Mid-Week Worship

In the past, families would have a time of worship, on their own, on a weekly basis.  There may have even been family altars, which held the family Bible, around which the parents and children would gather, read Scripture, and pray together.  Like many good things in our world, this seems to be a thing of a bygone era, and yet now we have the opportunity to gather as a household, a couple, or an individual and come before God and worship again.  This page is meant to help you do that.  There will be prayers, music to listen to, and a Bible study that you can wrestle with, in order to make this worship experience your own.  If something is helpful to you, perhaps return to this page again during the week.  If something isn’t, feel free to move on.

The point is to carve out a space for God in our day and to proclaim Jesus the Lord of our lives. 

At heart, the essence of worship is simply this:  O come, let us adore him.

OPENING
PRAYER

Lord God, we remember your mighty word through your prophet Ezekiel and your great victory in Jesus Christ; now regard your servants and consider your church: “Can these bones live?” Surely, with your Spirit all things are possible. Blow afresh, O Lord, and give life to your people!

HYMN

CALL TO
CONFESSION

READ SILENTLY: Listen to what the Spirit says to the church: To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. Let us confess our sins to God, renouncing the ways of the flesh and seeking new life in the Spirit, in accordance with the will of the one God who has the power to break the bonds of sin and death.

PRAYER OF
CONFESSION

READ ALOUD: You, O Lord, have spoken, and we know that you will act according to your promise. Therefore, we are bold to approach you and confess that our sins are beyond our capacity to cure; they, like grave clothes, bind us so that we cannot free ourselves. But you, O Lord , have promised to bring your people up from the grave, to restore us to our heritage, and to make us stand upright. Moreover, you have promised to put your Spirit within us, and though our sins have grieved your Spirit, we have confidence that your gracious power is greater than the powers of sin and death. Fulfill your promise, Lord God of Israel. Forgive us, fill us, and restore us to new life; in Jesus’ name.

ASSURANCE
OF 
PARDON

Read silently until the bold,

O Lord, have spoken, and we know that you will act according to your promise. Therefore, we are bold to approach you and confess that our sins are beyond our capacity to cure; they, like grave clothes, bind us so that we cannot free ourselves. But you, O Lord, have promised to bring your people up from the grave, to restore us to our heritage, and to make us stand upright. Moreover, you have promised to put your Spirit within us, and though our sins have grieved your Spirit, we have confidence that your gracious power is greater than the powers of sin and death. Fulfill your promise, Lord God of Israel. Forgive us, fill us, and restore us to new life; in Jesus’ name.

THE WORD

CHILDREN’S
MESSAGE

BIBLE
STUDY

THE RESPONSE TO THE WORD

Questions for Reflection

  • Have we ever felt like something was so damaged in our lives that it was beyond repair?
  • Is there anything with God that is truly beyond repair?
  • Is there anything that God has used me for that I have wanted to take credit for, or to think that it was me in my goodness doing it, instead of God?
  • What areas of my life feel like they could use a breath of God’s Holy Spirit breathed upon them? Have I brought this to God?

Activities for the Family

All Courtesy of sermons4kids.com

HYMN

HYMN

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE & THE LORD’S PRAYER

Take this time to pray for the concerns of your heart.  Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer.

THE SENDING

The Benediction

Friends, remember that no matter where you have been, or where you may go, our God has been with you. He is with you on the mountain and he is with you in the valley. Our God is a God of everlasting hope, love, and grace. Trust in him in the midst of these difficult times. Go in peace. Serve the Lord in gladness, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The Opening Prayer, Call to Confession, Prayer of Confession, and Assurance of Pardon were all borrowed or adapted from Timothy Matthew Slemmons’ wonderful liturgical resource book, Lightning from the East: Liturgical Elements for Reformed Worship, Year A (p. 90).