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
We assemble in your holy presence, O God our Creator, for with you many blessings abound. We gather in your name, O Christ our Redeemer, for in your company all bondage gives way to freedom. We meet in your presence, O Spirit of Truth, for in the warmth of your light we become the people you intend us to be in all your wisdom, beauty, grace, and love. Receive, therefore, our praise, adoration, and devotion, in Jesus’ name.
HYMN
CALL TO
CONFESSION
READ SILENTLY: God has made Jesus both Lord and Messiah – this Jesus who was crucified. Therefore, let us repent, every one of us, in the name of Jesus Christ, so that our sins may be forgiven; and we shall be refreshed in the Holy Spirit. For the promise of forgiveness and eternal life is for us, for our children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls.
PRAYER OF
CONFESSION
READ ALOUD: Holy Spirit of the Living God, we live among a corrupt generation. We cannot claim to be above it all, untouched by temptation and sin. For we too once rejected the crucified Christ, disobeyed his teaching, and followed our own ways. Nevertheless, you offer us salvation by the death of your precious Son. Therefore, we turn to you and invoke his name, Jesus, for you and your Son are faithful, merciful, loving, and kind; and we, forswearing our past sins, would be holy, even as you are holy!
ASSURANCE
OF PARDON
Read silently until the bold,
Hear anew the gospel of salvation: you have been ransomed from futility with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or flaw. He was destined before the foundation of the world, and revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. Therefore, let us say with the psalmist, “I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.” Let us also lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord; let us pay our vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. For he has loosed our bonds and set us free for eternal life and everlasting love. Thanks be to God!
THE WORD
CHILDREN’S
MESSAGE
Inductive
Meditation
Today I want to try something different. The gospel story is often called “The Road to Emmaus.” As far as Scripture passages go, it’s a classic. It’s also one of the very best scripture passages to use as a guided meditation – that is, allowing the reading of God’s word to be something that pours over you, in you, and through you, in order to listen to what God is wanting to communicate to you today.
Below is a video created by an awesome group called LUMO. What you’ll hear is simply the gospel lesson of Luke 24:13-35. But what you’ll see is an incredibly high quality movie production of the story being created before your eyes.
Here is the practice.
- Watch this video and listen to the words.
- Then pray something like this: “God, where are you trying to show yourself to me in my life now that I cannot see? Open the eyes of my heart that I can see you today.”
- Click play on the video again, but this time, as you listen to the words of scripture, close your eyes and use your imagination to see yourself and a companion walkin on that road. Visualize yourself doing all the things that the companions did: expressing frustration, a loss of hope, an invitation to a stranger, and then joy and surprise.
- As the video concludes a second time, rest in some time of prayer. Bring your cares and concerns before God.
- Watch and/or listen to the video again, taking it in however pleases your spirit.
- Thank God for God’s being with you here today. Move on to the questions for reflection.
THE RESPONSE TO THE WORD
Questions for Reflection
- Think about the risk Cleopas took in telling this “stranger” about Jesus and their hopes for who Jesus would be. This stranger could have been a Roman agent or even someone aligned with the temple authorities. And yet Cleopas was willing to be vulnerable and to take a risk. When was the last time you were vulnerable and shared your faith with someone else? Could there be opportunites for this that you’re not seeing?
- Jesus explained why it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer in the way he did. Suffering can be redemptive. Has there ever been a time of hardship in your life that, in hindsight, has helped you to grow and become the person you are now? Does this change the way you may greet any current or future suffering?
- Had these two people not extended hospitality to Jesus, in encouraging him to come and stay with them, they would have missed out on realizing that they’d been traveling with Jesus all this time. How are we able to serve the strangers in our midst, knowing that they may be Jesus?
- Have you ever had a moment when the eyes of your heart were suddenly opened and you saw things differently? What was that like? How can we put ourselves in a position for God to open our eyes to what he is doing in his kingdom?
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
The promise of God and the gift of the Holy Spirit are yours. The sure and certain presence of the risen Lord Jesus is with you in the fellowship of the faithful and in the breaking of the bread. Therefore, knowing that you lack nothing for the journey, go and make known all that the prophets have declared concerning the Christ, our risen, ascended, and approaching King.
Previous Mid Week Liturgies
The Opening Prayer, Call to Confession, Prayer of Confession, Assurance of Pardon, and Benediction 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. 166-168).