Worship
David Kling
October 31, 2020
Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!
These were the words John the Baptist chose to quote from the prophet Isaiah as he began his mission to prepare Israel to receive its messiah. By so doing, John established himself as the latest of Israel’s great prophets, a tradition that went at least as far back as Elijah.
As we prepare to receive Jesus this coming advent, we will spend the month of November listening to the important words of many of Israel’s great prophets. We will begin with the hard prophetic words of Amos that “The Day of the Lord” is coming. With Israel, we will be forced to come to terms with the fact that we stand under God’s judgment for the many ways we have sinned against God and each other. With Amos, however, we will hear the words of hope that John the Baptist proclaimed when he invited his listeners to join him on the “way of the Lord.”
To understand the Lord whose way we are challenged to take up, we will listen to the words of Israel’s other great prophets. Who did they think this coming messiah was? what did his way look like? In the coming weeks, we will explore how the prophets believed that the coming messiah would fulfill Israel’s three most important offices: kingship, priesthood, and prophecy. The coming messiah would be the one prophet, priest, and king who fulfilled all of God’s promises to establish Israel’s political, economic, and religious security for all eternity.
As we follow the prophets’ vision for the Way of the Lord, we are challenged to think about where we turn when we need protection, connection, and direction.
This month’s sermon series will unfold as follows:
November 1: The Day of the Lord (Amos 5:18-21)
November 8: A New David (Micah 5:51-56)
November 15: A New Joshua (Zechariah 3:1-10)
November 22: The Way of the Lord (Luke 1:67-80)
We are providing in-person worship for ALL ages with nursery for little ones and children’s church for preschool and elementary age children. This is a wonderful opportunity for young families to return to worship. To read the reopening plans for kids check out this guide.
Many neighborhood prayer groups are continuing to meet in a front lawn near you. Even when you’re not able to meet in person, it is nice to know there is someone near you who cares.
If you need help finding a group please contact our Associate Pastor, Dave Hunsicker at david.hunsicker@covhsv.org.
Neighborhood Shepherd Guide
From the Day of the Lord to the Way of the Lord – Week 1
Set-Up:
Invite everyone to stand (or sit) in a circle in your front lawn with 6-ft distance between each family grouping. Families do not need to social distance but should remain socially distant from other family units. These meetings are intentionally designed to be brief—so you do not need to provide chairs or refreshments for the group.
Instructions (by now you should have a routine. Feel free to get away from our script as you are comfortable):
We offer a small worship service at 10AM. Based on a congregational survey, we anticipate most folks to continue worshipping online – so we will continue to provide excellent worship resources and videos each Sunday for those at home. Together we are united in our commitment to one another and our commitment to Christ, whether worshipping in-person or online!
No reservation or permission is required to attend worship in the sanctuary. However, all participants must wear a mask (we will have some available for you!) and we request that you take your temperature and use the restroom before leaving your home.
The elders request that you make a careful and informed decision about the best way for you to worship in June. For those who intend to attend worship in person, please read the following guidelines carefully when making your decision.
For your convenience, here are all the links you need to participate in today’s service!