At EP Church, we believe worship is important so though we have cancelled service for corporate worship on the Lord’s Day, we have put together a worship guide in order to help equip individuals and families to worship in their homes during this time.
We appreciate your compassion and patience while we move to worshipping in our homes for a few weeks. You can watch Pastor Gorsuch’s video of encouragement here or read the full letter from the Session here.
A few tips from Pastor Gorsuch about using this guide in your home:
It may seem awkward at first. If we’re not used to gathering together to go through an order of service, this may seem odd or feel too rote. I’d encourage you to “push through the awkward” as it gets more comfortable with time.
Families with small children may have trouble going through the entire service and that’s ok! They may need to have a break to get some wiggles out, add a short song, or shorten some of the elements so the service is not as long for them. Here is also a printable outline to help younger children listen to the sermon and for parents to walk through with them and one for older children.
Select someone to act as the leader for the service or take turns leading different sections before beginning. Sometimes older children are often more engaged if they have leading/reading roles.
Take time to reflect and thank God for the opportunity to gather together and worship together in this way.
You can download the guide in PDF format here if you’d prefer to print or view it on a tablet or mobile device.
If you choose to use the PDF version of the guide, the sermon audio can be streamed or downloaded below and the hymn music can be found here. Those audio tracks are also streamable below in the web version of the worship guide.
Worship Guide
March 15, 2020
Sermon Scripture Text
Colossians 1:1-12 (ESV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Call to Worship
Psalm 84:1,2,10,12
Reader: How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place, O LORD of hosts!
Response: My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD;
Reader: My Heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God
Response: For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
Reader: I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Response: O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!
Prayer of Invocation
Heavenly Father you are God, so we praise you and you are Lord, so we acclaim you. You are the eternal father: all creation worships you. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, cherubim and seraphim, saying an endless praise: “holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.” The glorious company of the apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of the prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy church acclaims you; And so we the people of EP praise you!
Heavenly Father send us your spirit this day. That you may enter our hearts wherever we may be. Give us peace this day and stir our hearts a worshipful spirit in the midst of chaotic things. You are God. Come to your people for we need you!
The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creature here below;
Praise him above, ye heavenly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Old Testament Reading
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Prayer of Confession
Almighty God, we believe that you are coming again in power to judge the earth. We confess that we have not lived as those who daily expect your kingdom. We have spoken harsh words, thought impure thoughts, and lived casual lives. We have ignored your promised judgment by not loving you with our whole hearts or our neighbors as ourselves. Have mercy upon us and forgive us for all our offenses. In your tender kindness, embrace us with your fatherly love, and fill our hearts with joyful expectation of seeing you soon, face-to-face. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Assurance of Pardon
Psalm 32: 1-2
1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Pastoral Prayer
Oh, heavenly father our souls find rest in you alone. For you are our salvation. You are our rock and our fortress! In you father, we will never be shaken. It’s in you that we find our souls at rest and our hope comes from. So we come to you with our concerns and needs. We ask father that you would keep us safe in the midst of these chaotic times. We pray for our leaders and our president for wisdom as they guide us. Father help us to be a people of peace and hope rather than a people of fear and timidity. Help us father to love our neighbor rather than fear our neighbor. Help us father to serve rather than to be served. Help us father during this time when resources are low that you would provide for us and that you would give us generous hearts to those who do not have what we have. Help us to live out our faith. Help us to walk in our weaknesses rather than our strengths and be strengthened in the hope and peace that Christ brings. Help us father for all the needs that might not come to mind and help us to rest in you our rock and our fortress. For a you alone are our salvation and your people will not be shaken and it’s in Christ name we pray. Amen.
God Exhorts Us Through His Word
Sermon: Praying Fervently for the Saints
Pastor Don Post
We Respond with Praise
Hymn (Trinity #100)—Holy, Holy, Holy
VERSE 1
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
VERSE 2
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea,
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who wert and art, and evermore shalt be.
VERSE 3
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in power, love, and purity.
VERSE 4
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Benediction
Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.