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Worship - March 2019

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Church Family,

I hope and pray you are well as we make the turn towards spring and warmer  weather. Personally, I am excited for the cold to leave and the longer days to return! It's been a busy season of ministry here at Oakhill, and we are very excited about what’s head! There are a few events that I want you to be aware us as we move forward. We are having two worship nights this spring that you will not want to miss.

1) Night of Worship and Prayer, Sunday Night, March 17th - Make plans with your family to be with us on this night. We will come together as a faith family to worship through singing, and we will also worship through praying together. We will be praying for each other, our families, our community, and so much more. I believe this will be a powerful time together, and God has much in store for the evening. Childcare up to Kindergarten is provided!

2) Good Friday Night of Worship - Friday Night, April 19th - To start the Easter weekend, we will be coming together to reflect on Jesus and the Cross. Jesus is our Risen Savior, which we can’t wait to celebrate on Easter Sunday. However, before we get to Sunday, we come to Good Friday. A night that we reflect on the death of Jesus. A night that we reflect on the cross, and we worship in response to it. Make plans with your family to start your Easter weekend with us, as we look at the cross, and we worship Jesus. Childcare up to Kindergarten is provided.

I love worship nights. I love when we come together as a faith family to sing. I love being together in the same room, at the same time. Sometimes we miss the opportunity to worship all together. On these nights, we get to worship as one church family, together. It’s a special time, and I pray we all take advantage of it. I love you all, and I’ll see you on Sunday.

 

Posted by Jared Mitchell with
in Newsletter, Worship

Worship February 2019

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Church Family,
 I pray this month finds you well! This month, I’d like to leave you with an article from Gavin Ortlund, a worship leader and writer from Deerfield, Illinois. I pray we read his article and apply these truths to our hearts and lives!

                                      “Three Ways to Guard Joy on Sundays”
Sometimes we are so exhausted from our week that we simply “let go” when the weekend comes. I can understand that, but I also have found that a little intentionality on the weekends can go a long way. During this season, we’ve discovered a few simple changes that have helped our church attendance, and the whole Sunday experience, be more fruitful.

1. Sanctify your Saturday nights.
If you treat Saturday night as a time to start preparing, Sunday mornings go much better. Are there ways you can make Saturday evenings special? Can you go to bed a little earlier? Even something as simple as talking with your kids about church the next day over dinner, and then praying about corporate worship before going to bed, can make a huge difference. A joyful Sunday morning often begins the night before.

2. Prepare for the inevitable fight or spilled milk.
I am amazed at how often something goes wrong on the car ride to church! I believe this is often Satan’s strategy. He needles us in the car on the way there, or on our way out the door — whatever he can do to get us grumpy and  discombobulated by the time we walk into the sanctuary. If we prepare for this in advance, we can catch him in the act, “for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

So, when you climb into your minivan, tell yourself in advance, Someone is probably going to spill their milk in the van, or pull their sister’s hair, or chuck their Bible out the window on the interstate. When that happens, I will pray rather than yell.

3. Find creative ways to make Sundays a delight.
There is no reason why Sundays should be austere rather than a delight. We might associate “holy” with “somber,” but that is not how the Bible talks. Notice, for example, the language Nehemiah and Ezra use when they lead the    people in covenant renewal:
“This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep. . . . Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send    portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. . . . This day is holy; do not be grieved.” (Nehemiah 8:9–11).  In this context, holiness is celebratory. The logic goes like this: “today is holy, so stop  crying and drink some wine.”

We also should pursue cultivating an atmosphere of joy and celebration on Sundays. Is there a favorite restaurant you can make your Sunday tradition, or a favorite breakfast food you can make on Sundays? What other Sunday traditions might help the day be enjoyable? When your kids think back twenty years from now, what memories and  associations do you want them to have with Sundays and church?

God is our greatest joy and we want him to be our children’s greatest joy, and Sundays are a unique weekly opportunity to worship and enjoy God together. Let’s strive to make Sundays a delight for our children, not a burden.

In Christ,
Jared

 

Posted by Jared Mitchell with

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