CALL TO WORSHIP
OPENING PRAYER
WELCOME and THANKS
- Today is a special day for us …
-
- It’s the day of our re-launch (3rd ??) of the Sunday church service.
- Hopefully, this will the first and the last such … the first of many Sunday church services for GCJ … and the last of any RE-launches.
-
OPENING COMMENTS
- Today is the second Sunday of the Christmas season.
- The theme for this week is praise for God’s blessings.
- A new year has arrived! This means new beginnings, new journeys, and new resolutions. The New Year is often an opportunity to improve ourselves or expand what we have. But while this can be a healthy practice, it is also beneficial to reflect on the blessings that we already have.
- This New Year, let us open our hearts and ears and receive what God has already given us. Let us experience his grace and love through the light of his son, Jesus Christ.
- In Ephesians, the apostle declares that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. Considering this, we are to offer praise to God.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Directions to restrooms
- Refer to Announcement Bulletin
OPENING SONGS
FIRST MESSAGE
- Just Like Mom Used to Make
- Greg Williams
One of the sweet memories I have of my college days was the care packages I got from my mom. I would show up at the student mail counter and get that much-anticipated box filled with fudge, no-bake cookies, a loving note, new socks, and a surprise or two — just a touch of home. As a young college student, I didn’t realize how important this kind of interaction was. My mom was connecting me with my family and the story I came from — the disorienting experience of young adulthood was relieved for a moment. This is who you are — not just words, but they gave me a taste and feel of home.
We can only guess, but the young prophet Samuel may have felt the same way. The high priest’s sons, who were supposed to be learning the arts of the temple, were distracted and sin-addicted. Samuel, at a young age, was already doing some of the priest work, as we see in this brief touching account of his mother’s visit:
Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
1 Samuel 2:18-19 (ESV)
Samuel’s mother Hannah had prayed for a child for decades. When Samuel was finally born, she dedicated him to the Lord — to live at the temple and assist the priest. She visited once a year and brought him the “care package” of a new robe she made for him every year. She only saw him once and she had to guess carefully how much he grew that year.
Hannah joins the great tradition of biblical women — powerful elegant ladies who are vital to the narrative of the gospel. In the ancient world where women were often disregarded, these heroic females stood out as examples of courage and rugged love.
Hannah knows that her boy is destined for great things and serves in the very presence of God, but she also knows he’s her boy. That he needs the touch of home and that God only calls real-life, momma-needing people to bring in his kingdom.
Has God ever used someone — be it your mother or someone else — to remind you of your frailty, but also to remind you that He cares about you? That He cares about your need for comfort and your need for love? Does He use those who can see right through us and yet still love us, like mom does? This “for-us,” unconditional Godly love is what our amazing Triune God wants for us all, and finds unique ways to provide — often through unexpected care packages.
May you experience the care packages He sends your way.
I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.
Whom do you identify with in that message? Samuel … or his mother?
- As we head out into 2025, I think we can — and should — identify with both.
-
- Like Samuel, we can look forward, positively, to what this year has to offer.
- Like Samuel’s mom, we can resolve to be the one to take new blessings to others during this year.
-
- From Home Office …
The prophet Samuel was often visited by his loving mother, bringing him a new robe throughout the years while working in God’s temple. Just like our loving moms, let us be reminded to take care of and love one another unconditionally that others may see the love of Christ through our actions.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER
BIBLE READING
Ephesians 1:3-14 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 just as He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love.
5 He destined us for adoption as His children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of His glorious grace that He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 that He lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9 He has made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He set forth in Christ, 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of Him who accomplishes all things according to His counsel and will, 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in Him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14 this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of His glory. .
PRAYER FOR SPEAKER
SPECIAL MUSIC
SERMON
… by Pastor Courtney Campbell
SONG FOR REFLECTION
COMMUNION .
THE BASIS FOR PARTAKING OF THE EMBLEMS OF COMMUNION
1 Corinthians 11:23-28
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
BLESSING OF THE EMBLEMS
SHARING OF THE EMBLEMS
- after PRAYER and DIRECTIONS
COMMUNION SONG
PARTAKING OF THE EMBLEMS
The Lord Jesus … on the night when He was betrayed … took a loaf of bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
According to Matthew … After the supper, Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn and departed for the Mount of Olives.
Mathew 26:26-30 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
So, we’ll be singing a song …
POST-COMMUNION SONG
Turn Your Eyes — by Sovereign Grace Music
COLLECTION OF OFFERING
THE BASIS FOR TAKING UP AN OFFERING
2 Corinthians 9:1-5, 6-9, 10-15
6 The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not regretfully or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 9 As it is written,
“He scatters abroad; He gives to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us, 12 for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. 13 Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your partnership with them and with all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
(Please take some time to prepare your offering … and fill out the Visitor Registration Forms … which you can then put into the offering bag as it passes by you)
OFFERTORY SONG / CLOSING SONG
CLOSING PRAYER
BENEDICTION
… based on 2 Corinthians 13:13 (14 in some versions) . . .
May the grace of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord … the love of God, our Father … and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all … now and for all ages to come.
Amen
Lectionary Notes
The Chosen
Ephesians 1:3-14 NIV
There was a family that had two boys, an eight-year-old and a six-year-old. The older brother was a biological child while the six-year-old was adopted. One day the older brother was bragging to his younger brother that he was the only biological child of their parents. The younger brother responded by saying, “Well, at least I can say that I was chosen, but they were stuck with you.”
