To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy... (I Cor. 1.2). Paul's salutation makes us uncomfortable: 'called to be holy ones,' literally, 'saints.' In our world, saints populate stained glass windows, medals and automobile dashboards. A politician will sometimes assure us: 'I'm no saint.' He makes this modest disclaimer to divert attention from his past and assures us that he is human. Under the scorn that dismisses saintliness lies a guilty avoidance of what it means to be human. As rebels, we prefer to think that a saint is abnormal -- to be admired, perhaps, as a Mother Teresa, but not a real human being. To be holy is to be genuinely human, for holiness is godliness, and life without God is life without meaning.
Corporate Confession of Sin
Father, You have called us to follow Jesus and live Christ-like lives.
You have called us to let the gospel shape our hearts.
However, we come to You this morning, confessing
that we have allowed the world to shape us instead of Your lovingkindness.
Where You desire us to serve, we have sought to be served.
Where you desire us to sacrifice, we have sought self protection.
Where You have sought us to engage, we have remained aloof.
Where You have sought us as Your children, we have lived as orphans.
Now, Father, accept our confession and receive us gladly.
We do not ask for Your grace because we deserve it.
We even doubt our ability to confess with full honesty the depth of our sin.
Father pardon us for the sake of Jesus.
Assurance of Pardon
God made Christ who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God! 2 Corinthians 5:21
Order of Worship, January 13 2013
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