Getting Ready For Sunday: How To Prepare For The Third Sunday of Advent At Sojourn, 12-13-2009

This coming weekend at Sojourn Gathered we will celebrate another Baptism Sunday.  Believers will come forward at each campus to identify with Christ and His Church in baptism by immersion.  We love these times at Sojourn, and we look forward to baptizing the new believers together. As the baptismal candidate waits in the water, the presiding elder lifts up his right hand.  Then all Sojourners lift up their right hands and say aloud, “… in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”  It’s a great picture of family, welcoming the brother or sister into the fold.

Our next Baptism Sunday will be January 17.  Anyone ready to take that step can register online or at Sojourn Gathered, or email baptism@sojournchurch.com, until January 10.

This Sunday our pastor will also lead us into the Book of Amos.  In fact, one of the best ways you can prepare for this sermon is to read this coming Saturday devotional (the link won’t work until Saturday, 12-12-09).  You can do so in the printed devotional booklet if you kept the free one we passed out this past Sunday (as we do every Sunday).  Or, you can visit devo.sojournchurch.com, our Daily Devotional blog.  In fact it’s always a good idea to follow along in the blog if you don’t want to hold onto the physical devotional booklet.

Amos is often known as the “Prophet of Justice.”  In fact, Rebecca Elliott and I wrote “Let Justice Flow Like A River” based on Amos 5:24.  Amos prophecies judgment on God’s people because they permit (and even cause) injustice.  But he also prophecies a time of renewal and restoration, through the mercies of God.  This is what the original audience of Amos could look forward to — the first advent of the promised savior and king, Jesus Christ.  And this is what we look forward to in Advent season (as well as the other 11 months each year) — the second advent of Christ.

We’ll be singing the afore-mentioned “Let Justice Roll Like A River” as the very first song this Sunday.  You can practice along with a live recording of this song from a 2008 Sojourn worship service here.  We’ll also sing “Amen, Amen” together, from the Sojourn Advent Songs record.  You can hear the mp3 at sojournmusic.com.  And if you have our Over The Grave CD, you can also practice singing “Savior King,” the last song on that disc and the last song we’ll sing together this week.

Remember that singing is very important.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a good singer or a bad one.  Maybe God didn’t give you the skills and desire to lead worship, but He still commands all His people to sing for Him, just as He sings for us.  More on this at sojournmusic.com.

See you Sunday!