Hey all,
To help us out with the new rehearsal times, I wanted to share a service flow for the coming Sunday morning. It includes:
- The order of service
- The purpose behind each element
- Assignments for each participant
- Practice notes for each song
- Links to the arrangement we will use, or to a similar version on YouTube
Let me know if this is helpful to y’all as you prepare for Sunday.
Sunday’s Guiding Text
Revelation 19:5–9
This Sunday’s sermon explores the principles of marriage in Ephesians 5:22–33. Paul presents marriage as a profound mystery that reflects the relationship between Christ and His Church. Revelation 19 portrays heaven celebrating both the judgment of the rebellious nations and the coming consummation of Christ with His Bride, the Church. While the nations are clothed in corruption, the Bride of Christ is given “fine linen, bright and pure” to wear. This Sunday, we join in with the future celebration.
Service Flow
Call to Worship
Scripture reading: Pastor Dennis will welcome everyone and read the call to worship text, Revelation 19:5, followed by prayer.
Adoration
Song: All Creatures of Our God and King, with the “Holy, Holy, Holy” tag
- Purpose: As Scripture calls all people “both great and small” to praise God, we will praise Him for His mighty works in creation and for the truths of the gospel: Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ is coming again.
- Musical direction: Keep the song moving with an overdriven feel. Take care not to rush the builds between verses 2 and 3 or between verses 3 and 4.
- Ending: We will sing verse 4 of “Holy, Holy, Holy” a cappella.
Christ and His Bride
Scripture reading: Bethany will read Revelation 19:6–8.
Song: Before the Throne of God Above
- Purpose: As the Bride of Christ, clothed in fine linen and made righteous in Him, we will rejoice in the assurance we have before the Father’s throne. Our life is hidden in Christ indeed! (Colossians 3:3)
Song: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
- Transition and purpose: We will move directly into “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” singing of the defense we have in Christ—the One who judges the enemy, as Revelation 19 shows, and equips us with His gifts.
- Key and practice tool: The recording is in C major, but we will play it in B-flat major. If you have Google Chrome, I suggest using transpose.video to change the key of the YouTube video. The audio may sound funny, but the extension will let you play or sing along in the correct key. If you do not use Chrome, a site such as this pitch changer provides the same function. Because we are moving from C to B-flat, pitch the audio down two semitones.
- Musical direction: I will begin with the chorus, then return to the beginning and continue as written. The instrumentation is straightforward, but the verses do include several interesting chords. Please practice carefully. Build verse 3 into a full chorus. Begin verse 4 lightly, then grow at “Let goods and kindred go” and carry that momentum into two strong choruses at the end.
Closing Scripture and prayer: Ian will read Revelation 19:9 and pray as we prepare to hear the true words of God.
Sermon
Response
Invitation song: Jesus Paid It All
- Instrumentation: Vocalists and piano only
Closing: I will conclude the service with brief announcements and prayer.
I pray this is helpful to you all as you prepare. The idea is to give everyone an idea of the overarching direction of each service without going into too much detail. If this is helpful to y’all, I will try to make a point to send one out each week.
I love you all. Let us all be in prayerful preparation as we look to Sunday.
In Christ,
Mathew Hurst





