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Opening with Song and Prayer:

We begin this week's ToGather with Big Daddy Weave as they lead us into the New Year with the song "All Things New":

With our focus on gaining "a heart of wisdom", the opening prayer (adapted from Proverbs 2:1-6) reminds us that this wisdom begins with each of us reverencing God from our hearts and obeying what he calls on us to do:

O, LORD, we open our hearts to be shaped by you. We cry out to you for your insight and long for your wisdom — both are far more valuable to us than earthly treasures. All lasting knowledge, understanding, and wisdom come from you. We honor and exalt you, O God, seeking your gifts of grace. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Sharing The Supper:

To prepare our hearts for the Lord's Supper, we invite you join in the song, "New Wine," with Hillsong Worship as a prayer of surrender:

Phil and Donna Ware remind us in our Lord's Supper reflection that Communion is not just about remembering Jesus' death; it also focuses us on Jesus' call for us to be his bodily presence in the world. We share this simple holy meal, and Jesus joins us and then sends us out share his grace:

Focusing on the Scriptures:

Our message this week comes from Psalm 90:12, the Verse of the Day:

Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

We sing "God I Look To You" with Francesca Battistelli and Bethel Music. As we sing, we also confess our need for God's guidance and make our commitment to seek to embrace his will in our lives:

Phil's message calls us to embrace the New Year as an opportunity to seek after God's ways in our lives and find the wisdom to live for him in our challenging times:

To recap, Phil's message urges us to remember that gaining a heart of wisdom means recognizing...

  • God as the primary allegiance of our hearts.
  • The temporary nature of our days on earth.
  • The urgency of this moment in our lives.
  • The values of this world are twisted.
  • The certainty of our eternal future with God.
  • The power available to us from the Holy Spirit.
  • The grace of prayer to enable this to happen in us.

(Download a pdf with these seven strategies and key related Scriptures.)

Yielding to God's lead in our lives opens our hearts for the LORD to mold us, shape us, and give us a heart of wisdom.
We trust that, as we learn from God to "number our days," our Father will go with us every step of our way, whether that way is easy or hard. We sing "Highlands (Song of Ascent)" with Hillsong UNITED as we pledge to walk in the ways of God:

Closing with Commitment and Blessing:

Yielding to God's guidance and leadership in our lives opens our spirits for God to mold us, shape us, and give us a heart of wisdom. The new rendition of "Have Thine Own Way" with Elim Sound is a prayer for God to have his way in our lives. The first half is easy to join in singing; the second half with the repeated refrain (beginning at 2:15 in the video) allows us to pray Hebrews 13:20-21 that follows as a benediction for ourselves and others:

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

God blesses us with his wisdom as we submit our lives to his guidance! Let's use the beginning of another year for a renewed commitment to live for our Savior and God!

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