Drawing Near:

Welcome!

We are delighted that you joined us for ToGather.church. (Find out more.) We invite you to use our home worship guide on your own or to share with your friends, family, home group, or house church.

Today we want to focus on Jesus, God's Son crucified for us, our Lord, and Messiah. Jesus calls us to look to him not just as our Savior, but also as our Lord. He means everything to us. As the now-classic hymn says to Jesus, "You Are My All in All"! Let's sing this hymn together with Kelly Devoe:

He is our "All in All" because of what he did for us (1 Corinthians 15:1-7) and because he invited us to participate with him in his death, burial, and resurrection through our faith and baptism (Romans 6:3-7). Paul's deeply personal and reverent humility is our invitation to offer thanksgiving for what God has done for us in Jesus:

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen (1 Timothy 1:15-17 NLT).

Since Jesus is God and King, we can join the Zoe Group and sing, "Christ Above Me":

We love God as Father, Son, and Spirit. We celebrate the salvation that Jesus has brought to us through his incarnation, sacrifice, and triumph over sin, death, and hell. We rejoice that he has called us to follow him as his disciples.

Why are we so willing to follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior? We are "Overwhelmed" by the love, mercy, and grace we have been shown by our Father through Jesus the Son. Let's be filled with the Spirit as we join Big Daddy Weave and sing, "Overwhelmed":

Phil and Donna Ware share what they love and how they are overwhelmed with the power and touch of Jesus as they remember him during our time of reflection through the Lord's Supper:

Our hope, our future, and our guide to living a meaningful life are found "In Christ Alone," and we declare this truth with the Westover Singers as we join them in song:

One of the hardest truths for Jesus' followers to grasp is that he is Messiah, God's Son, yet he was brutalized and crucified before an angry mob of people. How could God's Messiah allow himself to be disgraced through crucifixion? Jesus went to the cross because of his love for a lost world, including for us! As the crucified and resurrected Messiah, Jesus isn't just our Savior; he is also our Lord. As Lord, Jesus challenges us to take up our cross and follow him.

Unfortunately, much of today's watered-down version of what passes for Christianity never calls us to follow Jesus as Lord. We want a Savior, not a crucified Messiah who calls us to follow him by taking up the cross, too. Phil's message today is intense and challenging, but then Jesus' message to his twelve apostles at Caesarea Philippi was intense and challenging to them, too!

Our Messiah is Lord! Let's sing about "Jesus Messiah" with Chris Tomlin as we recognize that our Messiah is Lord, the name above all names:

We want a Savior, not a crucified Messiah who calls us to follow him by taking up the cross!
Our closing blessing comes from someone who deeply appreciates Jesus as Lord and Messiah. Jan Reagan grew up in Thailand and discovered Jesus in early adulthood and has worked to mentor and grow new disciples all her adult life. Let's join her in our closing blessing from 1 Timothy 3:16:

Jesus, who is both Lord and Messiah, the crucified one now raised to life for us, is the cornerstone of our lives. Let's proclaim this truth together in the song, "Cornerstone," with Hillsong United.

As we conclude our time of worship, let's renew our commitment to follow Jesus as our Savior and our Lord, Jesus the crucified and resurrected King of glory!

Postscript:

Shortly after ToGather is posted each weekend, the videos are professionally captioned and posted on YouTube. See all of our ToGather.church videos on our YouTube® Channel.

Special thanks for Multi Transcription Services of America (MTSOA.com) for their fine work. See them for all your questions about marketing YouTube® videos and expanding your online reach. Email Lee for more info.

Special thanks for the use of images related to Jesus' ministry from The Lumo Project and Free Bible Images.