dislocated, the victim, the grieving, the dying.

I want to invite us to pray for those who have been and are being affected by Hurricane Matthew. I will pray, and then I want to offer you a few moments of silence in which you can articulate what is in your hearts and minds. Perhaps you know someone working with an aid agency there...perhaps as a parent you've seen the pictures of fatigued mothers and fathers caring for their helpless children...perhaps you know what it is to be hungry and thirsty with no relief in sight. Allow these things to bring you into a posture of prayer.

Let us pray.

God our Father, we come to you today and we acknowledge our helplessness in the face of such loss...such darkness...such pain.
We pray that your presence would be felt by those who are grieving, who are injured, who have lost their homes and livelihoods.
We pray for wisdom and safety for those who are responding to the people in need, and to the many challenges left in the wake of this crisis.
We pray for your church in Haiti, that it may be a witness to your care for all who suffer. We pray for your church abroad, that it would be moved with compassion to pray, to advocate, and to give.
Hear the prayers of your people now...I invite you to take a moment in silence and offer your prayer to our gracious God.

Pause

God, you are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. We give you thanks that in Christ, we worship a God who knows our trouble, bears our trouble, overcomes our trouble. He is the Risen Christ, and it's in His name that we pray.
Amen.

PRAYER TO CLOSE WORSHIP
Paraphrase From Covenant Book of Worship
God of grace,
you have given us minds to know you,
hearts to love you,
and voices to sing your praise.
Fill us with your Spirit, that we may celebrate your glory and worship you in spirit and in truth;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.

TEACHING + DISCUSSION NOTES
Leviticus