This is a guide to worship by yourself or with your household. If you’re in a group, choose a leader to speak the unbolded parts. If you’re by yourself, try reading all parts out loud.
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CALL TO WORSHIP
Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
I will call on God,
and the LORD will rescue me.
Morning, noon, and night
I cry out in my distress,
and the LORD hears my voice.
He ransoms me and keeps me safe.
God, who has ruled forever,
will hear me.
From Psalm 54
PRAYERS OF PRAISE
Take a few moments with the people you are gathered with, or on your own, to praise our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
SONGS OF PRAISE
CONFESSION OF SIN
Leader: Father, you sent your son to die and rise to new life in order that death might be brought to an end and that we might live a new life in Him.
Congregation: Yet we confess that we too often have chosen to remain captive to doubt and fear and ways that lead to death.
L: By our thoughts, words, and actions, we have scorned your love, diminished the lives of others, and defaced your image in us.
Together: Father, forgive us for Jesus’ sake, and enable us by His resurrection power to live no longer for ourselves but for Him who died and rose again for us.
WORDS OF COMFORT AND ASSURANCE
But you offer forgiveness,
that we might learn to fear you. Psalm 130:4
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Because of Jesus' death and resurrection for you, you can know your sins are forgiven. Thanks be to God for his gift!
PASSING OF THE PEACE
Because of the peace with God we now know through Jesus Christ, we are told as "far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all" (Romans 12:8).
Take this time to contact through whatever means possible and reach out to share the peace of God.
SCRIPTURE READING
Isaiah 43:1-7 (NLT)
But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.
\When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you and your children from east and west.
I will say to the north and south, ‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth.
Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.’ ”
THE MESSAGE IS BASED ON 1 Peter 1:17-2:3
Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.