A Note before you begin:
Welcome to Gold Avenue Church’s At home Worship Liturgy; we’re so grateful to join together in Spirit as we worship! We want to give special thanks to our worship leaders: Kayleen Jasperse, Derek Sterenberg, and Marissa Walters who have been prayerfully discerning our Orders of Worship and Derek in particular who prepared this week’s order. While we would love to be together in person and it may be somewhat difficult or even a little bit uncomfortable to worship from home, we’re reminded of the many believers around the world and throughout time that have worshipped from their homes in the wake of political and religious opposition. Our prayer is that despite the circumstances you’re able to be fully present to the Lord and that he meets with each of you richly.
Call to Worship:
The Call to Worship serves to focus our attention on the living God who is present with us; it calls us to position ourselves as those who are ready to worship and ready to receive from Him. Read the following out loud as you fix your eyes on Jesus:
From Psalm 145:
I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b]
They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
Pray for the Lord to fill you, your household, and your home with his presence and his peace. Invite him to stir up worship and take time to express your gratitude and thankfulness to the Lord as you feel led.
Worshiping in Song:
You can access the video of each song by clicking on the video. We invite you to turn up the volume and to participate freely and fully: sing along, dance, kneel, listen and soak, read the included lyrics–however you feel led. You may find it fruitful to listen to a song more than once, to respond between songs with prayer, thanksgiving, meditation, or even discussion about how the Lord is at work in and through the song.
Hosanna Praise is Rising
Praise is rising, eyes are turning to You, we turn to You
Hope is stirring, hearts are yearning for You, we long for You
‘Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away
Hosanna, hosanna
You are the God Who saves us, worthy of all our praises
Hosanna, hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here, Lord Jesus
Hear the sound of hearts returning to You, we turn to You
In Your Kingdom broken lives are made new, You make us new
‘Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away
Hosanna, hosanna
You are the God Who saves us, worthy of all our praises
Hosanna, hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here, Lord Jesus
‘Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away
‘Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away
Hosanna, hosanna
You are the God Who saves us, worthy of all our praises
Hosanna, hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here, Lord Jesus
[Repeat]
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna, hosanna
The Lord’s Greeting:
The Lord’s Greeting serves to remind us that we are in the presence of the living God. It makes space for him to greet us as our loving heavenly father who rules and reigns as the King over all and who is present with us as our loving heavenly father!
Fix your eyes on him as you read the following out loud:
From 2 John 1:3:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.
Greeting One Another:
It might feel a little odd doing this at home, but take time to say these words to greet each other, as you shake hands, hug or elbow bump:
“The Lord be with you!” and in response: “and also with you!”
And if you’re alone: “The Lord is with me!”
How Great Thou Art
O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
And when I think of God, His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And lead me home, what joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow with humble adoration
And then proclaim, my God, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
High and Lifted Up
Lord of all the earth
And all of heaven
I come and seek Your face
Worship You with all I have within me
Humbled by Your grace
Every heart every nation
Every tribe all creation
Will bow before Your presence and sing
You are high and lifted up
You are high and lifted up
And my soul sings hallelujah
To the Lamb
The Lamb of God
Lord of righteousness
You come in glory
Bright and morning star
All my days I’ll worship and adore You
Healer of my heart
Every prayer every cry
You alone satisfy
We will lift Your praise
Again and again
Majesty
Majesty
Jesus Lamb of God
Majesty
Majesty
Holy are You Lord
O Praise the Name (Anastasis)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq14jT0c4l4
I cast my mind to Calvary
Where Jesus bled and died for me.
I see His wounds, His hands, His feet.
My Savior on that cursed tree
His body bound and drenched in tears
They laid Him down in Joseph’s tomb.
The entrance sealed by heavy stone
Messiah still and all alone
O praise the name of the Lord our God
O praise His name forever more
For endless days we will sing Your praise
Oh Lord, oh Lord our God
Then on the third at break of dawn,
The Son of heaven rose again.
O trampled death where is your sting?
