“The Truth Shall Set You Free”
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My favorite living author is Philip Yancey. He has written more than 25 books over the last 50 years, and I have read all of them at least once. His mother, who you will hear about today, never read a single one. She raised Philip and his brother as racists, in a strict, narrow, nasty church in Atlanta. She never forgave either of her sons for leaving her church, her racism, and her twisted form of Christianity. Philip’s brother, who you will also hear about, left the Christian faith completely. Yancey’s book Disappointment With God, was dedicated to his brother who, it says, “is still disappointed.”
Today’s blog includes a 30-minute video of Yancey addressing the students at his alma mater, Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He tells some of his story, and, he describes true freedom, which is in found only in Jesus.
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NOTE TO READER: Occasionally on Sundays, I will post a 40-minute worship video. The video is directly below this text. Below the video on this page is the Order of Service for the worship. Below that is the text of this video, in case you would rather read than watch (though not everything from the video will be in the text). IMPORTANT!!— The video may not display in your email. YOU MUST click on the “Read on Blog” link in the upper right-hand corner of your email.
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ORDER OF SERVICE
INVOCATION / CONFESSION OF SINS and ABSOLUTION
KYRIE
OPENING PRAYER
SONG
SCRIPTURE
SERMON
SONG
OFFERING
CREED
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
LORD’S PRAYER
BENEDICTION
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CONFESSION OF SIN AND FORGIVENESS:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let us pray: O precious blood of Jesus, bathe our polluted souls with your forgiving grace, and purge away all of our foul iniquities. Cleanse us, O merciful Lord, from our secret faults, and from those sins that harm us and those with whom we live. Wash off the stains that our wrongdoing has caused in others, and those stains which our weakness has received from them. Let them not perish by our wickedness, nor us be undone by theirs. Rather, let our charity assist one another, and your mercy pardon us all. Forgive, O Jesus, what we have been; correct what we are; and direct us into what we shall be. When the thought of You awakens in our soul, may we be reminded not of our many sins, but of your great forgiveness; not of how we went astray, but of how You saved us. In the name of our Savior Jesus, we pray. Amen. (based on prayers by John Wesley and Soren Kierkegaard.)
In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ he gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. Amen.
KYRIE
OPENING PRAYER: God of grace, you have given us minds to know you, hearts to love you, and voices to sing your praise. Fill us with your Spirit, so that we may celebrate your glory and worship you in spirit and in truth. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and forever shall be, world without end. Amen.
SONG #1: — “May The Mind of Christ My Savior” by Jake Armerding
May the mind of Christ, my Savior, Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling All I do and say.
May the Word of God dwell richly In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph Only through His power.
May the peace of God my Father Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort Sick and sorrowing.
May the love of Jesus fill me, As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self-abasing, This is victory.
May I run the race before me, Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus As I onward go.
May His beauty rest upon me, As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel, Seeing only Him.
SCRIPTURE/GOSPEL:
Joshua 24:14-15:
14 (Joshua said), “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
John 8:31-36:
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
SERMON: Philip Yancey; at Wheaton College; April 4, 2022
SONG #2: — Chris Tomlin “Amazing Grace… My Chains are Gone”
OFFERING:
At this time, if you have not already done so, make a decision about what you will give to the Lord’s work this week.
Reading from God’s Word, as written in Deuteronomy 16:17;
Each of you shall give as you are able, bringing a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.” Therefore, with gladness, present the offerings of Your life and labor to the Lord.
Let us pray: O Lord God, Creator of all things: Accept our thanks for the prosperity You have given us, for the job opportunities to work and to serve, and for the gifts we have not deserved. We remember before You those who hunger this day because of poverty, famine, or war. Forgive us for our failure to share our bread with the hungry, to give to those who are needy, and to share with those in want. Help us and all people to devise new methods of distribution, to unscramble confused economies, and to live in peace so that resources may be used to grow food and not build weapons. Give to us a love that knows no bounds and a mercy that has no limits. Teach us to see that when we give to others, we give to You. We ask this in the name of Jesus, through whom you give all things. Amen. (Lutheran Book of Prayer, Concordia, p. 108)
CREED
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH:
Let us pray: When we are down and helpless, when deceit and lies are reigning, when fear and indifference are growing… May Your kingdom come.
When joy is missing, when love has disappeared, when unbelief and despair is growing… May your kingdom come.
To those who are sick and lonely, and to those who are imprisoned and tortured… May Your kingdom come.
Into the churches, and into our praying, and into our singing… May Your kingdom come.
Into our hearts and minds, and into our eyes and ears, and into our hands… May Your kingdom come. Amen. (from a litany of the Czech church)
LORD’S PRAYER
BENEDICTION:
May the blessing of the eternal God be upon us, and upon our work and upon our worship; His light to guide us; His presence to strengthen us; His love to unite us; Now and always. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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