Sunday Worship - November 17

Welcome! We’re glad you’re here.

Citylife strives to be a diverse community of grace that forms disciples of Jesus for the renewal of Boston and our neighbors.

“Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God, it is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

Psalms 100:2-3

Order of Worship

*Please stand as you are able

Welcome and Preparation

Call to Worship*

LEADER: Christ, in this hour of worship lift us out of the routine of our daily lives and set us up on your holy mountain.

PEOPLE: Let our worship come from our hearts, that it may be genuine.

LEADER: Let our praises for you leap from our mouths, that we may be alive with faith and joy.

ALL: Make us fresh again! Amen.

  • Joachim Neander, Henry Van Dyke, Shane Barnard, Shane Everett

    Verse 1
    Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
    The King of creation
    O my soul, praise Him
    For He is thy health and salvation
    All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near
    Praise Him in glad adoration

    Praise to the Lord
    Who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth
    Shelters thee under His wings
    Yea, so gently sustaineth
    Hast thou not seen how thy desires have been
    Granted in what He ordaineth?

    Praise to the Lord
    Who doth prosper thy work and defend thee
    Surely His goodness and mercy
    Here daily attend thee
    Ponder anew what the Almighty can do
    If with His love He befriend thee

    Chorus x2
    Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee
    God of glory, Lord of love
    Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee
    Opening to the sun above

    Praise to the Lord
    O let all that is in me adore Him
    All that hath life and breath
    Come now with praises before Him
    Let the Amen sound from His people again
    Gladly will ever adore Him

    CCLI License No. 2051446

  • Charles Wesley, Mike Whang

    I want a principle within
    Of watchful, godly fear
    A sensibility of sin
    A pain to feel it near
    I want the first approach to feel
    Of pride or wrong desireTo catch the wandering of my will
    And quench the kindling fire

    From Thee that I no more may stray
    No more Thy goodness grieve
    Grant me the filial awe, I pray
    The tender conscience give
    Quick as the apple of an eye
    O God, my conscience make
    Awake my soul when sin is nigh
    And keep it still awake

    Almighty God of truth and love
    To me Thy power impart
    The mountain from my soul remove
    The hardness from my heart
    O may the least omission pain
    My reawakened soul
    And drive me to that blood again
    Which makes the wounded whole

    CCLI License No. 2051446

Corporate Confession

ALL: Awesome and compassionate God, you have loved us with unfailing, self-giving mercy, but we have not loved you. You constantly call us, but we do not listen. You ask us to love, but we walk away from neighbors in need, wrapped in our own concerns. We condone evil, prejudice, warfare, and greed. God of grace, as you come to us in mercy, we repent in spirit and in truth, admit our sin, and gratefully receive your forgiveness through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.

Personal Confession

Receiving of Grace

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the offenses of your people? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show your mercy. Once again you have compassion on us. You tread our sins underfoot and hurl our transgressions into the depths of the sea.

Doxology*

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts.
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

  • Kristian Stanfill, Brett Younker, Scott Ligertwood, Brooke Ligertwood

    Chorus
    God is so good
    God is so good
    God is so good
    He’s so good to me

    Amazing love, that welcomes me
    The kindness of mercy
    That bought with blood, wholeheartedly
    My soul undeserving

    Chorus 2
    God, You're so good
    God, You're so good
    God, You're so good
    You're so good to me

    Behold the cross, age to age
    And hour by hour
    The dead are raised, the sinner saved
    The work of Your power

    Chorus

    Bridge
    I am blessed, I am called
    I am healed, I am whole
    I am saved in Jesus' name
    Highly favored, anointed
    Filled with Your power
    For the glory of Jesus' name

    And should this life bring suffering
    Lord, I will remember
    What Calvary has bought for me
    Both now and forever

    Chorus

    CCLI License No. 2051446

Prayer of Intercession* (concluded by The Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.  Amen.

Baptism and Membership Installation

Baptism:
Andrew Browne

Membership:
Jason Adhinarta
Connor Crane
Josue Adiel Espinoza Diaz
Grace Hunt
Alyssa Lee
Jae Jin Lee
Evan Liao
Esther Olojede
Lily Park
Su Jean Park
Jenna White
Samuel Xu

Prayer for Children

Extending Peace

MINISTER: Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us forgive one another. The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

ALL: And also with you.

Announcements

jump to end for detailed descriptions

Gospel Lesson

Scripture Reading*

1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.

2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.

3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain,

4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him.

5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.

7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”

8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”

9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”

10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside,

12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.”

