The Lords Day Worship Service

September 15, 2013 ~ New City Church Calgary

Welcome We are glad you have joined us today. Whether you are a Christian seeking to grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ, or a skeptic looking for answers, or someone who is struggling to make sense of life and are looking for a caring community, you are warmly welcome here. Were glad you came. There is a nursery available for kids aged 0-2 years. Kids are always welcome in the service with us too. After the Service Please stay around for some refreshments after the service and meet someone new. If we havent met you before, please come say Hello. Wed like to make that connection. Pastors John Ferguson & Mike Ivancic

Reflections & Preparation for Worship O God, by Your power may we, together with all the saints, comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that we may be filled with Your fullness. Amen. ~ based on Ephesians 3:18-19

Remember the words I spoke to you: No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. Jesus of Nazareth, The Gospel of John (5:20) If we are living like Jesus, then there are bound to be some people who will not speak well of us, any more than they speak well of him. We will be hated, and reviled, and all the rest of it. We should not be dismayed by this, but rejoice to suffer for Jesus sake. Phillip Ryken, President of Wheaton College Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship. The disciple is not above his master. Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering Christ, and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to suffer. In fact, it is a joy and a token of his grace. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship When injustice is reigning, the world will have to be turned once more the right way up for Gods justice and kingdom to come to birth. And that will provoke opposition from people who like things they way they are. Jesus message of promise and warning, of blessing and curse, rang with echoes of the Hebrew prophets of old, and he knew that the reaction would be the same. NT Wright, Luke for Everyone, Vol. 1 1

 God Calls Us To Worship Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. ~ Psalm 150:6
The Call to Worship Leader: ~ from Revelation 15:3-4; Psalm 9:1-2

Great and marvelous are Your deeds, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear You, O Lord, and bring glory to Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship You! We will give thanks to You, O Lord, with our whole heart; We will tell of all Your wonderful deeds. We will be glad and exult in You. We will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. How Great You Are

Unison:

Hymns of Praise & Worship Our God is great The Father of creation His splendor fills the earth The lightning crash The thunder sings His praises The galaxies cant help but shout His worth chorus My soul must sing to You an offering How great You are My soul must sing, oh, let the heavens ring How great You are Oh, how great You are

The Word made flesh Gods promise to the fallen He came with power to save The light of life was crushed for our rebellion He died our death and rose up from the grave Our King will come With trumpet blasts resounding To claim His blood-washed bride Hell rend the skies, descending in His glory And in an instant faith will turn to sight

Majesty of Heaven Majesty of heaven Your glory fills the skies Light of the world You are Lord of all Humbled by Your presence Amazed by Who You are Nothing compares You are Lord of all chorus To You the nations bow down To You creation cries out: Majesty All things You hold together Your Name will stand forever Majesty, You are majesty Merciful and mighty My heart is overwhelmed You stand alone You are Lord of all (repeat chorus) bridge Your name above all others High and exalted Your Kingdom shall reign forever

High and exalted

God Graciously Renews Us in Christ Have mercy on me, O God, in Your faithful love, in Your great tenderness wipe away my offenses; wash me thoroughly from my guilt, purify me from my sin. ~ Psalm 51:1-2
Call to Confession Leader: ~ from the Prophet Isaiah 55:6-7

The Prophet Isaiah declared, Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7).

Prayer of Confession Leader: Most holy and gracious Father, we acknowledge and confess before You that our sinful natures are prone to evil and slow to do good. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from Your ways, in wasting Your gifts, and in forgetting Your love. We are ashamed and sorry of all the ways in which we have displeased You. ~ Silent confession & reflection Unison: Merciful Lord, teach us to hate our errors. Cleanse us from our wandering ways and forgive our sins through Jesus Christ our Savior. Grant us Your power that we might live in Your light and walk in Your ways, according to the commandments of Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen. The Words of the Gospel Leader: I declare this sure promise: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:8, 12).

Profession of Faith Ally, Kimara, & Lydia de Jong Covenant Children of Pete & Shannon de Jong Songs of Response O Great God O great God of highest heaven Occupy my lowly heart Own it all and reign supreme Conquer every rebel power Let no vice nor sin remain That resists Your holy war You have loved and purchased me Make me Yours forevermore I was blinded by my sin Had no ears to hear Your voice Did not know Your love within Had no taste for heaven's joys Then Your Spirit gave me life

Opened up Your Word to me Through the gospel of Your Son Gave me endless hope and peace Help me now to live a life That's dependent on Your grace

Keep my heart and guard my soul From the evils that I face You are worthy to be praised With my every thought and deed O great God of highest heaven Glorify Your Name through me

