Growing in Worship

On Sunday, March 11 during our Sunday celebration service, Fr. Kevin came under a tremendous anointing to preach about worship.  This was a prophetic message to the Church:

• The Holy Spirit is confronting long-held views of church growth worship. Worship is about God, not us; Christ, not entertainment.  Worship should form the character of the Christian
• Churches have become captive to today's therapeutic, TV-addicted, and narcissistic culture. 
• Having a set, repeated, and Scripture-rich liturgy following the church calendar will do much more to shape the worshiper's character than most of today's informal services.
• Taking the "church mall" approach to reaching the world is making the Christian message just another way for people in America to be "spiritual" and just another lifestyle choice in a pluralistic culture.  
• Many Christians from the Baby Boomer and Baby Buster generations are tired of being entertained, especially when their lives become difficult and they need real answers.
• Fr. Kevin says he could never attend a church that is just another self-help seminar. 
• Worship should subvert culture. Since the true gospel is shocking, it is not something that is able to be mass-marketed.  Mass marketing is why the Gospel has been dumbed-down and reduced to self-help.

Worship - 3/4/12

Come at 11:30 as we explore our roles in Jesus' plan to disciple the nations and reach the lost in his name. What work does The Father have for to do in 2012.

Worship songs of note tomorrow:
Holy
Everlasting god
Your name
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Humble king
Lord reign in me

God bless you and remember to come to his throne and join in singing with the saints and Angels.

Sunday at St. Patrick's 2/26

Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. (Colossians 3:16, 17 MSG)

Thank you lord for your many blessings and bring us closer into your presence.

Worship leader: Josh Baker

Songs we'll use to worship God tomorrow:

Lord have mercy

You alone are god/how great thou art

Here I am Lord

The solid rock

Amazed

Your grace is enough

Lenten Bible Readings with NT Wright

Regular bible reading isn’t easy for anybody, even the most experienced. There are lots of reasons—it’s hard to understand, hard to stay focused, hard to be disciplined. During Lent, we will take forty days to do devotional reading. One of my favorite writers, NT Wright, has written a free online devotional. You can read the scriptures every day, alongside Wright’s commentary about the life of Jesus. Click here to get started. 

These readings have grown out of a project encouraging Lent reading in Northern England. This is the second in a three-volume series based on the Revised Common Lectionary of the Church of England.

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