Sermon text

Colossians 3:12–17

¹² Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Call to Worship

Psalm 30:1–5

¹ I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
² O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
³ O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

⁴ Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
⁵ For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.

Prayer of Confession

Lord, we come to you as sinners seeking grace. We are disobedient children and this week we have forgotten about you, our true Father. We have not lived in light of your goodness and we have each gone our own way, pursuing our own glory rather than yours. Please forgive us of our sins and remind us of our position as heirs with Christ. Help us to die to our sin and make us alive in Christ. Give us fresh passion to see your name lifted high and our world renewed. In Jesus’ name, amen.

December Memory Verse

1 John 4:9

⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

Resources for Parents

On Family Worship Sunday, the Juniors class, (the 2 and 3 year olds), receives a special lesson on next month's catechism question. All of our classes work through one question per month from the New City Catechism.

Parents! You can download the New City Catechism app with all the questions and children's songs for free.

New City Catechism Question #48

Question:
What is the Church?

Answer:
A community elected for eternal life and united by faith, who love, follow, learn from, and worship God together.

Additional questions:
Q: What happens when you love and believe in Jesus?
A: You become part of God's family.

Q: What does the Bible call all of God's people?
A: The Church.‍

Q: What does God's family do together?
A: Love God together, worship together.