Welcome to ToGather.church! (Find out more about ToGather.) Today, our focus is going to be "Seeking What Matters Most" — God's kingdom, righteousness, and love. This focus is anchored to two very similar passages from God's Word:

Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor.
(Proverbs 21:21)
...

[Jesus taught his disciples:]"But seek first [God's] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [you often worry about having] will be given to you as well."
(Matthew 6:33)

Will we seek God — the things of God and the character of God — first in our lives?

That's the challenge we want to hear and embrace in our ToGather worship today!

When we seek God first — his kingdom, righteousness, and love — we discover that life and joy are found in him!

Opening with Praise in Word and Song:

As we begin ToGather with the song "God I Look To You" from Bethel Music and featuring Francesca Battistelli, let's confess that the source of our hope is in God our Father. He has pursued us with his unwavering love and saved us through Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross and the empty tomb, and which we will be fully realized when Jesus returns for us in glory:

As we look to God, let's pray using the words of Psalm 33:22:

May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
even as we put our hope in you. [Amen!]

Focusing on the Scriptures:

Before our message, we will sing a beautiful version of "Canon in D / Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God," led by the Praise and Worship Chorus, as we encourage each other to seek God who matters most!

We will find our greatest joys in life as we pursue what matters eternally — God's kingdom, righteousness, and love. That's the underlying principle behind Phil's message, "Seeking What Matters Most!" This message is based on our theme from our Verse of the Day:

Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor.
(Proverbs 21:21)

Sharing The Supper:

As we enter our time of Communion, let's remind ourselves that the Lord's Supper is centered in Jesus' love for us as we sing "I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)" with Nathan Drake:

Our Communion reflection is shared by Brooke Hollingsworth, a wonderful Bible teacher and friend:

As Brooke emphasized, the call of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount often feels impossible, and the obedience required can seem unreachable. However, each time we strive and fall short, we come back in Holy Communion, and God reminds us that he has made "All Things New" in us because of his grace for us in Jesus. Big Daddy Weave leads us as we sing this song of confession and hope:

Closing with Reassurance, Song, and Blessing:

In Psalm 46, the Sons of Korah (Their ancestor, Korah, openly rebelled against the LORD and was severely punished — Numbers 16:1-3, 31-35; Jude 1:11.) blessed us with a wonderful psalm of reassurance and hope. Even when everything around us is crashing down — whether the physical creation because of natural disasters or the emotional tumult of disappointment, disgrace, and disillusionment because of sin or a seemingly endless pandemic — God promises to be with us:

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
(Psalm 46:1-3)

We close with Lauren Daigle inviting us to believe that as we seek what matters most. Because we seek God's kingdom, righteousness, and love, we can rest in the assurance that we are in God's hands. Let's sing "I Am Yours":

We close ToGather with the ancient Jewish blessing from Numbers 6:24-26:

The LORD bless you
and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace. [Amen!]

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