Colby Community Church
A Guided Liturgy For Home Worship
March 22, 2020
During this time of physical isolation, we offer this outline for use at home with your family, as a way to continue to worship and be formed in Christ. Any of these sections can be led by whoever feels able, and it may be fun to have different people lead different readings or in prayer!
Tips To Get Started:
1. This service will take around 45-60 minutes
2. To begin, browse this outline and quickly assign who will read what.
3. You may want to get the songs ready in your preferred media player (YouTube, Spotify, iTunes). Links for YouTube are next to each song. Also, lyrics are in the YouTube videos or you can pull up the lyrics by searching in Google.
4. You may also want to prepare bread and juice/wine for communion if you choose to do communion.
5. Get your coffee, Bible and notepad. Take a deep breath. Breathe again!
6. Begin – anticipating Christ’s presence!
Opening Prayer
Leader: Loving God,
The author and foundation of our hope.
Help us to rely with confident expectation on your promises,
Knowing that the trials and obstacles in front of us today,
Are not worthy of being compared with the glory that will be revealed.
Keep our eyes firmly set on you.
Keep our hearts firmly grounded in your faithfulness.
May all of our hearts be open to hearing from you today.
By your Spirit, we ask that you would make us into “doers of the Word” and not merely hearers.
Amen.
Song: How Deep The Father’s Love For Us – Stuart Townsend.
Reading: Psalm 23
Reader: 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Song: You Never Let Go – Matt Redman.
Song: Nothing To Fear – Porter’s Gate (NEW!)
Family Prayer
Take some time to pray for the things God leads you to pray for. One person could pray, or anyone. Things to pray for could include:
-Those people and countries most affected by this global pandemic
-The incredible health professionals developing a vaccine, helping the sick, administering tests and cures
-Those who are mourning the sudden loss of friends and family
-People to use wisdom during this time of physical distancing and isolation to keep themselves and others safe
-For those who will be the most financially burdened by the loss of income
-For Christ’s kingdom to come as people love and serve one another, and he helps Christians shine their light in this time
-For Christians to be able to lovingly and courageously “give a reason for the hope they have” in this time
Family of the week: Nick and Elaine Chitouras
Scripture Readings: Ephesians 5:8-16
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Reflection:
*After listening to the reflection from Jake, feel free to go to the reflection questions below, or wait to go to those questions after you have completed everything else. The reflection questions could also be used throughout the week.
Responsive Prayer to the Reflection:
Lord Jesus, how much we need you to give us listening ears
Would you empower us by the Holy Spirit to open our ears, eyes, and hearts?
Please help us to listen carefully, and to have faith in all circumstances.
Thank you that you are always at work, and help us to recognize your power in us and amongst us.
In your name, we pray, Amen.
Celebrating Communion
Song: O Come To The Altar – Elevation Worship
Communion Reflection/Prayer:
Leader: Although we are not physically present with one other this morning, we are nevertheless unified as we celebrate communion. Whether you observe this sacrament by sipping coffee and eating a bagel, or whether you have bread and grape juice available, the Lord Jesus invites all of us to participate in this meal of remembrance.
You are invited to this perhaps unconventional, yet still sacred, Lord’s table this morning.
The Bread of Life offers you bread to eat; a symbol of his own body. The Lamb of God offers you juice; a symbol of his blood. May this meal be a reminder that we are sustained by Christ. “In him, we move and breath and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice. Thank you that this meal reminds us that you provide us with all that we need for life’s journey.
The world around us is full of uncertainty and fear. Things are changing every day. We celebrate this meal this morning, reminding ourselves that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Do you feel lonely this morning? Be assured that Jesus himself is always present with you. Take a deep breath in. He is closer than the very air filling your lungs.
Are you anxious this morning? Ground yourself in the knowledge that “the Lord of peace himself [gives] you peace at all times and in every way” (2 Thessalonians 3:16). Ask him for his peace. He is faithful.
Take communion now, with gratitude and reverence.
Receive nourishment, sustenance, and hope from Christ himself this morning.
Closing Song: Boldly I Approach – Rend Collective (New Song!)
Benediction:
Leader: Colby Community Church,
As Paul writes in Phillipians:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
Amen.
Reflection Questions for Mark 4:1-20
1. Is there a particular story (can be from the Bible, from life, from a movie or novel) that really captured your attention? Why did it affect you so?
2. Why do you think Jesus used parables and short stories as his preferred method of teaching about the kingdom of God?
3. What kind of “tone” do you hear Jesus telling this story with? Is he calm, impatient, anxious, frustrated, joyful, excited? Why do you hear it this way?
4. Have you noticed different seasons in your life, when you related to one of the soils more than the others? Can you share a bit about that?
5. What new fruit is Jesus inviting or challenging you to bear in this time of your Christian journey?
Thank you for the work that you, and others, put into arranging this Jake. We are so fortunate to have such a great leader. I am encouraged by this mornings lesson.
I won’t blog about my musings, but I value the time to reflect on my soil. I think I’m in rocky, sometimes thorny soil, with a healthy sprinkling of fertiliser from my Church family.
Thank you whoever worked on this. It was so wasy to use, and very encouraging.
Thank you Jake, Tony and Emma. God bless you.