My Faith Looks Up to Thee My faith looks up to Thee Thou Lamb of Calvary Savior divine Now hear me while I pray Take all my guilt away O let me from this day Be wholly Thine May Thy rich grace impart Strength to my fainting heart My zeal inspire As Thou hast died for me O may my love to Thee Pure, warm, and changeless be A living fire While life's dark maze I tread And griefs around me spread Be Thou my guide Bid darkness turn to day Wipe sorrow's tears away Nor let me ever stray From Thee aside When ends life's passing dream When death's cold, threatening stream Shall o'er me roll Blest Savior, then in love Fear and distrust remove O lift me safe above A ransomed soul

God Gives Us His Words of Eternal Life Lord Jesus, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life! Let Your word dwell in us richly, that whatever we do, in word or deed, we may do everything in Your name, giving thanks to the Father through You. ~ based on John 6:68, Colossians 3:16-17
Todays Scripture Lesson: LUKE 6:20-26 The Upside Down Kingdom
John Ferguson, Pastor

20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. 4

24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
(notes)

God Feeds Us His Covenant Meal From the east and the west, from the north and the south, people will come and take their places at the banquet in the Kingdom of God. ~ based on Luke 13:29
A Word About Participating in The Sacrament of The Lords Supper The Lords Supper is a special family meal that Christ gave to His Bride, the Church. For Christians, this meal is a time to receive these signs and seals of the New Covenant which Christ has established with them. Believers come to this Table to meet with their Lord and Saviour by faith, to be renewed by Him and strengthened in their callings and mission as they eat the bread and drink the wine. Therefore, all baptized Christians who trust in Christ alone as their Lord and Saviour, who are

connected to a church that proclaims His Gospel, and who are at peace with their fellow believers, are invited to come to the Table. If you are not yet a Christian , or if for whatever reason you are not prepared to share in this meal, we would encourage you to spend this time in prayer (perhaps using one of the prayers listed below). Consider the invitation of Jesus, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirstfor my Fathers will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:35, 40). We would ask that children who have not yet professed belief in the Lord Jesus also refrain from partaking until doing so. The pastor would be delighted to speak to families about what it means to participate in the Lords Supper. The Words of Institution

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lords death until he comes. ~ 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
The Sacrament of The Lords Supper Please come forward by rows to the center aisle and form a semi-circle in front of the Table to receive the bread and the wine. When finished, place your cup at the side tables and proceed to your seat via the outer isles. If you are unable to come forward, we would be delighted to serve you at your seat. New City Church uses wine in serving the Lords Supper . We would encourage you to take of the wine since it is a symbol of joy and celebration in Scripture. However, juice is also provided if you cannot drink wine due to health reasons or issues of conscience. Prayers for Those Not Communing A Prayer Searching for the Truth: Jesus, You claim to be the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except by You. If what you claim is true, please guide me and teach me. Open to me the reality of who You are. Grant that I might be undaunted in following You as I consider the reasons for doing so. Give me an understanding of You that is coherent, convincing, and leads to the eternal life that You promise. Amen. A Prayer of Trust in the Lord Jesus: Jesus, I confess that I am more broken, flawed, and sinful than I had ever before dared to admit. Yet You tell me that I am more loved than I ever dared to hope, and that You accept all who turn to You in simple faith. I am doing that right now. I thank You for taking the justice that my sins deserved when You died on the Cross. I eagerly trust You for the forgiveness for my sins, and I receive from You now the eternal life that You promise to all who come to You. Amen. A Prayer for Those Struggling with Sin: Lord Jesus, You know the battle that rages within my heart. Grant that in my battles with sin, I may see in You the fulfillment of all my needs. Give me strength to turn from every false satisfaction to find my ultimate joy in You. Enable me to lay aside the sin that clings so closely to me, and fill me with your Spirit to run with perseverance the race you

have set before me, looking to You, the pioneer and champion of my faith. Amen. A Prayer for Children (who have yet to profess faith): Jesus, the Bible tells me that You blessed kids like me. Help me to know who You are and to understand what You have done for me. Amen. Communion Hymns Behold the Lamb Behold the Lamb who bears our sins away, slain for us, and we remember The promise made that all who come in faith find forgiveness at the cross So we share in this bread of life, and we drink of His sacrifice As a sign of our bonds of peace, around the table of the King The body of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, torn for you: eat and remember The wounds that heal, the death that brings us life Paid the price to make us one So we share in this bread of life and we drink of His sacrifice As a sign of our bonds of love around the table of the king The blood that cleanses every stain of sin, shed for you: drink and remember He drank deaths cup that all may enter in to receive the life of God So we share in this bread of life and we drink of His sacrifice As a sign of our bonds of grace around the table of the king And so with thankfulness and faith we rise to respond and to remember Our call to follow in the steps of Christ as His body here on earth As we share in His suffering, we proclaim: Christ will come again! And well join in the feast of heaven around the table of the King. We Hunger and Thirst Exalted Son of glory humbly came down Wounded for the broken, bore the sinners crown Through the willing death You died You became our Bread of Life chorus Jesus, we hunger and thirst for You, Lord As we remember Your sacrifice We see the wounds from Your hands and pierced side Extravagant love! Oh how great the price Now our lives are Yours The priceless blood of Jesus, this gracious cup A life spring overflowing, poured out for us He has conquered every sin For the ones who trust in Him (repeat chorus) The cup we drink, the bread we eat Reminds us You are all we need