The angels roar for Christ the King
O praise the name of the Lord our God
O praise His name forever more
For endless days we will sing Your praise
Oh Lord, oh Lord our God
He shall return in robes of white,
The blazing Son shall pierce the night.
And I will rise among the saints,
My gaze transfixed on Jesus’ face
O praise the name of the Lord our God
O praise His name forever more
For endless days we will sing Your praise
Oh Lord, oh Lord our God
O praise the name of the Lord our God
O praise His name forever more
For endless days we will sing Your praise
Oh Lord, oh Lord our God
Oh Lord, oh Lord our God
Testimony and Family Prayer Time:
As you transition, take a moment to reflect on how the Lord was ministering to you through song: what lyrics stood out to you? What emotions were you experiencing? What did God reveal to you about who he is? What did God reveal to you about what he says about you? How else were you ministered to?
Share a story with those around you or to the Lord about how he was at work in worship as well as in your week. Give him glory for his goodness. If alone, you could write down your testimony.
Take a few minutes to pray for your church family, neighborhood, and the world as the Lord leads.
Regular offering:
Offering our tithes and offerings to the Lord gives us an opportunity to give back to the Lord for the ways in which he has blessed us. You can support ministry at Gold Avenue Church by giving to the general fund (Click the picture for more giving options):
- Text: send amount (number only, no extra symbols) to (616) 319-2259 and follow prompts to give securely
- Give online at https://goldavenuechurch.breezechms.com/give/online or https://www.paypal.com/donate/…
- Mail a check payable to Gold Avenue Church at 49 Gold Avenue NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Time of Lament:
As a community we just experienced a series on lament as an expression of faith. It was mostly “personal” in focus, but the Lord also calls us to corporately lament evil, injustice—anything short of his kingdom and his glory. Today, in light of ongoing and recent events, we invite you to do that via the prayer below.
This prayer can be used at this time, but shouldn’t be limited to this time. It is long and rich and it may take extended time for you to be fully immersed in it; to that end, feel free to come back to it, use it for your personal devotional time, or work through it however you feel led as together we pray in the fullness of God’s Kingdom.
A Prayer of Lament and Repentance for Racism
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth, and in our nation, as it is in heaven.
Lord, as we reflect on your kingdom, these thoughts come to mind:
Light-We give thanks and praise to you Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
Righteousness, Peace and Joy-Lord, your Word teaches us that the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
Justice-Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
Lord, we bring our heartache and pain to you, as we have witnessed and heard about acts of violence and hatred against our brothers and sisters of color in the past several weeks, months and many years in this nation’s history.
We lament the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis this past week. We cry tears of grief with his family and cry out on behalf of all people of color, who once again experience acts of aggression, oppression and murder. How long oh Lord, how long?
How long will prejudice and racial bias result in misinterpreting situations and result in wrongful actions and reactions? Christ, have mercy!
We lament the violence and chaos that has erupted as demonstrations have become violent. Lord, have mercy!
We repent of ways we have participated, knowingly or unknowingly, in the sin of racism (thinking lower of a person or group of people or harboring hatred toward them, based on the color of their skin.) We acknowledge that racism is “not a skin problem, it is a sin problem”, and so we ask you Lord to search our hearts and reveal if any of these things are present:
Have I fully loved God and fully loved my neighbor as myself?
Have I caused pain to others by my actions or my words that offended my brother or my sister?
Have I done enough to inform myself about the sin of racism, its roots, and its historical and contemporary manifestations? Have I opened my heart to see how unequal access to economic opportunity, jobs, housing, and education on the basis of skin color, race, or ethnicity, has denied and continues to deny the equal dignity of others?
Is there a root of racism within me that blurs my vision of who my neighbor is?
Have I ever witnessed an occasion when someone “fell victim” to personal, institutional, systematic or social racism and I did or said nothing, leaving the victim to address their pain alone?
Allow Time for Personal Reflection and Repentance Aloud, as encouraged in James 5:16: Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
Father, we thank you for your forgiveness and we receive it. We pray that you would cause your church across this nation to enter into intentional and sustained repentance and prayer, for the healing of our land, trusting in your promise “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land”.
