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.

CALL TO WORSHIP

Please join in on the bolded lines.

Let us open our minds to God’s teaching;
and tune our ear to God’s word.
Let us listen to the stories of the faith of our ancestors;
and share our stories with our children.
We put our trust in God;
we worship the one who gives us life.

MUSIC: LIVING HOPE

CCLI #7106807 | Brian Johnson and Phil Wickham
Performed by Emmaus Road Worship Team

CONFESSIONAL PRAYER

Please join in on the bolded lines.

Out of the depths we cry to God, in our suffering and in our pain.
Out of the depths God cries to us, asking us to repent, to return to God with our whole hearts, to admit our sin, and to accept forgiveness.
So let us pray with one another, first in silence.

Holy God, hear our prayer:
For the mending of our hearts, torn apart by our unkindness;
For the healing of our souls, wasting away from the despair around us;
For the forgiveness we seek for the sin we have allowed to persist;
For the reconciliation of the world, whose division condemns us;
We pray for the courage to admit our fault,
The strength to amend our actions,
And the hope that your grace awaits us.
Through Christ we pray. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

You are invited to hold your hands out, palm-up as we receive His grace.

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is sure.”
Titus 3: 4-8

All: Thanks be to God

MUSIC: BE THOU MY VISION

CCLI #4586883 | Allan Hall, Todd Smith, and Nicol Sponberg © 2005
Performed by Emmaus Road Worship Team

WORD

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Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness & Goodness

Scripture: Titus 3:1-8 (NRSV)

INTRO
Since kindness and goodness are fruits of the Spirit, that must mean that God is kind and God is good.

Few claims that are met with more questions, doubts, and awkward side-eye than the claims that God is good and God is kind.

There are lots of reasons why people have a hard time believing these claims, but what cannot be denied is that part of the reason is they don’t see these fruit in the lives of Christians.

NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN
The book of Titus is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to a partner in ministry named Titus. Titus was tasked with helping the Christians on the island of Crete.

Crete was known in the ancient world as being a place of treachery, violence, and sexual corruption. In fact, the greek word for liar with “kretizo” which means, “to be a Cretan.”

Titus’ role was to speak to the house churches about how to faithfully live out the Good News of Jesus despite their growing up in a culture so contrary to the Gospel.

The goal was not to set themselves apart through culture wars. But they didn’t want to fully assimilate into the culture either. Titus invites them to faithful participation in culture.

Paul’s main encouragement to Titus is this: Tell the Christians that the best way to be faithful witnesses is to demonstrate a new way to be human – and do that while participating in the culture.

WE ARE KIND BECAUSE GOD HAS BEEN KIND TO US
As always, Paul’s instructions have a theological foundation. It’s not as though God was coming up with some rules for Christians to follow and “be kind” was among them. No! That’s too shallow.

The reason you are to act in a particular way is because of who God is and what God has done! We are called to embody the kindness and goodness of God, because of the salvation we have received in Christ.

“The reason we are summoned to avoid speaking evil of people, not to be quarrelsome, and so on, is that we are ourselves creatures of God’s generous love, and we we aren’t showing that same generous, kindly, forgiving love we have obviously forgotten the path by which we’ve come.” -N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone, The Pastoral Letters, pg. 161

KINDNESS TOWARD “OUTSIDERS”
Having received the kindness and goodness of salvation from God, Paul says that believers in Christ should embody those same traits to others.

What’s more interesting, however, is that these instructions are for how Christians are to treat those outside the faith (“outsiders”).

This passage isn’t calling you to be kind to those who are like you. This passage is calling you to be kind to those not like yourself.

Resist the temptation to reduce another human being down to their difference from you. Instead, see the full person, and show kindness to them based on the goodness of God.

KINDNESS REVEALS GOD’S CHARACTER TO OTHERS
When we confess Jesus as Lord, how we act toward others reveals what we believe about God. It quite literally shows people what kind of God we believe in.

Let’s make sure that we are showing the world the kind and loving God revealed to us in Jesus. The One who is hospitable and honors our humanity; even while calling us to give up lives lived in sin.

The greek word translated “kindness” literally means tender concern for others.

May our witness show that God has tender concern for others. May we not forget the path by which we’ve come.

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

You are invited to hold your hands out, palm-up as we receive this benediction.

Lord, make us instruments of your peace
Where there is hatred, may we sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy

O Divine Master, grant that we may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand
To be loved, as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
And it’s in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it’s in dying that we are born to Eternal Life

Amen