Setlist - 11 Oct 2015
Sunday morning at Kings

Tags: freshers

The first Sunday of the academic year, so a full room and lots of new people at the meeting.

We always take this Sunday as an opportunity to exemplify the things that we hold central to our meeting together. In sung worship, that means holding together elements of evangelical, charismatic and congregational worshipping traditions, and a thematic centre of the glory of God, the gospel of Christ, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Over the course of the opening block I narrated the gospel story through songs and exhortation. We emphasised that God is worthy of our praise, that we are all desperately in need of grace, that God has utterly provided for us in Christ, and that we are now free to respond in thanksgiving and lives of worship.

We added 'Speak, O Lord' as an extra song after the Bible readings before the sermon to emphasise the importance that we place on Scripture. In the midst of much seriousness, I gave my cue for the second verse a little early and the congregation launched in two bars sooner than I had planned. One of those moments of amusing awkwardness, particularly as I had to say "wait for it" as we got to the third verse.

Mark spoke on election in Romans 9. A very heavy subject for the first sermon of term, but with plenty of gospel. The whole room affirmed the amazing truths in 'Before the throne', and we had a number of good contributions before we closed.

I'm leading again this evening so the day definitely feels only half done.

A good start.