Call to Worship
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
— Psalm 100:1-5 (ESV)
To all who are weary and need rest;
To all who mourn and long for comfort;
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God even cares;
To all who are weak and fail and desire strength;
To all who sin and need a Savior —
This church opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus,
the mighty Friend of sinners, the Ally of His enemies,
the Defender of the indefensible,
the Justifier of those who have no excuses left…
Song of Adoration
Steadfast
Words and Music by Sandra Mccracken, Josh Silverberg, and Leslie Jordan
Verse 1
I will build my house, whether storm or drought
On the rock that does not move
I will set my hope in Your love, O Lord
And Your faithfulness will prove
Chorus
You are steadfast
Steadfast
Verse 2
By the word You spoke, all the starry host
Are called out by name each night
In Your watchful care, I will rest secure
As You lead us with Your light
(Repeat Chorus)
Verse 3
I will not trust in the strength of kings
On Your promise, I will stand
I will shout for joy, I will raise my voice
Hallelujah to the Lamb
(Repeat Chorus)
Bridge
In the moment of emptiness
All was fulfilled
In the hour of darkness
Your light was revealed
In the presence of death
Your life was affirmed
In the absence of holiness
You are still God
(Repeat Chorus)
Confession of Sin
You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
— Leviticus 19:17-18 (ESV)
Most merciful God, we confess
that we have sinned against You
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done, and
by what we have left undone.
We have not loved You with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in Your will,
and walk in Your ways,
to the glory of Your Name.
Amen.
Song of Confession
Joy to Be
Words and Music by Brian Eichelberger and Zachary Scott Bolen
Chorus
Oh, the joy to be, joy to know
It's when I decrease
You fill up my soul
What a joy to see, joy to hold
It's when you increase
I want nothing more
Verse 1
Open my hands
Humble my heart
All that I have is Yours
Color my prayers
Widen my eyes
Wash me in glorious light
(Repeat Chorus)
Verse 2
Hasten my ears
Bridle my tongue
Focus my heart to hear
Settle my pace
Purge me of pride
Again and again, You provide
(Repeat Chorus)
Assurance of Pardon
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love… These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
— John 15:9-11 (ESV)
Giving
God has not joined us to Christ
only to leave us isolated from one another.
In Christ, we have been made one people.
He gives us brothers and sisters
with whom to pray, to rejoice, to suffer,
to serve, and to share in the work of the gospel.
We are partakers together of grace.
What God has placed into our hands
is not given for ourselves alone.
Our time, our abilities, our homes,
our encouragement, and our resources
can all become instruments of fellowship.
Teach us to hold your gifts with open hands.
As the Philippian church shared in Paul’s ministry,
make us willing partners in the work
you have entrusted to your Church.
May our generosity strengthen fellowship,
advance the gospel,
and bring glory to Christ.
Keep us from giving out of guilt or compulsion.
Let our giving rise instead from gratitude,
because we ourselves have first received grace.
All that we have is grace.
All that we give is grace responding to grace.
If Northtown is your church home,
we invite you to give as an act of worship.
If you are our guest, there is no expectation that you give.
We are grateful that you are here with us.
Join our hearts more deeply to Christ
and therefore more deeply to one another,
that together we might share joyfully
in the work of the gospel.
Amen.
Song of Thanksgiving
Speak O Lord
Words and Music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
Verse 1
Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your holy Word
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory
Verse 2
Teach us, Lord, full obedience
Holy reverence, true humility
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity
Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority
Words of pow'r that can never fail
Let their truth prevail over unbelief
Verse 3
Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity
And by grace, we'll stand on Your promises
And by faith, we'll walk as You walk with us
Speak, O Lord, 'til Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory
Intermission
Take a few minutes to greet one another, get a refill on your coffee, and use the restroom.
If you would like your child (birth–5th grade) to participate in Northtown Kids during the remainder of the service, please take them to meet their teacher at the Welcome Table during Intermission.
Sermon
“Joy”
Philippians 1:1-11
Joy is Being Joined with One Another, Optimistic for the Gospel, and Yearning with Affection.
Pastor Dan Michael Cogan
Song of Supplication
Be Thou My Vision
Public Domain
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me save that thou art.
Thou my best thought by day and by night;
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true Word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, I thy dear child;
Thou in me dwelling, with thee reconciled.
Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
Be thou my dignity, thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, thou my high tow'r;
Raise thou me Heav'nward, O Pow'r of my pow'r.
Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heav'ns Sun!
Heart of my heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father
before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through Him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
He came down from heaven;
He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit
and the virgin Mary, and was made human.
He was crucified for us
under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered and was buried.
The third day He rose again,
according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven and is
seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son
is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy Church.
We affirm one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the
resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come.
Amen!
Communion
. . . the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
— 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 (ESV)
Doxology
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heav’nly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen
Benediction
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
— Romans 15:13 (ESV)
Amen!