13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened.

15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.

17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.

18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.

19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

Mark 5:1-20 ESV

READER: This is the Word of God.

ALL: Thanks be to God.

Sermon

“Jesus’s Power Over Evil”

Sermon Series: More Like Jesus

Rev. Daniel Paik

Prayers for Tithes and Offerings

ALL: Merciful Father, we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us - our selves, our time, and our possessions - signs of your gracious love. Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

  • Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham 

    How great the chasm that lay between us
    How high the mountain I could not climb
    In desperation, I turned to heaven
    And spoke Your name into the night
    Then through the darkness
    Your loving kindness
    Tore through the shadows of my soul
    The work is finished, the end is written
    Jesus Christ, my living hope

    Who could imagine so great a mercy
    What heart could fathom such boundless grace?
    The God of ages stepped down from glory
    To wear my sin and bear my shame
    The cross has spoken, I am forgiven
    The King of kings calls me His own
    Beautiful Savior, I’m Yours forever
    Jesus Christ, my living hope

    Chorus 
    Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free!
    Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me!
    You have broken every chain
    There’s salvation in Your name
    Jesus Christ, my living hope

    Then came the morning that sealed the promise
    Your buried body began to breathe
    Out of the silence, the Roaring Lion
    Declared the grave has no claim on me
    Then came the morning that sealed the promise
    Your buried body began to breathe
    Out of the silence, the Roaring Lion
    Declared the grave has no claim on me
    Jesus, Yours is the victory!

    Chorus

    CCLI License No. 2051446

Benediction & Dismissal*

MINISTER: Let us go forth to serve the world as those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

ALL: Thanks be to God!

Announcements

Connect with Citylife. We’re happy you’re here! If you are new, the easiest way to get in touch with us is by filling out the Connect Card HERE.

Service Location Change. On 11/24, service will again be on the 6th floor of The Revere. The 6th floor is accessed via the garage elevators across the way from the Liberty Hall entrance.

Safety Plan Training. If you serve, or are interested in serving, on Sundays (leading, welcoming, ushering, ops, kids and youth, etc), please join us to be updated on Citylife’s Safety Plan TODAY at 1:00 p.m in the Singlo Room on the 6th floor of The Revere. This training is mandatory for our Sunday volunteers.

Community

Community Meals. The next Community Meals are December 14-15. Community Meals are casual potlucks where you have the chance to meet people you might not otherwise cross paths with. There will be a brunch and dinner option; people will sign up ahead of time and be randomly assigned a location. Sign ups close on December 8th! Sign up HERE. You can view future Community Meal dates on our website.

Thanksgiving Hosting. Many of us at Citylife may not be able to travel from Boston to be with their families for the Thanksgiving holiday. One way we'd love to extend hospitality to students who are staying in Boston for Thanksgiving, as well as others who have family far away, is by opening our tables to our brothers and sisters in Christ. If you have an extra seat at your table and are willing to host a meal (or if you don’t have Thanksgiving Day plans and would like to join other Citylifers in Boston) please register on Church Center.

Men & Women

Men’s Ministry Breakfast & Conversation. Save the date and please join us on Saturday, December 7 at 9:30-11:30 a.m., for a conversation with men in our church around cultivating spiritual friendships in the church. More details to come shortly.

Missions

Get to know Citylife Missionaries: Ethiopia ACT. Ethiopia ACT is one of Citylife's long-time missions partners, working to serve those in extreme poverty in Ethiopia. In the past, Citylife has sent members of our congregation who are in the medical field on short-term medical missions trips with Ethiopia ACT. If you're interested in learning more about Ethiopia ACT, please feel free to reach out to Executive Director Hannah Bansil (hannah@ethiopiaact.org), and join her at an informal gathering at her home in Roxbury (20 Notre Dame Street, Roxbury, MA, 02119) TONIGHT at 7:00 p.m. A few members of the missions committee will also be there!

Justice & Mercy

We are at Somerville Homeless Coalition on the 1st Saturday of the month, L Street Mission on the 2nd Saturday, and Pine Street Inn on the 3rd Saturday. Sign up to purchase for and assemble hygiene kits every 3rd Sunday.

Kids & Youth

Youth Ministry. We meet every 1st and 3rd Saturday from 6:30-8:30pm at Ruggles Baptist Church and every 2nd and 4th Sunday from 9:15-10:25am in the Toddlers classroom. Hope to see you there!

Next Youth Sunday School meets: 11/24.
Next Saturday Youth Group meets: 12/7.