Sunday, October 5 - With Thanksgiving: Lift Up Your Voice!
CH171 / Come into His Presence (consider as a sung call to worship by the choir or small group)
Psalm 150 (Praise the Lord) - Getty (listen here, purchase here)
- Consider as a sung call to worship by choir or worship leader/lead vocalists
- Invite the congregation to sing on choruses and/or for verses 2 and 3
Possible worship message as segue (or initial call to worship if the above songs aren't used)
We come today in to the presence of our Loving God, whose faithfulness and mercy never ends. The psalmist calls us to worship in Psalm 100:1-2, "Shout for the joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs." And so, we come this morning with hearts full of gratitude and joy. God is holy and worthy of all honor, and we join together to life His name high. Come, let us worship Him and lift our voices in song!
CH20 / Let There Be Glory and Honor and Praises
CH21 / O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
- Consider singing as a worship sequence and using the optional interlude
- Choir or small group could sing CH20, with the congregation responding with CH21
Possible call to worship
We have a high and holy privilege to come together and worship our God, the Creator and Sustainer of all. As Hebrews 10:19-22 reminds us...we are invited to "enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us." Here, we stand in awe of God's greatness, rejoicing in His mercy, His love, and the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Let us raise our voice and open our hearts to worship the Lord with joy and reverence!
Oh What a High and Holy Privilege - Getty, Boswell, Papa (listen here, purchase here)
- Consider singing verse 1 and 2 for worship and verse 3 for response
H2 / All Creatures of Our God and King (opening hymn option; also a good option for early in worship; see Sovereign Grace arr. here, with free download)
...lift up your voice and with us sing, "Alleluia!"
Goodness of God - Bethel Music (response option; listen here, music attached)
All my life You have been faithful, all my life You have been so, so good.
With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God.
CH78 / I Love You, Lord (response option)
H40 / Great Is Thy Faithfulness (acceptance option; consider also for worship)
H63 / Thanks Be to God (acceptance option, v. 3)
Should not our hearts bow in new dedication unto our Savior above...
His Mercy Is More - Boswell, Papa (repentance option; listen here, purchase here; solo/duet or worship leader and congregation)
CH170 - Give Thanks (communion option)
- Consider layering the song (instrumental during communion, then soloist sings one time through, followed by congregation one time through)
H15 / How Great Thou Art (closing option)
Then sings my soul, my Savior, God, to Thee; how great thou art!
Christ Our Hope in Life and Death - Getty, Boswell, Papa (closing option; listen here, purchase here)
- Consider having the choir or worship leader sing v. 1, and the congregation joins for verses 2 and 3.
What truth can calm the troubled soul? God is good...O sing, Hallelujah! Our hope springs eternal
Now and ever we confess: Christ our Hope in life and death.
Sunday, October 12 - With Thanksgiving: Sacrifice
Possible call to worship
We have the honor of coming before God today, the Holy One, who is truly worthy of our praise. Psalm 99:5 reminds us, “Exalt the Lord our God! Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!”...and that’s exactly what we do, humbling ourselves before Him. He is mighty. He is faithful. He is full of love, and we honor Him. Not out of obligation, but because He deserves it. Let’s lift our voices and hearts, fully turning our attention to worship the Lord!
CH28 / At the Name of Jesus
Possible call to worship
Revelation 4:11 underlines for us, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being”. We worship the God who spoke the universe into being and praise Jesus Christ, our Savior, through whom we know God’s love and mercy. And we come not out of obligation, but because our hearts are drawn to His majesty, His faithfulness and the gift of salvation in Jesus. Let’s raise our voices to the One who reigns over all.
Behold Our God - Sovereign Grace (listen here, music attached) *also works well as a sung call to worship
CH32 / Be Exalted, O God
Possible call to worship
As Colossians 1:16 reminds us, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible”...we recognize that Jesus is all to us. He is our life, our joy, our hope. In Him, we find everything we need. Let’s turn our hearts to Christ in praise, to the One who is truly all the world to us.
CH512 / Jesus Is All the World to Me (consider this alternate accompaniment for a soloist or congregational singing!)
I Give Up - Laura Story (listen here, purchase here)
So when I give up, I gain. When I let go of having my own way.
When I learn to see my surrender as a brand new start
To know the fullness of my Father's heart.
Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
My Life Is An Offering - Sovereign Grace (worship/acceptance option; listen here, music attached)
Jesus, be glorified. Jesus, be magnified. Let me be a pleasing sacrifice...
H5 / Be Still, for the Presence of the Lord (could work in worship or even as opening hymn, if sung with energy!)
H52 / Now Thank We All Our God (opening hymn option; could sing verses 1-4 for opening, and verse 5 to close)
All to Honor Jesus - CityAlight (response option; listen and purchase here; recommend B-flat for pianist accessibility)
Father, may I serve like my Savior, give me eyes to see what You see
Teach my sinful heart to be humble, help me be Your hands and feet
Father, may I love like my Savior as He had compassion on me
May I work for justice and mercy for the ones in greatest need
Help me serve through the strength of Christ all to honor Jesus with my life
CH436 / Freely, Freely (response option; consider v. 2 for response or v. 1 for repentance)
CH663 / I Offer My Life (response/acceptance option)
Lord, I offer my life to You; everything I've been through, use it for Your glory...
H376 / I Praise God's Love in Adoration (acceptance option; also works well for Holy Communion)
Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean - Getty (option for repentance or communion; listen here, purchase here)
- Consider a solo/duet for v. 1 and/or v. 2
- Consider the song also as an instrumental (either piano or with a solo instrumentalist) for Holy Communion, and have v. 4 be a vocal solo or duet
H58 / Praise Thou the Lord (closing option; would also work well as opening hymn)
...and forget all His benefits never!
