At-Home Worship Liturgy
Gathering and Praise
Focus on worshiping God.
Read these words:
How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, LORD;
teach me your decrees.
(Psalm 119:9-12, NIV)
Read this poem, or, if you know it, sing the hymn:
Blessed Jesus, at your word
we are gathered all to hear you.
Let our hearts and souls be stirred
now to seek and love and fear you.
By your gospel pure and holy,
teach us, Lord, to love you solely.
All our knowledge, sense, and sight
lie in deepest darkness shrouded,
till your Spirit breaks our night
with your beams of truth unclouded.
You alone to God can win us;
you must work all good within us.
Glorious Lord, yourself impart;
Light of Light, from God proceeding,
open lips and ears and heart;
help us by your Spirit’s leading.
Hear the cry your church now raises;
Lord, accept our prayers and praises.
(“Blessed Jesus, at Your Word.” Tobias Clausnitzer, 1663, trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1858. Public domain.)
Name something that God has taught you during the last week. Give thanks to God for these things.
Confession
Pray these words:
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
(Psalm 51:10-12, NIV)
Read this promise from the Old Testament of what God will do in Jesus Christ:
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the LORD.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the LORD.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
(Jeremiah 31:33-34, NIV)
Name something that you hope God will teach you this week—a way he will “write his law on your heart.”
In thankfulness to God, you can contribute to the ministry of the church. Give Now or mail a check to PO Box 9339, Fresno, CA, 93791. Our special offering for May is for our partner Christian schools (Fresno Christian Schools and Hanford Christian School). The offering will be divided equally between the two schools.
Teaching on 1 Kings 13:11-22
Sending
Your Will Be Done
Verse 1
Your will be done, my God and father
As in Heaven, so on earth
My heart is drawn to self exalting
Help me seek Your kingdom first
As Jesus walked, so I shall walk
Held by Your same unchanging love
Be still my soul
Oh, lift your voice and pray
Father not my will but Yours be done
Verse 2
How in that garden he persisted
I may never fully know
The fearful weight of true obedience
It was held by him alone
What wondrous faith, to bear that cross
To bear my sin, what wondrous love
My hope was sure
When there my Saviour prayed
Father not my will but Yours be done
Verse 3
When I am lost, when I am broken
In the night of fear and doubt
Still I will trust in my good Father
Yes, to one great King I bow!
As Jesus rose, so I shall rise
In ransomed glory at the throne
My heart restored
With all your saints I sing
Father, not my will but Yours be done
Verse 4
As we go forth, our God and Father
Lead us daily in the fight
That all the world might see Your glory
And Your Name be lifted high
And in this Name we overcome
For You shall see us safely home
Now as your church
We lift our voice and pray
Father, not my will but Yours be done
(Used by permission. CCLI#39626)
Here are some prayer requests:
• People in nursing homes, assisted living, prisons, and other places where they are largely confined to their rooms, including Carl D’s father who is living in a home with active covid cases.
• Pray for comfort for the family of Kelly M as they mourn the death of her grandfather in Northern Michigan and are thankful for his hope in Jesus.
• Pray for people who will lose their jobs in the coming weeks and months.
• Pray for the Lee family (misisonaries in Mexico) who must make a decision about their scheduled trip to Fresno this summer.
Pray about these and other things.
Read these words:
And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(2 Peter 3:18, NIV)
Some prayers and portions of prayers reprinted by permission from The Worship Sourcebook, Second Edition, © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources.