Preparing for Worship—February 12, 2017

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us cultivate life in Christ.

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Lacy Clark Ellman writes: a "thin place is a term used to describe a place in time where the space between heaven and earth grows thin and the Sacred and the secular seem to meet." Pastor Jason will continue our sermon series on Genesis this Sunday by exploring Jacob's experience of a "thin place" in Genesis 28.

Preparing for Worship—February 5, 2017

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us cultivate life in Christ.

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Pastor Jason will continue our sermon series from Genesis by preaching "In Search of a Blessing" from Genesis 27.

Preparing for Worship—January 29, 2017

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us cultivate life in Christ.

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

We will have BJ and Robyn Flenner with us. The Flenners are missionaries who we financially support in their work with international students in Philadelphia.

Pastor Jason will continue our sermon series from Genesis called: "The Story of God, People, and Place." His sermon from Genesis 26 will challenge us to build our lives on what God has promised to do for his people. 

We hope you will join us! 

Preparing for Worship—January 22, 2017

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

After a several month break, we return this Sunday to our series on Genesis called: "The Story of God, People, and Place." We will look at Genesis 25:19-34 together.

REMEMBER: we will hold a church family meeting immediately after the worship service. You will have an opportunity to hear a recap of 2016, learn more about how God is leading us into the New Year, and receive an overview of the 2017 church budget. 

We hope to see you on Sunday!

Preparing for Worship—January 15, 2017

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

This Sunday we will wrap up our vision series by taking a look at our final priority: "The Creative Life." We will also have the joy of celebrating covenant baptism as we welcome Liam Schmidtberger into the covenant community of God's people. 

We hope to see you on Sunday!

Immersing Yourself in God's Story in the New Year

This post is written by Pastor Robbie Schmidtberger, our Church Planting Resident. 

There is something special about a new year that dares us to dream of how we can be better people. Not only is it a new day, new week, or new month—it is a new year. The past, which we cannot change, is behind us; and the future ahead seems promising. So we make resolutions, commitments to eat better, exercise and lose weight; or we plan to do something than we’ve never done before: travel, journal, write a book… the lists are endless. 

Frankly, I am awful at resolutions. I haven’t done this yet, but if I would open up my journals I would find an entry at the beginning of each year of the things I planned to accomplish. The reason why I have not done that yet, is because I am purposefully avoiding my failures. 

Can you relate? 

2017 is pretty different for me. I’ve become a father. It is much more intimidating than I ever thought. There is a little infant that I’ve been entrusted to love, raise and teach to be a man. I am the one to teach him how to ride a bike, shoot a basketball, treat women with respect, value others, to love God with every ounce of his energy.  Some of those things are down the road. But even now as he learns to laugh and smile, I still get to teach him how to love God with every fiber of his being. 

How I plan on doing this is by reading the Bible. 

Reading the Bible is a very good thing. Through the psalms you learn how to process your emotions in a God-honoring way; as you read the gospels your heart is drawn to the person of Jesus, and you find yourself wanting to learn more about him in order to become more like him. As you read the Bible, you’ll find that it helps you make sense of the world. 

Thankfully there are many good reading plans to help you work your way through the Bible. Even though I am not following either this year, I highly recommend a "Bible Reading Plan for Shirkers and Slackers" or spending money on an annual devotional plan (my grandfather did that one.) Pastor Jason is using the Bible Project. If you’re into a more visual medium, then this is for you. 

I am following the lectionary, a Bible reading plan used by many Christians across the globe. Each day consists of reading psalms, an Old Testament and New Testament reading, along with a gospel lesson. All in all, that is 5 chapters of Scripture a day. 

It. is. intimidating. 

So why am I doing this Bible reading plan as opposed to something that I can easily do? 

• The lectionary is divided into two major sections: morning and evening prayer. So it enables me to read the bible privately for myself, then later in the day, I have the opportunity to read Scripture with my wife as we put my little boy down to bed (apparently, pediatricians say that the best way to sleep train an infant is to create a bedtime routine for them! So because I want my kid to sleep through the night, giving us more sleep, I have another reason to keep my resolution.) I am reading the lectionary as it enables me to tend to my own soul as well as my family. 
• The lectionary anticipates failure. Say you pick another ambitious Bible reading plan, like reading the Bible chronologically (in the order the books were written). If you don’t read the Bible for a whole week, then you have a lot to catch up on. The lectionary is not like that. If I miss a day or a week, I just pick up on whatever day it is. The grace of God is that we always begin again. 

As you find yourself dreaming of life in the new year, looking to grow and become more like Jesus, pick something that is not only manageable to you but also helps you to be kind to yourself. 

Preparing for Worship—January 8, 2017

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

This Sunday our Church Planting Resident, Robbie Schmidtberger, will be preaching on "Freed by Jesus" from Galatians 5:1-15.

We look forward to seeing you!

Preparing for Worship—September 25, 2016

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

This Sunday we return to our series on marriage and relationships called, "The Strategic Team." Whether it's a dating relationship, a marriage relationship, a cross-cultural relationship, or a relationship in general, they are all difficult. How come? What makes relationships so hard? We are going to consider how sin threatens our relationships and what it means to be "in the box."

We look forward to seeing you!

Preparing for Worship—September 18, 2016

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

Our worship gathering on Sunday will be focused on sharing the vision for community groups at City Church and telling stories of how God is at work through them. If you are currently not involved in a community group, the vision service will present you with an opportunity to learn about our existing groups and how you can connect with one of them!

See you on Sunday!

Preparing for Worship—September 11, 2016

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

We are continuing our new sermon series on marriage, "The Strategic Team," this Sunday.

Preparing for Worship—September 4, 2016

You can view Sunday's worship guide here. 

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

This Sunday we begin a new sermon series on marriage called, "The Strategic Team." We will also hear from the Mercy Ministry Team on the workshop we hosted as a church family in July on empowering the poor.   

Preparing for Worship—August 28, 2016

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

West Africa Trip Recap

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Me and Wayne standing in front of the house where we stayed.

Wayne and I arrived home early last Sunday morning. Thank you for praying for us throughout our trip. Our time in West Africa training both current and future pastors was fruitful. This past week was a busy one so I'm just now getting around to writing up a recap.

When we arrived at Dulles Airport in D.C. at the beginning of our trip, we met up with Frank, a former missionary in West Africa who now serves in a director role with our denomination's global missions agency. The three of us arrived in Dakar, Senegal early in the morning on Saturday, July 30th. Since we had almost a 12 hour layover before our flight to Banjul, Gambia, the President of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Senegal showed us around Dakar to help pass some time before our flight.

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Worshiping at one of the churches in the Presbyterian Church in Gambia.

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Hanging out during lunch on one of the days of the preaching class.

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Me teaching on preaching at the Bible school.

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Wayne leading a devotional before class.

We arrived in The Gambia Saturday evening. Pastor Abou, who preached at City Church last year, picked us up from the airport. We exchanged money, bought groceries, and settled into a house in the village where we stayed for the week. On Sunday morning we visited one of the churches in the Presbyterian Church in Gambia. I had the honor of preaching in the service with a translator (I found out I would be preaching just before we left for the service!) In the afternoon we traveled to some of the villages where churches are being planted. It was encouraging to hear about how Jesus is at work establishing new churches and drawing people to himself. 

The week was spent teaching both current and future pastors. I taught a class on preaching called "Proclaiming God's Story." The goal of the course was to help students grow in their ability to preach sermons that are centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. Wayne led devotionals three of the days and also shared about his journey in preaching Christ from the whole of Scripture in one of the sessions. The students took the exam for the class on Thursday, and on Friday, each preached a sermon from an assigned passage of Scripture. 

The week was challenging, yet fruitful. It was hot. Teaching all day was exhausting. But God was good. The pastors in The Gambia are in great need of training. It was an honor to be with them to help them grow in their preaching. They were so appreciative of us being there. Pray for them as they continue classes over the next few weeks. Pray for them as they minister in a difficult context in which the predominate religion is Islam.

Thank you again for praying for us. Wayne and I look forward to sharing more about our trip in the City Church worship gathering on August 28th. 

Pastor Jason

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The students taking their preaching exam at the end of the week.

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Me and Wayne with the university student who watches over the compound where we stayed.

Preparing for Worship—August 14, 2016

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

This week we get to celebrate a covenant baptism and also hear about how God is at work on a campus in our city. We will also resume our series on the Beatitudes by looking at "Blessed Are the Pure in heart."

We hope you will join us!

Preparing for Worship—July 31, 2016

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

We are taking a break from our series on the Beatitudes over the next two weeks with Pastor Jason away in West Africa. Our Mercy Ministry Coordinator, Pastor Doug Perkins, will preach this Sunday from Genesis 27 on "The Beauty of the Father's Blessing."

See you then!

Preparing for Worship—July 24, 2016

You can view Sunday's worship guide here. 

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

When we gather this Sunday, we will continue our series on the Beatitudes and focus on Matthew 5:7 for the second consecutive week, reflecting on what it means to be merciful. We will consider how recognizing our spiritual poverty leads to a posture of mercy toward others. 

See you then!

Preparing for Worship—July 17, 2016

You can view Sunday's worship guide here. 

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

When we gather this Sunday, we will receive a new family into covenant membership, celebrate covenant baptism, and hear how one of these new members came to embrace the Christian faith for the first time. We will also move along in our series on the Beatitudes, reflecting on what it means to be merciful. 

We hope you will join us!

Confession and Lament

In our worship gathering this past Sunday, we took time to confess our sin and to lament the events that took place in our nation last week. While the time of confession and lament was not recorded, below is a version of what Pastor Robbie shared as an introduction. 

"City Church strives to be a racially diverse congregation where blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Asians all worship together. If you're a minority here today, I acknowledge that you sacrifice a great deal to help us be more like God's Kingdom. For example, you could be at an all black church this morning and know that the person next to you 'gets' you and what it's like to walk in your shoes. You might be wondering even now: 'How can I relate to this tall white guy up on the platform?' That's a good question. I'm not exactly sure. But I can tell you good news. Jesus can relate to you. He was born into poverty, experienced ethnic prejudice, and was killed by a kangaroo court. He was the innocent of the innocents. And he stands with you and enables us to stand with you too. 

Some of you are fearful. Fearful that you'll be pulled over due to your skin color; fearful for you children's safety; fearful that you won't make it home to your loved ones. Perhaps you find yourself angry—angry at the world, the city, the educational system, politicians, law enforcement, or people who look different than you. 

We need to pause so that we can reflect on the brokenness of this world. Yesterday, Jennifer and I went kayaking. We wanted to go straight, but instead we ended up going in circles. Perhaps it was the current. Perhaps it was because my paddle was way too short. But more likely it was because we were working against each other, paddling in opposite directions. This is a picture of our world. It's broken. Things work against us. Things we use are broken. That's how things are, but we often make matters worse by working against each other. 

If you want to see things become right, we first have to start in our own lives. How have I made matters worse? How have I made this world more broken? How have I been complicit with the broken current of this world?

This prayer of confession is just one step, as we own our brokenness before God. I'll lead us in this prayer, and following it, I invite you to pray prayers of confession and lament as well."

Preparing for Worship—July 10, 2016

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

After a week of tragic events in our country, we are going to set aside time in the service to lament the brokenness of life and to confess the ways that we contribute to it. We are also going to hear a timely sermon from the Beatitudes on what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness. 

Finally, we are going to welcome new covenant members into our church family. 

We look forward to gathering with you on Sunday.

Preparing for Worship–July 3, 2016

You can view Sunday's worship guide here.

Our order of worship is designed to tell God's Story by moving us through the main acts of the biblical narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. The goal is for us to rehearse the drama of redemption and celebrate who Jesus is and what he’s done. Sunday worship is a powerful tool that God uses to form us as his people. We craft the worship guide with this in mind, but also with the intention that it be used throughout the week as an aid to help us walk authentically with God.

This Sunday we continue our summer sermon series, "The Good Life," which is based on the Beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Pastor Robbie, our Church Planting Resident, will preach on "Blessed Are the Meek."