May 3 Home Worship Guide
Call to Worship
READ:
“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.'” All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame. But in the LORD all the descendants of Israel will be found righteous and will exult.
Isaiah 45:22-25 (NIV)
PRAY:
We lift up our hearts to you, O God, and acknowledge that you are God; there is no other. We bow before your majesty, declaring that righteousness and strength are found in you alone. In our weakness and fallenness we find all we need in you. Let us exult in you today in our prayer and praise. Amen.
Singing
Prayer of Confession
READ:
The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:11b-12 (NIV)
PRAY:
Holy God, the gates of your kingdom admit only the righteous. For this reason alone, we would be justly excluded. We have sinned, Father, against heaven and before you. We have fallen short of your glory. We have failed to honor you, the God who gives us every breath and sustains our every step. We have not lived as befits the royal name you have given us in Jesus our King. We have drawn near you with our lips while our hearts are far from you. We have been deceived by the pride of our hearts and thought more highly of ourselves than we ought. We have leaned on our own understanding and sought our glory above the glory of your name and kingdom. Forgive us of our sins for Jesus’ name’s sake.
READ:
I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Isaiah 61:10 (NIV)
Hear and believe the gospel: Those who confess their sins and look to Jesus for their salvation are assured of forgiveness and clothed in his righteousness. Thanks be to God!
Scripture Reading
Today’s sermon text is Revelation 2–3. This is a lengthy portion but well worth reading aloud. Depending on the number of small children running around in your living room, read one of the following sections:
EVERYTHING: Revelation 2:1–3:22
LONG: Revelation 2:12–3:6
SHORT: Revelation 3:1–6
Sermon
The Apostles’ Creed
CONFESS TOGETHER:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever. Amen
Singing
Benediction
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:10-11 (NIV)