We pray that your church would reflect the characteristics of your kingdom: light, love, righteousness, peace, joy and justice.
We praise you for the promise that you,God, will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
Today Jesus, we remember your words that “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.” We welcome you Holy Spirit. We welcome you to bring truth in our country. We ask you to bring a mighty testimony to Jesus, through your church at this time.
Father, you have always intended for your children to act as lights in dark places, to bring love that drives out fear and to love each other deeply for love covers over a multitude of sins. Lord, help us to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Empower us to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with you day be day.
We pray for your kingdom to come more fully here on earth. Rule and reign in our lives.
We welcome the Holy Spirit to fill us afresh today, working in and through us, bringing peace and racial reconciliation in our neighborhood, in our nation, and the world, for your glory, forever and ever, In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Song of Preparation:
The Song of Preparation serves to prepare our hearts to receive the Word of the Lord. Continue to fix your eyes on Jesus as we transition and prepare to enter into His Word. This may be a newer song; feel free to soak, reflect, or sing along as you feel led.
Weep With Me
Weep with me
Lord will You weep with me?
I don’t need answers, all I need
Is to know that You care for me
Hear my plea
Are You even listening?
Lord I will wrestle with Your heart
But I won’t let You go
You know I believe
Help my unbelief
Yet I will praise You
Yet I will sing of Your name
Here in the shadows
Here I will offer my praise
What’s true in the light
Is still true in the dark
You’re good and You’re kind
And You care for this heart
Lord I believe
You weep with me
Part the seas
Lord make a way for me
Here in the midst of my lament
I have faith, yes I still believe
That You love me
Your plans are to prosper me
You’re working everything for good
Even when I can’t see
You know I believe, yeah
Help my unbelief, oh
Yet I will praise You
Yet I will sing of Your name
Here in the shadows
Here I will offer my praise
What’s true in the light
Is still true in the dark
You’re good and You’re kind
And You care for this heart
Lord I believe
That you weep with me
Turn my lament into a love song
From this lament, raise up an anthem
Oh I’ll sing it in the darkness, oh
Turn my lament into a love song, ’cause I love You Lord
And from this lament, raise up an anthem, oh
Oh I’ll sing it in the darkness
Yet I will praise You
Yet I will sing of Your name
Right here in the shadows
Right here I will offer my praise
What was true in the light
Is still true in the dark
You’re good and You’re kind
And You care for this heart
Lord I believe
That you weep with me
Yeah you weep with me
The Preaching of the Word:
Access the audio of the sermon here: Sermon Audio Recording
Song of Response:
The Song of Response serves to make space for us to respond to the message the Lord has given. Feel free to take a moment to ask the Lord how he might be inviting you to respond and follow accordingly. You’re welcome to sing along, to listen and reflect, to pray or journal, etc.
Goodness of God
I love You, Lord
For Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I’ve been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
And in darkest night You are close like no other
I’ve known You as a Father
I’ve known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God, yeah
And all my life You have been faithful, ohh
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God, yeah
‘Cause Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me
Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me
With my life laid down, I’m surrendered now
I give You everything
‘Cause Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me, oh-ohh
‘Cause Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me
Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me
With my life laid down, I’m surrendered now
I give You everything
‘Cause Your goodness is running after, it keeps running after me
And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God
I’m gonna sing, I’m gonna sing
‘Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God
The Lord’s Blessing:
The Lord’s Blessing serves to make space for us to receive the Lord’s blessing to equip and empower us to receive his word, to be obedient to it, and to walk it out in his grace and favor.
Fix your eyes on him as you read the following out loud:
From Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace
Closing Song:
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Children’s Worship Lesson:
We welcome all to join us in participating in these lessons, whether with family or not! Throughout these weeks at home, members of our church family have been helping to create this content, so please, check out the lessons, go back and watch the videos, many of which have been produced by our own family! Click on the picture or check them out in the “Children / Youth” category on the blog.
