In today’s blogpost, I hope to define and describe the importance of the Call To Worship and why your Pastors view it as a key moment when we gather on Sundays.

First, it’s a call.  Meaning we are summoned by God to do something.  

In the big picture, God called us to worship Him when He graciously saved us.  The weekly call to worship (CTW) is first and foremost a reminder that God, in Christ, called us out of this world by saving us through the blood of Christ and to a life of worship!

It’s also a weekly reminder that coming together isn’t our initiative.  We love God because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19) God initiated in all of our lives.  We wouldn’t be meeting with the people in our local Church apart from God’s initiative. Our gathering on any given Sunday would not happen apart from the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ being applied in our lives. 

Let’s not forget the practical reasons.  The CTW begins our Sunday meeting. We stand for this, we close the Church doors and don’t allow any traffic in and out for a few minutes. Why? We’ve come together for a glorious purpose.  A time we intentionally gather to worship Him.

As exiles in this world (1 Peter 2:11), we need the CTW to wake us up to eternal realities that God is worthy of our attention and we are called together to exalt Him. The CTW not only is wake up call but a time to re-focus attention away from earthly pursuits – comfort, ease, the pursuit of money, the idolatry of relationships and the endless pursuit of self, etc.

Second, it’s a call to something.  To worship as the people of God. To be a part of what’s happening in heaven. (Hebrews 12:18-24)

CTW is a response to God’s call on our lives so we always begin with God’s Word. We want to be clear in our Sunday time of gathering that it’s about God and not us.  Nothing speaks louder to this reality than beginning with His Word. Nothing awakens us to worship the sovereign God like reading from His Word.  

The object of our worship is Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh and the One who dwelt among us and gave His life for the Church. He is the target, the focus of our worship. The CTW is that key moment in our Sunday gathering where we transition from a focus on all other things to what matters most. 

Think of it like this – the CTW is that moment each Sunday where we look into the mirror and are freshly awakened to the reality that my life, my story had been folded into the greatest story ever, the story that a Holy God making it possible for people like me to boldly come to Him and worship. God has called me out of this world and into His sovereign plan along with others who have been folded into his story too. Together we aren’t doing something man made but simply joining the heavenly throng already worshipping the King.

Child dedications. What are they? Should the church have them? Should I dedicate my child on Sunday morning? These are good questions. As Christians, we should never do something because it is what we have always done or everyone else is doing it.

 Some churches baptize infants, otherwise known as paedobaptism. We do not baptize infants because we believe Scripture teaches baptism is for believers (Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:11-14). This conviction is captured in our Statement of Faith:

Baptism is an initiatory, unrepeated sacrament for those who come to faith in Christ that pictures their remissions of sins and union with Christ in his death and resurrection.

So does the Bible say anything about baby dedications? Nowhere does Scripture command parents to dedicate their child to the Lord. That said, there are examples, specifically, Hannah vowing to dedicate her child to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:11) and Joseph and Mary taking Jesus to the Temple to be dedicated (Luke 2:22).

Scripture is clear on the parent's God-given call to teach their children diligently in the ways of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:6-7), train them up in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6), and bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Dedicating your child is not an act of salvation, baptism, or church membership. It is a symbolic way to communicate the Spirit-empowered intent to raise the child in a Christ-centered home according to Scripture.

In this way, child dedication is less about the child and more about the parents acknowledging their child is a gift from the Lord entrusted to them to raise for His glory with the hope that he or she will come to faith in Jesus one day. 

As for the rest of the church, through this encouraging tradition, we commit as a local family of faith to stand in prayer and support for the parents and their child.   

If you would like to participate in the child dedication on Mother’s Day, May 9th, please click here to register your child, and someone will contact you. 

In 2 Corinthians 8-9, we find the Apostle Paul spurring on the church in Corinth to participate in a sacrificial offering for the suffering saints in Jerusalem. After pointing out the grace-filled example of the Macedonian churches (2 Corinthians 8:1-15), Paul encourages the Corinthians saying:

The point is this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work—2 Corinthians 9:6-8

What are the marks of God-glorifying NT giving? According to Paul, generosity, intentionality, cheerfulness (joy), and faith. Of course, none of those characteristics matter if they are not ultimately rooted in Paul’s final words to them:

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!—2 Corinthians 9:15

God-exalting giving begins here—God has given us life, hope, and joy in Jesus Christ. We don’t give to get grace. We give because we have received grace abundantly. Or, in the words of Randy Alcorn, “As thunder follows lightning, giving follows grace.”

This means giving is worship.

As much as praying, singing, and serving is worship, gospel-motivated giving is worship because it’s a response of the heart to God’s gift of salvation in Christ. That’s what the April offering is about: WORSHIP. God-exalting praise with our pocketbooks.

As you prepare to give this Sunday, we pray your heart is overflowing with gratitude for Jesus Christ. We pray you give generously because you have received generously. We pray your heart is filled with faith and joy as you are intentional about what you give to advance the name of Jesus here in Tucson and Santa Cruz, Bolivia.  We pray you give with the words of Paul echoing in your soul—Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

 As you prepare your heart to give this Sunday, here are a few practical instructions to prepare you:

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You can give in person on Sunday, via text, or on the church website HERE.

