The Just Judge and Merciful King is here.

A call to worship.

Themes

Divine justice • Judgment and righteousness • Mercy • Grace • Redemption • The cross of Christ • Confession and humility • The vulnerable • Kingdom identity • Worship • Walking in truth • Resistance to fear • Unity • Worship

He is here. And we declare our trust in Him.

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Scripture reading

Psalm 9

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This call to worship¹ roots us in the unshakable justice and mercy of God. It calls us to remember who we are—not by our occupations or our pasts—but as Kingdom people shaped by the sacrifice of Jesus and the scandalous generosity of divine grace.

The Lord sits enthroned forever;
He has established 
His throne for justice,
and He will judge the world with justice;
and rule the nations with fairness.

The Lord is a stronghold—
a shelter—
for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know Your name 
trust in You,
for You, O Lord, do not abandon 
those who seek You.

Sing praises to the Lord, 
who sits enthroned!
Tell the world about 
His unforgettable deeds!

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Prayer

Father,  
You are holy. 
Your are just. 
You are righteous. 
You have collected all the data, 
all the information, 
not a shred of evidence 
has been missed. 
And You will execute judgement 
with justice. 

Father, 
Here we are again. 
Gathered. 
And humbled. 
Acknowledging that we fall short. 
And so we seek Your mercy. 
We know that Jesus was our sacrifice. 
That Your wrath was placed on Him. 
And our place was taken. 
And He was broken. 
And we have been healed. 

So, Father, 
We want to live justly. 
We want to live in Your righteousness. 
We want to walk in truth, 
and not in lies. 
Show us what we must get doing 
in Your kingdom 
to stand for those without a voice— 
the orphan, the widow, the stranger,
the poor, the sick. 
Direct our steps. 
And enable us to live 
in Your confidence 
and not in fear. 

Father, 
As Your agents of redemption 
and ambassadors of Your Kingdom, 
help us to rise up 
to help the oppressed, 
the hungry, the hurting, the hunted. 
Keep us from focusing 
on our own problems. 
Build up Your assembled people. 
Build us up in strength, 
and in truth, 
and in righteousness. 
And give us extra faith 
and extra wisdom
to stand against the lies of the enemy. 

Father, 
You have not abandoned us. 
In fact, we are gathered 
around Your own beloved Son, 
Jesus Christ, 
right now. 
He is here. 
And we declare our trust in Him, 
and that You are just, 
and that You are merciful, 
and that Your grace has been extended to us. 

And so now we sing, 
and praise You for Your mercy 
and Your compassion. 
It is clear that You love us 
and that Your mercy and grace 
is without restraint amongst us. 
We are Your Kingdom people, 
because You have been merciful, 
and that alone—
not because we have been 
mail carriers or executives, 
housewives or medical workers, 
forth graders or graduate students. 
Not because we are 
recovering alcoholics 
or worship leaders, 
white, black, asian, dutch or Italian, 
male or female. 
Not because we’re healthy 
or because we’ve been sick, 
or because we work in Christian radio
or in fast-food. 
We are here because 
Your grace is amazing, 
because Your love has no edges, 
because Your wrath for Sin 
met its match 
at a place called Calvary, 
because Jesus died for me. 

In His name we pray. 
In His name we now sing. 
In His name we speak Your unforgettable deeds,
Amen.

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Benediction

May God bless us 
with discomfort 
at easy answers, 
half-truths, 
and superficial relationships, 
so that we may live more deeply.

May God bless us 
with anger 
at injustice and oppression of people, 
so that we may work 
for kingdom justice, 
kingdom freedom, 
and kingdom peace.

May God bless us 
with tears to shed 
for those who suffer 
from pain, 
rejection, 
and hunger 
so that we may reach out our hands 
to comfort them 
and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless us 
with enough foolishness to believe 
that we can make a difference 
for the sake of God’s kingdom, 
so that we can do what others claim cannot be done, 
to bring justice and kindness 
to all our children 
and the poor.

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1. This call to worship was given to the small assembly of Christians that gathered in Pathway Church, Beaverdam, Michigan, on Sunday, May 9, 2021