*GATHERING SONG
Blessed Assurance #543
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
Perfect submission, perfect delight
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
Perfect submission all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blessed
Watching and waiting looking above
Echoes of mercy whispers of love
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
Welcome & Opening Prayer
Good morning church!
I am Russell Clark and I am the senior pastor here at Azle Christian Church. May everyone here in this room and those joining us online be invited to play in the mud with us this morning!
May we take a moment before we get started to greet those next to us with a hug or high five.
We like for everyone to know a few things before we begin worship every week.
(1) First, if you are new to our church, we want you to see what we are doing and to be a part of our story! There is information in the bulletin about getting connected to our weekly eBlast newsletter or Realm, which is like our church social media. You may also fill out an information card so we can get to know you more and care for you.
(2) Second, we love our children here in worship and we always welcome them here. There is a kids corner in the back if your children need a space to move around. There is also a nursery available if you’d like.
(3) Finally, our liturgy is posted each week on the website if you would like to follow along with our service.
Now, may we take a moment to pray as we enter this time of worship.
Comforting God – May you meet us here in our mess this morning and teach us how to be there for those who need your healing and your grace. Amen.
OPENING SONG -
I’ll Fly Away
Some glad morning when this life is over
I'll fly away
To a home on God's celestial shore
I'll fly away
I'll fly away, oh, Glory
I'll fly away
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by
I'll fly away
Just a few more weary days and then
I'll fly away
To a land where joy shall never end
I'll fly away
I'll fly away, oh, Glory
I'll fly away
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by
I'll fly away
Yeah, when I die, Hallelujah, by and by
I'll fly away
Litany of Faith – Rick Seeds
One: When the world tries to bring us down, good! This only brings us to our knees. We get pushed exactly to where we need to be.
All: Your grace is enough, O Lord. Your grace is enough for me.
One: We find strength when we are weak. We find the gift of God when we kneel in prayer.
All: You are our strength when we are weak, O Lord.
One: What others determine to use for bad, the Lord will use for good.
All: The weaker we get, the stronger we will become. Amen.
Scripture Meditation
Our Scripture Meditation for today is 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 :
“But the Lord said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
One: This is the word of God for the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God.
We’ve been talking the past two weeks about The Affirmessy Process. Affirmessy is a word I made up about affirming each other in our messy lives. When things don’t go our way and we end up in a mess, that’s ok. None of us are perfect and all of us are in need of some grace in our messy lives.
The first week we talked about looking at suffering differently and last week talked about confronting our suffering so it loses its power. This week we’ll be talking about persevering through our suffering and mess, and seeing how God can transform our mess even when we don’t have the strength ourselves.
We’ll be talking about this more when we get to the sermon. For now let us reflect on this as we enter into our time of prayer.
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord be with you. And Also with you. Let us pray.
Lord, you are the strength when we are weak. You are the treasure that we seek. You are everything to us.
Healing God, we’re tired. We’re ready to give up. We need a break and we don’t know which way is up. Please give us rest from our burdens. Please take them from us. Please hear our prayers and give us strength because we have nothing left to give.
We confess that we’ve built this mess we’re in. We’ve dug ourselves into this hole. We’ve only made it worse by digging deeper and deeper, O Lord. We’re disgusting and we need you to meet us here.
Thank you, Lord, for making beautiful things out of our mess. Thank you for making beautiful things out of us. We don’t deserve your grace and mercy but you freely give it to us daily.
Help us to meet those who are in a mess like us. Let us be the church who shows others they are not alone.
Let us see our problems solved. Let us see our suffering relieved. Let us see our hope restored. Let us see new life again.
When the witches and ghouls and vampires and Super Mario Bros come to our doors this Hallow’s Eve, may we open our hearts to greet them with your love and grace and bring comfort to those who need a smile and a welcoming greeting. May we get to know our neighbors more so we can love them as you call us to this week.
May we enjoy the chaos and the beautiful mess we find ourselves in this week knowing that a life with you is perfect, even when it’s not.
