The Lord confirms his promise by making covenants with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his sons, and King David. He enters into binding agreements to assure humanity of his faithfulness. He will not reject his people. For the Lord to default on his Word is as likely as the sun not rising and setting, or the laws of nature completely unraveling. In Christ, every one of God’s promises is a “Yes” (2 Cor. 1.20). Jesus is the Seed of Abraham, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Son of David. He is the fulfillment of everything God has promised. As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, God will be faithful to his Word.

Invocation: Our Prayer of Acclamation
Eternal God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for being a God of covenant faithfulness, the Lord who makes and keeps every covenant promise he makes. The promise of God to Abraham and David and their offspring is the ground and guarantee of our faith. Thank you for your truth, and the certainty that you cannot lie and your word will never fail. Give me a heart to trust in you.

Call to Worship
Blessed are you, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And blessed is your Kingdom, both now and forever, amen.

Te Deum Laudamus 
You are God: we praise you; you are the Lord; we acclaim you; you are the eternal Father: All creation worships you. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you; Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin’s womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. We believe that you will come and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

Praise and Thanksgiving (songs and prayers)

Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, amen.

The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

*In the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, the term catholic refers to the Church’s universality, through all ages and times, of all languages and peoples. It refers to no particular tradition or denominational expression (e.g., as in Roman Catholic).

Prayers of Confession
Let us now confess our sins to God and receive mercy and grace to help in our time of need.

Assurance of Pardon
Having faithfully confessed and renounced your sin, Christ also has been faithful to forgive your sins and to purify you from all unrighteousness. It is certain, that there is One who has spoken to the Father in your defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and for the sins of the whole world. His grace and peace are with you now. Amen.

Petitions and Supplications, Ending with The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

~ Matthew 6.9-13 (KJV)

Doxology (and/or closing song)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Benediction 
God Almighty, Lord God Most High, thank you for your covenant faithfulness. You alone are the righteous God, a God of truth and without iniquity. Your promises to Abraham and to David are the foundation of our faith. You are the God who cannot lie, who speaks truth in all you say and acts truly in all you do. Let my life reflect my faith in your heart of integrity, your faithfulness to honor your word to your own. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Pray without Ceasing – Flash Prayer for the Day
As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, God will be faithful to his word.

Weekly Reflection on the Sovereign Love of God
My sincere prayer is that you would allow the Story of God in Christ to transform every dimension of your spiritual life, as you reaffirm it in your theology, rediscover its telling in your worship, retrieve it in your spiritual formation, and retell it in your outreach. The Story of God in Christ, told in the canonical Scriptures and defended in the Church, is the great drama that provides, as Webber suggests, a “counter-imagination” of the world. It is this drama that we live by, that we recite and re-enact, telling every day, every week the tale of divine love and rescue. The Father has authored salvation for us all, accomplished it in his Son, and made it effectual by his Spirit, forming a people who await its final completion.

~ Don L. Davis, Sacred Roots: A Primer on the Great Tradition.
Wichita: TUMI Press, 2010. Loc. 1998, Kindle.

Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
Christus Victor: Recapitulation: Christ in the OT, John 5.39

Book Reading
Webber, Common Roots

Our Corporate Disciplines
Book Discussion: Wednesday, July 7, 2021