Sunday, October 19 - With Thanksgiving: Be Satisfied
H66, CH56 / To God Be the Glory (possible sung call to worship; could be sung by the choir or a soloist, or played on the piano/organ, then followed up with a congregation hymn filled with praise; see piano arrangement here)
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done!
Come, Behold the Wondrous Mystery - Boswell, Papa (possible sung call to worship; listen here, purchase here)
In our longing, in our darkness, now the Light of Life has come...
Possible spoken call to worship
Isaiah 25:1 - "Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago." We come together this morning to praise and exalt the name of the Lord, our God. As the prophet professes, He is perfect in faithfulness and has done wonderful things from the very beginning. How true this is, and how worthy He is of our worship. Let's praise and exalt His name together.
H13, CH36 / He Is Exalted
He is exalted, the King is exalted on high; I will praise Him!
He is exalted, forever exalted, and I will praise His name!
Here I Am to Worship - Hillsong Worship (listen here, purchase here)
Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness; Opened my eyes, let me see...
And here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that You're my God.
You're altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me.
Worship leader: Colossians 3:11
Christ Is All - Boswell, Papa (listen here, purchase here; great song to have the congregation join on the chorus for, with the worship leader or choir singing the verses)
I've found a treasure that can't be taken; Found a well that won't run dry.
O worldly pleasure, be now forsaken; Behold what love, what life is mine.
Christ is all, Christ is all; And my song shall ever be; Christ is all.
CH734 / Be Strong in the Lord (Ephesians 6:10)
Be strong in the Lord, and be of good courage; Your mighty Defender is always the same (nice connection with "Great Is Thy Faithfulness')...
H40, CH139 / Great Is Thy Faithfulness (consider v. 1 and 2 for opening, and v. 3 for closing)
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; as Thou has been, Thou forever wilt be...
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
CH186 / Lord, Be Glorifed (response option; see also Sovereign Grace's "My Life is An Offering" here)
H133, CH589 / Here I Am, Lord (response/acceptance option; could sing v. 1 for response with the choir, and v. 3 for acceptance with the congregation)
I who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright...
Finest bread I will provide till their hearts be satisfied...
CH439 / Song for the Nations (acceptance option)
May we be a shining light to the nations, a shining light to the peoples of the earth,
Till the whole world sees the glory of Your name...
H318 / I Hear Thy Welcome Voice (repentance option)
I hear Thy welcome voice that calls me, Lord, to Thee
For cleansing in Thy precious blood that flowed on Calvary.
Tis Jesus calls me on to perfect faith and love,
To perfect hope and peace and trust, for earth and heav'n above.
Lord, I Need You - Matt Maher (repentance option; listen here, music attached)
Lord, I come, I confess, bowing here I find my rest.
Without You I fall apart, You're the One that guides my heart.
Lord, I need You, oh, I need You. Ev'ry hour I need You.
My one defense, my righteousness, oh God, how I need You.
BB 275 / Come to the Fount of Life (communion option; black choir binder)
He Will Hold Me Fast - Getty (communion option; listen here, music attached)
For my life He bled and died, Christ will hold me fast;
Justice has been satisfied; He will hold me fast.
Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast.
'Till our faith is turned to sight, when He comes at last!
H44, CH794 / Let All Things Now Living (closing option)
His banners are o'er us, His light goes before us, a pillar of fire shining forth through the night,
Till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished, as forward we travel from light into light.
Sunday, October 26 - With Thanksgiving: Care for One Another
Possible call to worship
Hebrews 13:15 - "Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise."
CH213 / We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise
Possible call to worship
Psalm 96:7-9 - "Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth."
H1 / Adoration
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Bow down before Him, His glory proclaim.
Possible sung call to worship
Only a Holy God - CityAlight (listen here, music attached) *consider combining this with "Holy, Holy, Holy!"
Come and behold Him, the One and the Only...
Known and Loved - CityAlight (listen here, download music for free here)
I come to Jesus, lay down my weakness; No need for hiding, here in His light.
This truth I treasure, my peace forever is being known and loved by Him.
H226 / What a Friend We Have in Jesus (check out this great arrangement here, too; music attached)
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer.
The Compassion Hymn - Getty (listen here, music attached)
What boundless love, what fathomless grace You have shown us, O God of compassion.
Each day we live an offering of praise, as we show to the world Your compassion.
By Our Love - Christy Nockels (listen here, music attached)
The time is now, come Church, arise. Love with His hands, see with His eyes.
Bind it around you, let it never leave you, and they will know us by our love.
Run to the Father - Matt Maher (listen here, purchase here)
I've carried a burden for too long on my own; I wasn't created to bear it alone.
I hear Your invitation to let it all go. I see it now, I'm laying it down.
I know that I need You...
H335 / The Great Physician (consider v. 1-3 for opening, and v. 4 for closing; also communion option)
The great Physician now is near, the sympathizing Jesus...
H402 / Where Charity and Love Prevail (opening option; acceptance option)
Where charity and love prevail, there God is ever found;
Brought here together by Christ's love, by love we thus are bound.
Now we forgive each other's faults as we our faults confess;
And let us love each other well in Christian holiness.
H140, CH669 / Make Me a Servant (response option)
Lord let me lift up those who are weak...
H157, CH424 / The Servant Song (response option; acceptance option)
Brother, sister, let me serve you; let me be as Christ to you...
We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load...
Restoration - arr. Heather Sorenson (listen and purchase here; consider shortened version for repentance, through measure 25)
Forgive our sin, O Lord. Hear us and restore us, we pray.
H318 / I Hear Thy Welcome Voice (communion option)
H207 / Safely Faith through Life Doth Guide Us (closing option)
Safely faith through life will guide us, keep us in the Savior's hand.
Help us onward, upward, heav'nward by the strength of love's command.