The Way We Worship Together: February 27, 2011

Welcome to a weekly overview of Union Center Christian Church's Sunday  morning service.  You’ll not only read a list of the songs we led following the Call To Worship, but also the readings and prayers from our liturgy.

You can find links to the set lists of this church and many other churches each week in the Worship Blog Carnival at theworshipcommunity.com. And you can learn about some of the songs we sing at Union Center each week in advance of the Sunday service by reading my “Getting Ready For Sunday” post each Thursday.

Call To Worship

After greeting the congregation as those gathered by God, we greeted each other.  Then, Pastor Craig reprises the benediction from last week, following the the message from the account of Daniel and his friends.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God; once we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy.

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  Let us live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse us of doing wrong, they may see our good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

(I Pet. 2:9-12)

As we enter in worship this morning, we are reminded that our worship is adding to the worship that is already happening around the throne of God where worship never ends!

Song: O Praise Him! written by David Crowder. We have sung this familiar Crowder song only a few times during our Rated E services over the years and decided it was time to sing it together again.

Turn your ear to heaven and hear the noise inside,

The sound of angel's awe, the sound of angel's songs

And all this for a King

We could join and sing, all to Christ the King

Words and Prayers of Confession

(unfortunately, we've misplaced the Scripture readings for this week)

Song: In Christ Alone, words and music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.  We sang this as a confession of our dependence on the finished work of Christ:

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

Words of Assurance

(unfortunately, again, we did not record today's reading)

Song: Days of Elijah, written by Robin Mark.  This is an old favorite at Union Center that we took out of the "repetoire" for awhile so it could be revitalized at the right time.  We thought the account of the exiles of Israel returning home to rebuild the temple was the perfect week to sing it again!


These are the days of Ezekiel,
the dry bones becoming as flesh.

And these are the days of Your servant David,

rebuilding a temple of praise...

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Giving:

The appropriate response to our Creator and Redeemer is to give from all we have - heart, soul, mind, strength, gifts and resources.

Message:  This week The Story recounts the Return of the Israelites from exile to their homeland under the leadership of Ezra.  Once again, we see how God's intention to bless His people in order that they would be a blessing to all nations.

Song: We Fall Down written by Chris Tomlin. This week, we responded to the Word by sending out our first Ngasyak team since partnering with the village.  Earlier this year, worship leader Laura Howell spoke on the phone with Esther Penny in Senegal to learn the Wolof translation for this song.  No other worship songs currently exist in this language and we are excited to be able to learn even a few words in the language of our new friends.

Introducing the team

Prayer: Shepherdstown students raised money to donate candy for the Kids' Club in Ngasyak.  It was especially precious to have a student pray in each service to bless the candy and pray for the village kids who would be receiving it.

Benediction: