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Today's Music

Kingdom - Maverick City Music

Firm Foundation - Cody Carnes

The Hill - Travis Greene

Again I Say Rejoice - Israel Houghton

There Is A Peace - Harvest

Today's Liturgy

Call to Worship

When we were alone,

The Father adopted us.

When we were far off,

The Spirit brought us near.

When we were dwelling in darkness,

Christ became our light.

We come from different cultures, contexts, and continents, but God unites us into one people.

Therefore, with one voice we declare:

Thanks be to the Lord of Hosts who has put to death all hostility.

We worship Christ, the Lion and the Lamb, who overcame our sin by laying down his life only to pick it up

again on the third day never to die again.

Though our battle isn’t against flesh and blood, we are more than conquerors through Christ our King.

Confession

How long, O Lord? How long must we wake to news like this?

How long must children fear what should be safe?

How long until You make all things new?

How long, O Lord? How long?

[Silence]

Heavenly Father,

We grieve for the children lost in Minneapolis.

We bring before You the pain of parents, friends, and teachers as we remember that

You are close to the brokenhearted and save those who are crushed in spirit.

We mourn with those who mourn. We weep with those who weep.

O God, hear our cry. Lord, we confess our sorrow, our anger, our questions.

The darkness feels heavy, yet we cling to Your promise:

the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Christ, our light, shine in the shadows.

Christ, our hope, hold us fast.

[Silence]

Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Bring comfort, bring healing, bring peace.

Until that day, help us carry one another’s burdens and trust in Your unfailing love.

We trust in You, Lord.

Our hearts rejoice in Your salvation.

We will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to us.

–Inspired by Psalm 13

Assurance

Song: "The Hill"

Ephesian Pt. 4 - One New Humanity

Jamaal Williams

11 So, then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands.
12 At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh,
15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.
16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.
17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household,
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.
–Ephesians 2:11–22

In Christ, the wall is down, so live as one.

1. Remember Who You Were (vv. 11–12)

Without Christ – no Messiah, no Deliverer.
Without Citizenship & Covenant – outsiders, strangers to God’s promises.
Without Hope and Without God – alienated, second-class, outsiders in the family of faith.

2. Rejoice in What Christ Has Done (vv. 13–18)

He Himself is Our Peace – reconciliation is not a product but a Person.
The Dividing Wall Is Broken – Christ tore down barriers of hostility, both theological and sinful.
One New Humanity – not assimilation into one culture but Spirit-filled, Christ-defined unity with equal access to the Father.

3. Live as One New Humanity (vv. 19–22)

Citizens – equal dignity and standing in God’s kingdom.
Family – welcomed into God’s household as sons and daughters.
Temple – built together on Christ the Cornerstone, filled with the Spirit as God’s dwelling.

4. Application – How to Live as One New Humanity

Open Your Table – practice reconciliation through hospitality and friendship across differences (Acts 2:46).
Share the Leadership – reflect Christ’s new humanity by empowering diverse voices and cultures in the church (1 Cor. 12:21).
Pursue Justice Together – lament injustice and work for peace through mercy, humility, and action (Isa. 1:17; Mic. 6:8).