And Lord, hear us as we pray the prayer your son taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptation
But Deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
RESPONSIVE HYMN
Amazing Grace #546
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come
This grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home
When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright, shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun
CHILDREN’S MOMENT
*ANTHEM - Be Thou My Vision
SERIES: The Affirmessy Process: Learning to Sit with Each Other in Our Mess
SERMON: A Beautiful Mess
COMMUNION MEDITATION & PRAYER
*COMMUNION SONG - In Remembrance of Me #403
In Remembrance Of Me Eat This Bread
In Remembrance Of Me Drink This Wine
In Remembrance Of Me Pray For The Time
When God’s Own Will Is Done
In Remembrance Of Me Heal The Sick
In Remembrance Of Me Feed The Poor
In Remembrance Of Me Open The Door
And Let Your Brother In, Let Him In
Take Eat And Be Comforted
Drink And Remember Too
That This Is My Body And Precious Blood
Shed For You, Shed For You
In Remembrance Of Me Search For Truth
In Remembrance Of Me Always Love
In Remembrance Of Me Don’t Look Above
But In Your Heart, In Your Heart
Look In Your Heart For God
Do This In Remembrance Of Me
Do This In Remembrance Of Me
In Remembrance Of Me
COMMUNION WORDS OF INSTITUTION
**Stewardship Moment – Sheila Foster
Sharing Our Resources
There are many ways to support the ministries of Azle Christian Church. You can give online on our website, on Venmo, use the QR code in your bulletin, or place it in the offering plate as the deacons come by during our final song. You can also put in a prayer request card or information card in the plate.
INVITATION
If you would like to dedicate your life to Christ or become a member of Azle Christian Church, you may come forward after the benediction or speak with me after worship.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
A few announcements for this week before our benediction:
You can find information about our weekly activities, such as Sunday School, our Ukulele Group, our Wednesday dinner and bible study, and our prayer group, on the back of your bulletin or on our website. Our calendar is found in the insert of your bulletin so you can transfer that to your personal calendars – or you can also add our calendar to your google calendar through our website.
This Thursday we will be starting Thankful Thursdays for the month of November with a devotional at 11:30 and a light lunch at noon.
Please make sure all of our youth know about our game and craft night next Sunday at 4:30pm.
In two weeks, we will have the installation service for your new senior pastor (me) and Dr. Steve Sprinkle will be preaching and we will have a thanksgiving meal following the service. A sign-up sheet for the thanksgiving meal will be passed around for everyone to sign-up to bring something.
Next Sunday is All Saints Sunday, a day we remember the Saints who have gone on before us and I will be preaching on “The Creativity Stage.” There are a list of names we have of those who have passed away in this past year. If you would like a name added, please see Beverly or contact the church office by this Wednesday, Nov 1.
If you or someone you know needs a visit OR has a prayer request OR would like home communion, you may contact the church office or contact me directly.
BENEDICTION:
Please rise in body and spirit for the benediction, the final song, and the doxology. Receive this blessing:
We’ll be concluding this series on The Affirmessy Process next week.
Until next week.
May you embrace the messy, chaotic life you live in and seek to see the beauty amidst everything you have going on. Affirm the mess you live in and know that it’s perfect, even when it’s not. You will be made perfect in your weakness.
Amen.
BENEDICTION RESPONSE
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
We welcome Phil Armstrong as a new member of Azle Christian Church.
Phil was a member of our church years ago and he has decided to rejoin our church and we appreciate his presence and the delightful conversation he brings every time we see him.
In your hymnals page 341 is our congregation response or it is printed on our screen.
Reaffirming our own faith in Jesus the Christ,
We gladly welcome you into this community of faith,
Enfolding you with our love
And committing ourselves to your care.
In the power of God’s Spirit
Let us mutually encourage each other to trust God
and strengthen one another to serve others,
that Christ’s church may in all things stand faithful.
Welcome Phil to our church family!
Closing Song -
It is Well #561
When peace like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul
It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And hath shed His own blood for my soul
It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul!
It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessing flow; praise God, all creatures here below; Praise God above, ye heavenly host: Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.