HOW TO GIVE:

• By check, writing “April Offering” in the memo

• By text to 84321 with the amount and fund tag (Ex. $25 2021apriloffering)

• Online, selecting “2021 April offering” from the drop-down menu

• With cash put in a giving envelope marked with “2021 April Offering”

However and whatever you choose to give, we thank you. But above all—Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

C.J. Mahaney once said, “Sunday is the best day of the week because we celebrate the risen Christ of the cross in the local church, the dearest place on earth.” Now imagine getting to be there during the week too! Getting to be “behind the scenes” on all the ins and outs of church life and ministry. This is the privilege of the church office administrator.

By God’s grace, I personally have had the privilege of serving as the office admin for several years. It is a ministry that has given me the greatest joy and has humbled me in so many ways. It has stirred a deep love for my fellow believers and given me a unique appreciation for our pastors. Though practical on many levels, it is more than a job. It is ultimately a ministry of love and service to Christ’s beloved body. And, on May 1st, we have the privilege of handing this ministry to someone new – Cierra Wilkins!

If you don’t know Cierra, she moved to Tucson five and a half years ago and became a member of Sovereign Grace shortly after. She and her husband Alex and son Nolan love this city, its food, and its people! Cierra has worked for StateFarm for several years and has served this church in multiple capacities including the GRACEkids and SG Youth teams. She is known for serving with excellence, kindness, humility, and an infectious smile! 

Below is a note from her sharing with us her personal excitement for taking on this role:

“I feel very privileged and excited for this opportunity to use my gifts and skills to serve my local church in this capacity. What a joy it will be to have the ability to give more time and energy to serving the Lord and His people. I’ve loved growing alongside my fellow church members for the last five and a half years. You have all been an example of Christ’s love in the way you have cared for my family and others. Each week I eagerly look forward to the gospel-centered teachings and fellowship on both Sunday mornings and in community groups because I’m always encouraged to have Christ at the forefront of my mind. My local church has become the dearest place on earth and I’m filled with joy thinking of the years to come.”

We are so thankful for Cierra and the capability, joy, and love that she will bring to this job! We look forward to the years to come too!

Every April, we express our faith and unity as a church by giving above and beyond our regular tithes. This annual offering supplements our current budget and positions us to participate in ministry opportunities, not in our budget. As an expression of our gospel partnership, this year, we hope to bless our new church plant in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, with a generous financial gift that will help them advance the gospel of Jesus Christ 4700 miles south of us.

Church planting is a big part of our missiology both as a local church and global union of churches. As a local church, we have had the privilege of partnering with church plants in Santa Ana, CA, and Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in very tangible and meaningful ways.

Of course, the Lord is using Sovereign Grace Churches to spread the gospel across the globe; from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to San Antonio, TX, people are coming to know Jesus as the gospel advances through new church plants in places like Prattville, Alabama. 

Please take a moment and watch the video below to see what God is doing through our new church plant in the heart of the Bible Belt. We hope it encourages you and builds your faith as you prayerfully consider giving toward our offering next month.  

One of the most powerful pictures of the transformational effects of the gospel is in Acts 2:42-47. Check it out and you will find people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and even geography, graciously brought into a new life together through the love and mercy of God in Christ Jesus. 

Much has changed two thousand years later. But for the Church, life together remains a mark of our identity in Christ. At Sovereign Grace Church, our life together is precious to us and life in April will be busy so please take a moment to check out our April together.

• April 2 - Good Friday Service, 7:00 pm

• April 4 - Easter Sunday Service, 10:00 am

• April 11 - Return to Live Streaming Sermon Only

• April 18 - Church Barbecue Following Service

• April 25 - Annual April Offering

As a local church, we have the privilege of being united in mission with churches around the globe. While there are numerous values and priorities we share, it is the truth of God’s Word that ultimately anchors our partnership with Sovereign Grace Churches. What we believe, what we cherish, and what we proclaim from God’s Word defines and directs us as a family of confessional local churches.

In light of this, we are excited about our new statement of faith. We are deeply grateful for the time and effort Jeff Purswell and the Sovereign Grace Theology Committee have taken to sharpen and clarify this document that represents the doctrine we believe to be essential to our convictions, conduct and testimony as both a local church and a family of churches.

As Director of Theology and Training for Sovereign Grace Churches, Jeff Purswell (MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the Dean of the Pastors College. He is the editor of Bible Doctrine (an abridgment of Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology), an editor and contributor to Scripture and the People of God: Essays in Honor of Wayne Grudem, and he contributed a chapter to Wordliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World. He serves on the board of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and is a pastor at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville. He and his wife, Julie, have two sons.

“I wish the pastor went a little deeper with that thought!”
“What was the verse he cited?”
“Did they announce…”
“I can’t remember that quote.” 

Sound familiar? I’m sure it does. Whether it is a thought that misses the final sermon cut, an announcement cut for time’s sake, or our memory just not cutting it, we can miss a lot on Sunday morning. 

Introducing The Cutting Board. (This blog!) From sermon notes to theological reflections to important announcements, The Cutting Board exists to keep you in the know, take you deeper into truth and show you Jesus in ways that are relevant to the life and people of Sovereign Grace Church. 

The best way to stay up to date is to check back here often! If you’re a member of our church you will also be receiving blog updates via email. Anyone else interested in receiving these updates can subscribe below or on our “what to expect” page here!

Once subscribed, look for “The Cutting Board” in your inbox. And don’t forget to check your spam folder!