House Church Worship Guide
How to Prepare:
1. Have a read through this Worship Guide to get the flow of it, see what parts you’ll use, and how you might do transitions. You can print a simple version of it here:
2. Get communion ready, and any kids resources you need. You can print lyrics for the songs here:
3. Think about whether your group could go smaller by planting another group, or go larger by inviting another family/person
Welcome to week two of House Church! We give this time to God, a set time and place together, knowing that we are part of a much larger Hope Church family.
Keep it flexible: We expect this to take around an hour - simply read, open the floor when there is a share time, and click on the links for guided worship, Hope Style.
Keep it participative: Worship ain’t a spectator sport. Worship aims to help us encounter God and to respond to Him. You know your group, so help them to share and participate.
Keep it unified: Your group could consider having a "no Covid talk" rule during worship, or even for your whole gathering, if you think you need it. The pandemic is part of our lives, but we want this time to be all about Jesus, not Covid.
1. CALL TO WORSHIP
In worship, God speaks and we respond. God is calling us to be ready, to be expectant, to be prepared for worship:
Psalm 24:7-10
Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Invite someone(s) to pray, asking God to prepare our hearts for the King of glory to work in our lives.
2. WORSHIP BY SINGING
Click on the following songs you want to sing, one, some or all! Pray between them if you want to.
3. FAMILY CONNECTION
We believe in multigenerational, God-centred worship. This means helping all ages come to know and believe in Jesus – with faith like a child
Click on this Family video, Steve talks to the whole family about growing up in Christ (Length: 6 mins)
Interactive Activity: 'Order Up' (when you are asked to 'pause' the video)
If you are with a group of people (old or young, it makes no difference) order yourselves in these two following ways (you may like to physically get up and make a line across the room, or stay seated and figure out the order where you are):
1. Order yourselves from longest hair to shortest hair
2. Order yourselves from place of birth - Northernmost at one end and southernmost at the other
Follow up questions: (When you have watched the video)
People often say "grow up" to someone acting childishly or immature. Take a couple of minutes before moving on to the next part of the service to consider and share your thoughts around these questions:
How do we 'grow up'?
How do we 'grow up' spiritually in faith?
PARENTS: Click on the Family Resources button to find some colouring in activities and videos for preschool and school age children that you can use at any time:
Families, please note that you will need to prepare these colouring and Right Now Media resources ahead of time if you plan to use them.
4. SHARING AND CELEBRATING
How was your week? What can we share and celebrate? God is at work for good but we sometimes miss opportunities to testify to it.
What can you celebrate? Who has had a birthday/an anniversary/ a new job or opportunity/ a chance to share about the Lord etc?
5. CHURCH UPDATE AND PRAYER
Stream the following church update (Length: 4 mins)
Take some time to pray for the church of the week and missionary:
Church: Grace Church Richmond
Missionary: 24/7 Youth Work
Some things you might pray for:
anyone in the group who has a need
the wider church as we meet this week in House Church.
another family who is part of Hope Church – someone that God puts on your heart.
The Ukraine conflict
our nation
our mission
6. HEAR GOD’S WORD
Ask someone to read Colossians 1:9-14 Pray for everyone as they hear God’s Word. Then watch this message on Colossians 1:9-14. (Length: 21 mins)
Then watch this message, which comes from several people at Hope Church
7. RESPOND
Have a chat about the message. Here are some possible questions you might ask:
What is your immediate heart response to this message?
If God was saying something to you personally in this message, what would it be?
What resonated with you most in this talk? Why?
8. COMMUNION AND PRAYER
The only way we grow us is by staying close to Jesus, and remembering his love show by his death on the cross. Our focus is not what we “do” but on what Jesus has “done”.
A passage you could read is Colossians 1:13-14.
Just as God redeemed Israel out of the slavery in Egypt, redeemed by the blood of a substitute, we have been delivered into Christ’s Kingdom. Thank God for your new identity and place in the Kingdom of light.
Hosts, please note that if you celebrate communion, you will need to set this up ahead of time using good hygiene practices.
9. BENEDICTION
Ask someone to close the time in prayer and pronounce a benediction. Here’s one to use from Jude 24-25:
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
10. LEAVE A COMMENT
This step helps us to remember and encourage everyone else who is meeting around the region.
Leave a comment at the bottom of this page sharing a sentence or two about your House Church and what you go up to.
SELFIE TIME
Grab a selfie together and send the photo to lisa@hopechurch.org.nz
The whole service will stream live at 10am if you would prefer to watch it this way. Click on LIVE CHURCH at www.hopechurch.org.nz. Or from midday on, you can find it by clicking on PAST SERVICES.
Share a few sentences about your group and what you got up to. Let’s encourage each other as we meet in different locations.