We're surely glad you joined us for ToGather.church! We hope our songs, prayers, Communion reflection, praises, and Scriptures bless and inspire you. (Find out more about ToGather.)

Opening with Praise:

As we begin, let's say the following words aloud, offering them as our anticipatory praise:

O hallelujah,
O praise his name,
Ten thousand years
Will just begin
my song of praise.

How can we rejoice with such confidence? We can do so because we belong to God. He claims us. We are his. He will never leave or forsake us! This is the focus of our ToGather worship today and is built upon our Verse of the Day, Isaiah 43:1:

But now, this is what the Lord says —
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine."

Let's rejoice in this truth with Selah, as they lead us in the joyful song of reassurance, "I Belong To Jesus (Oh Hallelujah)":

To think of belonging to anyone sounds burdensome and oppressive to many of us today. It smacks of the worst kind of slavery. Except in our case, as children of God, we were adopted at the high cost of the sacrifice of Jesus, our older brother, so belonging to God takes on an altogether different meaning.

God, our Abba Father, claims us as his beloved children. He loves us and has sacrificed to show us his love. He has chosen to lavish his blessings on us as he walks with us into the future.

As we journey through life, we are never alone — God works for our best good but always gives everyone the freedom to accept and reject his love. We, however, chose to accept God's adoption of us into his forever family. We find the promises of God in Isaiah 43:1-16 reassuring!

Focusing on the Scriptures:

To open our hearts to God's incredible promise for us in Phil's message from Isaiah 43:1, we will sing "Good and Loved" with Travis Greene and Seffany Gretzinger:

Phil's message is about God claiming us, knowing us, and holding us in his hands. Let's listen with open hearts:

Building on our ToGather message, an old hymn helps us confidently and quietly declare that God's love will never let us go. Because of our confidence in God's grip on us, we can rest secure in his abiding presence with us. Let's sing "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go" with Zoe Group:

Yes, we rest our hope in Jesus' completed work in the cross and empty tomb as we celebrate God's promise:

But now, this is what the Lord says —
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine."
(Isaiah 43:1)

Sharing The Lord's Supper:

God has chosen to lavish his blessings on us as he walks with us into the future.
The song "Resurrecting" by Elevation Worship powerful declares that

The fear that held us now gives way,
To him who is our peace.

Let's sing "Resurrecting," carefully noticing the powerful words and the repeated reminder of the victory we have in Jesus:

We remind each other of the truth of our victory in Jesus as we share in the Lord's Supper. This time of Communion reminds us of God's love for us in Jesus' death on the cross as well as God's victory for us in Jesus' resurrection.

Robert Reagan's Communion reflection focuses on both God's love for us and his victory for us in Jesus:

Closing with Prayer and Praise:

Our prayer of commitment is adapted from Titus 2:11-14:

Thank you, dear Father, for revealing your grace to us — a grace that offers salvation to all people. Because of your grace, we have learned to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions as we commit our hearts to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we wait for our blessed hope — the coming in glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus gave himself to redeem us from all wickedness and purify us for a people that are his very own. Because of Jesus' sacrifice for us, we are eager to do what is good.
Thank you for claiming us, being with us, and holding our future in your hands, dear Father. In Jesus' mighty name and through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, we praise you. Amen.

We close our ToGather worship with the song of praise, "Salvation Belongs To Our God," sung by the Zoe Group:

May those around us recognize our lives as praise to God!