We encourage you to read and reflect on these scriptures, songs, notes, and prayers as we look forward to our time of worship together this coming Sunday.

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Please print this guide or have it handy in digital format for use during the service.

And don’t forget to join us Sunday immediately following the service in our virtual foyer for a group video chat! It’s easy to join! Just click here.

CALL TO WORSHIP

Please join in on the bolded lines.

O God, whose holiness is not limited to grand cathedrals or saintly persons,
spectacular mountains or earthly leaders;

O God, whose holiness is often discovered in simple everyday places
and simple everyday folk,
Increase Your holiness in us now, wherever we are gathered.

Grow in us this hour,
that we might flower, right where we are,
with the beauty of Your holiness.
Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

MUSIC: OH OUR LORD

CCLI #6092289 | Paul Baloche, Leslie Jordan, and David Leonard © 2011
Performed by Emmaus Road Worship Team

CONFESSIONAL PRAYER

Bold lines to be read aloud corporately.

God of glory,
you sent Jesus among us as the light of the world,
to reveal your love for all people.

We confess that our sin and pride hide the brightness of your light.
We turn away from the poor;
we ignore cries for justice;
we do not strive for peace.

Forgive us, God. In your mercy, cleanse us of our sin,
and baptize us once again with your Spirit,
so that, as forgiven and renewed people,
we may reflect the love and life of Jesus Christ
into our world.

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

Our God is a God of grace and mercy and love;
know that our sins have been forgiven.
May we be strengthened in all goodness.
Since we have been raised with Christ,
let us seek all that is pure, true, and right,
as Jesus taught, on earth as it is in heaven.

All: Thanks be to God

MUSIC: HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING

CCLI #4524869 | Mary Lynn Lightfoot and Robert Lowry © 2005
Performed by Emmaus Road Worship Team

WORD

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Holy – Week Four

Sermon Scriptures:
Luke 4:38-40 (NRSV)
Luke 5:12-13 (NRSV)
Luke 6:6-10 (NRSV)
Luke 7:11-15 (NRSV)

RECAP

Holy means set apart and unique. In the Bible; God, time, people, things, and places are all called holy. In this series, we’re exploring how we are invited to participate in God’s holiness.  

At first, God’s holiness is seen as dangerous and incompatible with human impurities. 

Then, two prophets have visions. Isaiah sees himself in the temple when a seraph touches his lips with a coal from the altar and makes him clean. Ezekiel saw a stream of water coming out from the temple bringing life to all that it touches.

These two prophets have these revolutionary visions, but in everyday life, nothing really changes. They don’t really know what to make of it…..and neither do the people who read their writings after they died. 

Until Jesus comes.

JESUS SHOWS US HOLINESS

One of the groups that was consistently at odds with Jesus were the Pharisees. The Pharisees were a religious and political party that insisted the law of God be interpreted and followed just as the scribes intended.  

Their primary confrontation with Jesus is over the definition of holiness. For the Pharisees, holiness meant separation from anything and anyone that would render them impure. Jesus, however, seemed to take a totally different approach to holiness.  

When Jesus began announcing the arrival of God’s kingdom, he was drawn to people considered unclean and unfit to enter God’s presence in the temple. 

In each of the stories read this morning Jesus put his own purity at risk by touching an unclean person. But, in each case, the holiness of Jesus was greater than the impurity.

Jesus is just like the coal in Isaiah’s vision!

For Jesus, compassion for the marginalized and oppressed always trumped concerns about purity. He went to victims of injustice and proclaimed a new day when justice will roll down like a river, and all things will be made right.  

Jesus’ main problem with his opponents (whether they be the Pharisees or not) was that they missed the central point about God’s holiness!  

“Holiness, in the view of Jesus, was not maintained by ritual purity, but by the integrity of being identified wholly and unreservedly with the purposes of God in compassion and redemption for His lost and dying world.”
-Kent Brower, Holiness in the Gospels, pg. 115

JESUS TEACHES HOLINESS

In Luke 15:1-2, the Pharisees were grumbling that Jesus ate and seemed to befriend those who were unclean.  

In the midst of their grumbling, Jesus tells three stories:
Story of the Lost Sheep (Lk. 15:3-7)
Story of the Lost Coin (Lk. 15:8-10)
Story of the Lost Son (Lk. 15:11-32)

With these stories, Jesus was inviting the Pharisees to join him in celebrating that the impure could now be counted among the people of God!

Jesus is the embodiment of Isaiah’s temple vision. He represents a radical redefinition of holiness. 

“No longer is holiness to be conceived of essentially as separation. Rather holiness is contagious, outgoing, embracing, and joyous.”
-Kent Brower, Holiness in the Gospels, pg. 59)

TABLE

Prepare the elements of “bread” and “wine” for use as we gather around The Lord’s Table. These can be any items convenient around the home that symbolize these for you. 

CONFESSION OF THE MYSTERY OF FAITH

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

As we pray together, we invite you to share your own requests and testimonies with us this week. If you have a request you can share it live in our video stream chat, or you may email us at emmausroadfc@gmail.com

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father in heaven,
        hallowed be your Name,
        your kingdom come,
        your will be done,
        on earth as in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins
        as we forgive those
        who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, 
        and deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, 
        and the power,
        and the glory for ever and ever.
Amen.

BENEDICTION

Life looms ahead of us, huge and uncertain;
In the confusion we must listen for the voice of God.
Who can hear the voice of God calling?
Here I am, send me!

Our voice seems so small against the misery we hear;
Sickness and racism and violence seems to dominate.
Who can be heard above the crying?
Here I am, send me!

The world is waiting to hear the promise of God;
A life of justice, peace and love for all of God’s children.
Who will choose this life with God?
Here I am, send me!