Welcome and Announcements

Song:  Spring of Life

 THEME ONE:  Repentance and Rededication:

Habakkuk 2:20(ESV)

“But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”

Hosea 14:1(ESV)

1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

Micah 7:8–9(ESV)

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.  I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.

Hosea 6:1–3,6(ESV)

“Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.  After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.  Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”… For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Joel 2:12–13(ESV)

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

Hosea 10:12(ESV)

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

 Songs:

• Lead us back – Bobby Gilles, Brooks Ritter
• Give Us Clean Hands – Charlie Hall 

Time for individual prayers of repentance and rededication (silently alone)

PRAYER:

Oh, Lord, we come to you humbly.  Recognizing that you are holy and in your holy temple.  We are silent before you because we have sinned against a holy God and deserve a just punishment—an eternity in hell away from the goodness of your presence.  We have sinned against you and we bear your judgment and indignation.  We have let the Enemy take a foothold in our hearts.  We have fallen.  We have sought our own name…Our own glory… Our own security.  We have served you with hearts that are not sincere.  You want us to trust in you at all times…we have not done this.  We have stumbled before you because of our sins.  Indeed they are great and the grieve you…we mourn over this and we are sorry.

So we come before you now in repentance and recommitment…for you are gracious and loving, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness.  So it is time to seek you with all of our hearts.  We look to you and your Son, Jesus Christ, to plead our case and establish our righteousness.  It is time again to sow righteousness, to reap love.  We return to you with all our hearts.  Please forgive us according to your mercy and lovingkindess.  Let us know; let us press on to know you.   And surely you will come and forgive and shower us with your presence as the waters cover the earth in the spring!  Trample our sins, throw them into the deep sea!  Fill us with the refreshment of your forgiveness.  Amen.

THEME 2:  God’s Love and Faithfulness:

Zephaniah 3:17(ESV)

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Habakkuk 3:17–19(ESV)

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.  GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.

Hosea 2:19–20

I will take you to be my wife forever. I will take you to be my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.  I will take you to be my wife in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.

Songs:

• Unchanging – Chris Tomlin
• Satisfy – Zach Nielsen
• Amazing Grace (My Chains are gone) -Tomlin

Time for prayer of praises group style/popcorn reflecting on the verses and songs

PRAYER:

Lord, God, you are awesome!  Your love is too great to quantify!  Your love is as high and wide…long and deep.  You are completely faithful to us… to do everything you have ever promised.  When you speak, you act.  When you promise, you fulfill.  You desire to be with your people at all costs… even at the cost of the life of your one and only Son.

You are the mighty one, the Rock.  We look to you as our refuge and strength… as our source of identity.  You are full of joy because we are your people.  Your love quiets our anxious hearts and our wandering minds.  You exult over us with loud singing.  You have committed to us forever and given us righteousness.  We rejoice in you, we take delight in who you are.  You are sovereign and in control.  You are working out all things for our good and your glory.  Your sovereignty is our strength.  We thank you and praise your great name.

 THEME 3:  Hope of Restoration

Malachi 1:11,14b(ESV)

For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts… For I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.

Zechariah 8:7–8(ESV)

Thus says the LORD of hosts: behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

Zechariah 14:9(ESV)

And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one…And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction. Jerusalem shall dwell in security…And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them… And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the LORD.” And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar.

Revelation 21:1–7(ESV)

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.,

Revelation 22:12–13(ESV)

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Songs:

• Famous One – Chris Tomlin
• Take My Life and Let it Be

 Time for prayer—clump up—two’s and threes to pray/future/needs that you have.

 PRAYER:

God, you are the King of King and Lord of Lords.  You reign and you rule your world.  You preserve and protect.  You sustain all life.  We look forward to the future.  We hope in the strength of your power to save us and make all things right.  Our world is filled with hurt, pain, tears, and death.  Yet it will not always be this way.  We look forward to the day when you conquer your enemies and punish the guilty.  We look forward to the day when you set up your eternal kingdom on earth.  We breathe a sigh of relief because this life is not the end and that our pain is momentary.  Though outwardly we are fading away, inwardly we are being renewed each day because of the hope of heaven.  May we be ever diligent to serve you with all of our hearts.  Amen.

 Song:  Stronger – Ben Fielding/Reuben Morgan 

 End in a closing prayer