Sunday, March 29th 2020
“Worship From Home”
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Good Morning, and welcome to worship from home. This is a different way to worship together, but nonetheless, let’s prepare our hearts and minds for worship. Maybe you are in your pj’s with a coffee in your hand or maybe you have been ready for the day for a while. Whatever the case, let’s all come together before the Lord. I hope you will be able to worship today in whatever way is comfortable.
Call to Worship
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” – Psalm 100
Opening Prayer
Dearest Father God, we come to you today with a burning desire to worship you and to lift your name on high. We give you thanks for who you are and what Jesus did for us on the cross. Father, you are worthy of praise and so we come together from home today and we enter into a time of communion with you. Today, we enter with thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Worship in Song
I have included a few links so we could sing together. Our psalm tells us to Shout for Joy. Even in the hard times, when everything is out of the norm, Shout for Joy and worship Him with gladness. We serve a wonderful, loving and everlasting Father. He deserves all praise! Let’s sing to the Lord.
Prayers of the People
O Great God, who is like you? We could search heaven and the earth, and find none like you, for you are unique in your pure holiness. We give you thanks for who you are, for your love, your kindness and patience. You are all together lovely and wonderful to me. There is no one else like you.
Lord, As we pause this morning, we quiet our minds from our busy schedules, and set our focus wholly on you. Father, we bring a number of requests to you this morning. In this time of fear for some, may you bring your peace. In the midst of suffering, may you bring restoration. In the time of uncertainty, remind us that this world is not our home.
We think of our world at this present time, and we pray for them. Be with those who are still working. We think of health care workers, doctors and nurses. May you protect them as they do their best to protect and aid us back to health. We pray for Grocery store employees who continue to keep us from going hungry. We pray for truck drivers who constantly keeps at their work so we do not have to go without. For those on the front lines, we pray for their safety. For first responders, pharmacists, Fire fighters, delivery drivers, we pray that you keep them safe as they work.
We pray for our church family, and Lord, you know their situations. We pray for them today and remember each name in our hearts. Be with them and protect them from all harm. We give you thanks for this day. The church building may be closed, but church is not. Where two or three are gathered, you are there. Thank you for your love and protection. All of these things we lift to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Devotion
I recently read a daily bread reflection where a woman taught her child Psalm 23 at the age of ten. The entire Psalm he learned by heart. The entire family was close with the Lord. A short while later, the parents found a lump on their child’s neck. Of course, worry sets in as they began to imagine the worst case scenario. They needed to get a biopsy and the son asked fearfully “Will it be painful? Will I die?” Mom then suggested that he recall Psalm 23, to remind himself that God is the great Shepherd who would always be with him and protect him. Though he did this, it was obvious that he was still frightened, so mom and dad prayed with him. To cut a long story short, the surgery went well and the lump was actually harmless. But in uncertainty, the family was comforted by Psalm 23. Amid their anxiety, God gave them comfort and confidence, reminding them that He is the Good Shepherd, and that He is all we need.
Friends, we are living in a time right now where we need to be home for our safety due to the virus making its way around. Some of us are getting cabin fever, and we are ready for life to return to normal. This all may upset us to know that we cannot go to church, we cannot see friends and family and we cannot even go for a walk in a park. We feel locked away. Amid this trial, know that the Lord is the good Shepherd. When worry strikes, remember that the Lord is your shepherd. He is bigger than anything we could ever face. In uncertainty, we know that we have a mighty God who can bring us through trials. Remember His promise: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20. Trust in Him and know that He is with you today and always. Amen.
Join me in song once again:
Benediction