And makes us long for Your wedding feast We Fall Down We fall down and lay our crowns At the feet of Jesus The greatness of Your Mercy and love At the feet of Jesus chorus And we cry holy, holy, holy And we cry holy, holy, holy And we cry holy, holy, holy Is the Lamb We fall down and lay our crowns At the feet of Jesus The greatness of mercy and love At the feet of Jesus

God Receives Our Offerings lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Jesus, in Matthew
6:20-21

The Prayers of the People Leader: Unison: Let us pray

(The leader prays for specific requests as the assembly prays along with him).

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts As we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, Now and forever. Amen.

The Presentation of our Tithes and Offerings This collection of our tithes and offerings is for those who consider New City Church their church family and regularly benefit from her ministry. If you are visiting with us, please feel no obligation to give. Hymn of Praise & Worship There is a Redeemer There is a Redeemer Jesus, Gods own Son Precious Lamb of God, Messiah

Holy One chorus Thank You, O my Father For giving us Your Son And leaving Your Spirit Til the work on earth is done Jesus, my Redeemer Name above all names Precious Lamb of God, Messiah Hope for sinners slain (repeat chorus) When I stand in glory I will see His face And there Ill serve my King forever In that holy place

Our Confession of Faith Leader: Unison: Let us confess our faith together

~ Philippians 2:5-11

We believe in our hearts and confess with our lips that Christ Jesus, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to deatheven death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

God Sends Us Out Into The World With His Blessing God has shown you what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. ~ from Micah 6:8

Leader:

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through

Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever (Hebrews 13:20-21). People: Amen!

Community Life
Thanks for visiting New City Church! Were delighted to have had you with us today. If you are looking for a place to explore Christianity and its lifechanging relevance, we hope that you will find New City Church a safe place to ask questions and to grow in your understanding of the person and mission of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have any questions about New City Church, Christianity, or the uniqueness of Jesus of Nazareth, please dont hesitate to ask us. You can contact Pastor John at john@newcitychurch.ca or call 403.991.5555. If you work in the downtown area, touch base with Pastor Mike Ivancic who also works in downtown. You can contact Mike at mike@newcitychurch.ca or call 403.828.2241. Congratulations to Ally, Kimara, & Lydia de Jong Were super excited and rejoice with the de Jong family for the professions of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ from their girls today. May the Lord Jesus bless you as you follow him all the days of your lives! Join a Community Group This Fall! Make it a priority to fellowship with others at New City Church as we continue on our journey of becoming a family of faith seeking to live out our Christianity with one another. This fall, New City Church is sponsoring a handful of community groups. Sign up today in the foyer.

Intro to New City Church: Sunday, Sept 22, 5-8pm Do you want a clearer idea of the beliefs & mission of New City Church? Are you interested in potentially joining NCC? Then sign up for class exploring who we NCC is as a community of faith. Covering everything from basic Christianity to how we view the Christian life to our theological orientation, this is a class to come to & join others & bring your questions. We'll explore what it means when we say at New City Church that we are a Christian, Evangelical, Reformational, and Missional Church. This class is mandatory for those who wish to pursue membership at NCC, though one does not have to become a member in order to attend this class. The next class will be held on Sunday, September 22 nd from 5-8pm. Snacks are provided. Be sure to sign up online at www.NewCityChurch.ca. Speak to Pastor John for more details. Sunday School is Back! Sunday School returns this year for youngsters in grades 1-6 for half an hour immediately after the worship service (~12-12:30pm). Today will be a meet & greet time with the teachers. Sunday school lessons will begin on Sept 22. Note: there will be three classes this year. Preschool

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Grades 1-3 Grades 4-6

For more information, contact Lana Bottomley at the-bottomleys@shaw.ca. KidsClubis Back! Kids aged 4-11 are welcome to join us on Saturday, October 5th from 3:00pm-5pm (note time change), for a great time of learning more about God through activities such as games, crafts, puppets and fun. Mark your calendar and register online at newcitychurch.ca. Adults and youth who are interested in helping us out can talk to Lori Blakeley or email 5blakeleys@gmail.com. Giving Update

*Non-NCC indicates funds raised outside the congregation of New City Church to aid in this church planting project.

Weekly Servants Schedule

New City Church Online. Visit us NCC online at www.NewCityChurch.ca. Here, you can find our sermons & sermon notes posted. You can also subscribe to our sermons via iTunes. Just search for New City Church Calgary and you can find us on iTunes. Were also on Facebook & have a blog for those who are not on Facebook as well. All is accessible via www.NewCityChurch.ca.

All songs used by permission. CCLI license # 273300. Parts of the worship service are adapted from or reprinted by permission from The Worship Sourcebook, c. 2004, CRC Publications.

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