Life Together: The Practice of Gathered Worship

Passage: Psalm 95 Guide for Group Discussion or Personal Reflection Sermon Summary Humans are hard-wired to worship. While church membership may be in decline, our God-given instinct to worship is not. Today, however, people often look “horizontally” (to created things) for ultimate worth and value, rather than looking “vertically” towards God. Psalm 95 is a…

Build Your Kingdom Here: The Unshakeable Kingdom

Passage: Haggai 2:20-23 Guide for Group Discussion or Personal Reflection Sermon Summary The pressing question at the close of Haggai is a question of worship: “Is the God of the temple worth worshipping? What kind of power does he have, after all?” Zerubbabel, the Governor of Judah, was likely wondering this. By all appearances, God…

One Day: “God Desires True Worship”

Passage: Amos 5:18-27 Guide for Group Discussion or Personal Reflection Sermon Summary It is possible to have a faith that appears vibrant, but in reality, is empty and decaying. Amos reawakens us to this possibility, lamenting our false worship and teaching us what true worship entails. First, true worship begins with offering ourselves to God….

Committed Worship

Worship Director Brittany Casey shares a challenging perspective on the link between worship and commitment. Each Sunday as we gather to worship together, how do you think of that time? Perhaps as refocusing our hearts on God, maybe as an outpouring of thankfulness and joy in response to the good news of the gospel. But do…

Give us Your Heart

Director of Worship Ministries Brittany Casey reflects on why “Give us your heart” was such an appropriate song for us to sing as a church on Vision Sunday Video – Give Us Your Heart Make us like you Lord This past Sunday we prayerfully took our goals and vision to the Lord during a special…

Nothing is Hidden

Steve Dagley shares the inspiration behind his song “Nothing is Hidden” based on Psalm 139. Songs from the heart Over the years, I’ve had a few opportunities to write songs for our church services, and the process turned out to be one of the best ways for me to study scripture. It required me to dwell on…

Lent Series: Corporate Worship

The Lenten Season gives us opportunity to reflect on who Christ is and examine our hearts as we prepare for Easter. During Lent, many practice fasting, self-denial, or increased acts of service. It is a time to repent of our sin and receive forgiveness. The ultimate goal is heart transformation – as we enter into…

A Parting Gift to NSCBC

When I first started as the worship team leader at NSCBC, my immediate goal was to modernize the songs that we sing on Sunday morning. I moved slowly, introducing one song each month and phasing out the older ones that had lost some life. I continued this practice for years, introducing one new song each…

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