Imagine yourself as a small child. You have no parents and no real home to go to. Now, imagine being told that someone has chosen you to be their child. Not only have you been chosen, but the person who chose you has an unconditional amount of love that no other parent could come close to. They have also agreed to share their entire estate with you. You just hit the adoption jackpot!
In our sermon today, we’re going to unpack what it means to be adopted by God. We will be looking at the significance of being specifically chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sealed by the Spirit. In other words, we have hit the adoption jackpot. Our text is found in Ephesians 1:3-14. We will start by looking at verses 3-6.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will — to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV
In the original Greek, this passage (verses 3-14) is one massively long run-on phrase with clause after clause describing the ways in which the Father has blessed us and what the implications of those blessings are for our lives.1 Reading this in its entirety may seem like we are trying to drink from a firehose or a powerful waterfall. While the apostle Paul may not have needed to take a breath as he was writing this, we must pause occasionally if we want to truly digest what he is trying to get across.
Paul employs the use of imagery to explain just how great the privilege of being the Father’s adopted children really is. He does this in a way the Ephesian church could understand by appealing to the practice of adoption. While adoption of children in Jewish society was rarer, the Ephesians were well accustomed to how adoption worked in the Roman Gentile world they inhabited.
In Roman law, when the adoption was complete, the adoptee was free from their old family. Any debts or responsibilities that were incurred by that former family were nullified. The old has passed and the new has come. The adoptee now enjoyed the same rights as a biologically-born child. Some have even suggested that they might have even carried more rights than those who were the biological children of their parents.2
Verse 5 indicates that this adoption of ours is based on love. It was out of the Father’s great love that He chose humanity for himself. It was His will to adopt us through the life of His Son, Jesus. This is what truly pleased the Father — to have us for himself.
In Verse 4, Paul informs the Ephesians that all of this was decided before the foundation of the world. All would be included in His plan of election. Jew and Gentile alike. In fact, before the foundation of the world there was neither Jew nor Gentile.
In verse 3, Paul shares the wonderful news that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing possible. Through the ministry of Christ on our behalf, not one thing is missing; nothing is being held back. And we now stand blameless in His sight. No wonder Paul has such a difficult time containing his enthusiasm as he writes this letter!
Verse 6 speaks about God’s glorious grace that we have received through Christ Jesus. In essence, these four verses direct us toward Christ. He is the focal point of our faith. It is through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension that our adoption has been secured with all its blessings and benefits. This is what the Father has chosen.
In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reached their fulfillment — to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
In him, we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:7-12 NIV
Paul starts this next section by talking about our redemption. This is one of those religious-sounding words that needs a bit of clarification. The Greek word for redemption is apolutrosis. It signifies a release effected by payment of ransom. It carries the idea that something was lost or forfeited but then bought back.3 Again, this word held a lot of significance for the Ephesian believers.
In Ephesus, there were approximately 60,000 slaves, equivalent to a quarter of the population. Most of these slaves were typically conquered or kidnapped individuals, or prisoners of war. Even people’s own families might sell one of their members into slavery.4 This was “business as usual” to the Ephesians, and business was booming.
You can imagine how a person might react to being redeemed, to having their freedom procured. What a relief this must have been. What gratitude they must have displayed! And this is likely why Paul chose to use the word redemption here. We all have been held in bondage to sin and death. Again, it is the Father’s will for His creation to be free.
Through the blood of Christ, we are redeemed. Our deliverance from the bondages to sin and death is a done deal. Sin is no longer our master. The wages of sin and death are paid in full. The chains are released. We are a people made free through the love of God expressed in Christ’s death in our place.
In verse 11, Paul goes back to mentioning how we are chosen. He goes even further by stating that this was all predestined by God. Paul is not addressing here whether certain individuals have or have not been predestined to salvation. What Paul is addressing is that the mystery of God’s will is the inclusion of the Gentiles. The Father is unifying all things together through Christ. Nothing is outside of God’s redemptive plan.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV
Notice in verse 13, Paul begins to use the pronoun “you”. The church in Ephesus had a significant number of Gentile believers. Therefore, Paul is communicating here about their great inclusion into being a people chosen and adopted by the Father. What was once only bragged about by the Jews, had now become their privilege as well through Christ.
Verse 13 talks about us being marked with a “seal.” What Paul is referring to was an official mark of identification that was placed on a letter, contract, or other important document. Typically, the seal was made from hot wax, which was placed on the document and then impressed with a signet ring. Once this was completed, the document was then officially identified with and placed under the authority of the person to whom the signet belonged.5 This was usually a king, a nobleman, or a high ranking official. The seal authenticated the document. If someone were to have this item in their possession, they were assured of security, authenticity, ownership, and authority.
The “seal” for us is the Holy Spirit. With this seal we are secure in our relationship with God. We know what we have been given is authenticated by the witness of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Under the authority of King Jesus, we have been given the Spirit as a gift. The Spirit is a deposit, who guarantees that we will take — and are taking — ownership of all the blessings of Christ in this age and even more in the age to come. Through the Holy Spirit, we come to know more and more how God the Father, and Christ the Son, have chosen us and received us into the family of God.
Christian songwriter, Tim Hughes said:
Worship is about something we do. It involves sacrifice. But at the heart of the gospel is this truth, we are called and chosen by God to join in with the dance of the trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit.6
Brothers and sisters,
- let us praise our wonderful heavenly Father, who has included and chosen us as His very own beloved children.
- Let us take hold of the blessings that have been lavished upon us through the ministry of Christ on our behalf.
- And let us live out our lives through the direction of the Holy Spirit, who continually leads us in the dance into which we have been so graciously included.