Mission. A Worship Series on the Mission of the Church.
Mission. A Worship Series on the Mission of the Church.
To be used in Epiphany Year B or as a stand-alone series.
The Christian Church is an assembly of people on a mission. We have been sent out on a rescue mission into a hurting world to share peace and joy through the gospel. Jesus gave the Church its mission. “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20 EHV).” Jesus wants us to go into the world and make disciples by baptizing and teaching; leading people out of darkness and helping them grow in faith through God’s Word and Sacraments. We all have the same mission from Jesus, but we can talk about that mission in different ways. Some churches will use different words to describe the mission of the church, but all churches will focus on similar areas. At St. Paul’s, we will be spending four weeks, focused on four aspects of the mission of the church. Worship, Learn, Reach Out, Give Back.
Worship. The church gathers around God’s Word and Sacraments to receive strength, forgiveness, and power for the journey ahead. We respond with prayer and praise.
Learn. Christians want to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus.” We study God’s Word together, grow in faith, and make practical applications for our lives.
Reach Out. The church has something amazing to share - the love of Jesus and his forgiveness for everyone! We reach out with good news to our neighbors.
Give Back. Jesus has freely given us so many blessings. Out of thanks for his mercy, we gladly respond by giving back to him. We serve in our communities and in our congregations, and we support the ministry of the church with our time and offerings.
We plan to use this series for the first four weeks of Epiphany, but you could use it anytime to focus on the Mission of the Church. Below are suggested readings that correspond loosely to the lectionary readings for the Season of Epiphany. (Lectionary readings are in bold).
You can find coordinating art for the Mission series here.
Pastor Marques Nelson
Epiphany 1 (The Baptism of Our Lord). Worship
1st Lesson - Psalm 100
2nd Lesson - Hebrews 10:19-25 (or 23-25) suggested sermon text
Gospel - Mark 1:4-11
Epiphany 2. Learn
1st Lesson - Deuteronomy 6:1-9
2nd Lesson - 2 Peter 3:17-18
Gospel - John 1:43-51 suggested sermon text
Epiphany 3. Reach Out
1st Lesson - Jonah 3:1-5, 10 or Isaiah 49:1-6
2nd Lesson - 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Gospel - Mark 1:14-20 suggested sermon text
Epiphany 4. Give Back
1st Lesson - 1 Chronicles 22:1-16 (church building funding appeal) or Romans 12:1-8 (service in the body of Christ)
2nd Lesson - 2 Corinthians 8:1-12 suggested sermon text if focusing on financial stewardship
Gospel - Mark 10:42-45 (or 35-45)