We’ll also observe the second Sunday of Advent 2012. For more about Advent, check out this article I wrote with Sojourn’s lead/founding Pastor Daniel Montgomery at The Gospel Coalition.

Songs we’ll sing at Sojourn Gathered include:

• O Come, O Come Emmanuel from our Advent Songs record. Listen here.
• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, from A Child Is Born. Listen here.
• Knocking At Your Door, from A Child Is Born. Listen here.
• A Voice Is Sounding, from A Child Is Born. Listen here.

A special note for our Saturday, 5pm attendees at Sojourn East: for this one Saturday only, you will meet at our J-Town campus building rather than the East campus building (this is only for the Saturday, Dec. 8 service — the Sunday, Dec. 9 services will meet at East). Sojourn J-Town is located at 11412 Taylorsville Road, 40299. You can see a Google map and get directions to any of our campuses, at any time, from the sojournchurch.com Locations And Service Times page.

See you there!

“Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”

From this passage we’ll learn a biblical theology of family. Prepare your hearts to receive this message.

We also hope to have CDs available of the new Sojourn worship album, Come Ye Sinners, which you’ll remember was recorded live at Memorial Auditorium on Good Friday of this year, with many of you present. Come Ye Sinners releases nationally next Tuesday the 20th, but we plan on having CDs for sale at the book table this Saturday and Sunday.

Songs we’ll sing at Sojourn Gathered include:

• Sing My Soul from the upcoming Come Ye Sinners album.
• O Help My Unbelief, also from Come Ye Sinners: Sojourn Music Live at Memorial Auditorium.
• Rock Of Ages. Hear our recorded version in full and learn about this great hymn here.

See you there!

Songs we’ll sing together include:

• Only Your Blood Is Enough from our Over The Grave album. Hear this song in full, here.
• Satisfied In You by The Sing Team of Mars Hill Church. See a video of “Satisfied In You” and read about it here.
• What Wondrous Love Is This? by the Mars Hill worship band Kenosis. Hear “What Wondrous Love Is This” and read an interview with Kenosis founder Joel Brown here.

See you Sunday.

Songs we’ll sing together include:

Bow, from our These Things I Remember album. You can listen to “Bow” in full here.

Psalm 51 from These Things I Remember. Listen in full here.

My Rock And My Redeemer from These Things I Remember. Hear it in full, here.

• My Maker And My King from our Before The Throne album. Listen to this song in full here.
• Let The Seventh Angel Sound from The Water And The Blood. Hear it in full, here.

See you Sunday.

This Sunday marks the final Sunday of Advent, 2011. Our songs and prayers will reflect the anticipation of those who were waiting for the promised Messiah over 2000 years ago, recognizing that we await His second coming.

Our pastor will preach from Genesis 11:1-9, the story of the Tower of Babel. Come prepared to learn about the futility of our attempts to climb to the heavens, and the ironic grace God showed when Jesus Christ came down to us.

Songs we’ll sing together include:

• Go Tell It On The Mountain, from A Child Is Born, here. Hear it in full and learn all about “Go Tell It On The Mountain” here.
• Amen, Amen. Hear it in full from our Advent Songs album, here.
• A City No Longer Forsaken. From The Mercy Seat EP. Hear “A City No Longer Forsaken” in full here.
• Knocking At Your Door. From A Child Is Born. Hear this Bill Mallonee song in full here.

See you Sunday.

This Sunday is the first day of Advent, the season of the Christian calendar in which we look back on the first coming of Christ and look forward to his second coming. We express our longing for things to be made right, for an end to suffering, sin and death. We express our hope in the Savior who has come and will come again. We celebrate the fact that Christ came in to a lowly manger and will return in clouds of glory.

Our pastor will continue teaching from the Genesis sermon series, with a theme this Sunday that is particularly poignant for Thanksgiving and the “holiday season” – a sermon called Family Lines. Our text will be Genesis 4:25-5:32, so read over it this weekend and come prepared to learn and grow together.

Songs we’ll sing this Sunday include:

• O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Hear it in full from our brand new Christmas album A Child Is Born, here.
• Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus. Hear it in full and read about this great Charles Wesley Advent song here.
• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, also from the new A Child Is Born. Hear Hark! The Herald Angels sing here.
• Let The Seventh Angel Sound. Hear it in full here, from our album The Water And The Blood.

See you Sunday.

Two of the classes offered will focus on the topic of personal investing, taught by Sojourn member, Ben Hoehler.  Ben is currently the Director of Investments for Gilliam, Mease, & Associates.  He has earned the professional designation of CRPC (Charted Retirement Planning Counselor), and is currently working towards attaining the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) certification.   Ben serves as a non-staff board member on Sojourn’s Finance Committee.  He is a native of Louisville, and resides in Old Louisville with his wife, Amy, and son, Martin.

Investing 101 – The Basics

What to expect:

• An introductory discussion on investing, account types, and some basic talk on issues to consider for first time investors.

Who should attend:

• Those that are seeking to start investing and wish to expand their knowledge of the major investment account types/options.

Investing 201 – How to allocate my 401k

What to expect:

• A moderately deep investment discussion centered around how to allocate your 401k wisely select mutual funds.

Who should attend:

• Those that have a general knowledge of investing and would like to take the next steps in building a portfolio.

Do you think of the Bible as a collection of sayings, laws or teachings more so than one unified story? Do you want more clarity in how to read and see the Bible as God’s grand story, and how to see yourself in that story?

Sojourn is launching five-week discipleship course which takes participants through the story line of Scripture. We’ll meet these Sundays, at the Midtown Campus:

• Oct. 16
• Oct. 23
• Oct. 30
• Nov. 6
• Nov. 13

You can attend on each of those dates at either 11:15 a.m. — 12:15 p.m. or from 5 – 6 p.m.

I spoke with class leader Todd Burrus about the format and direction of this class, if it would be a good fit even for unbelievers or those with little knowledge of the Bible and theological terms, and about the need to see the Bible as a narrative rather than a text book. Listen to our short interview through one of the options below:

You can listen directly here, or download this new interview for free from our Inside Sojourn podcast at one of the links below.

Get Inside Sojourn on iTunes Here

They’re also launching a J-Town Student Ministry in a couple weeks, so things are looking up all around. Big thumbs up to Pastor Lisle Drury, Worship Director Chad Watson and everyone at Sojourn J-Town.

This week is also the final sermon in our series, The Last Meal. Our pastors will preach on John 17:20-26, the conclusion of Jesus’ prayer in the upper room on the night he was betrayed. Read these few verses this weekend and come prepared to learn together at Sojourn Gathered.

I mentioned that our pastors will preach on this text, but during the morning services at Sojourn Midtown, Kevin Twit will preach. Kevin is a pastor at Reformed University Fellowship, and is the founder of Indelible Grace music. We sing many Indelible Grace songs in our services, like “Cling To The Crucified,” “Abide With Me” and “O Help My Unbelief.” In addition, Kevin is a good friend to Sojourn leaders, a brilliant scholar and a passionate worshiper.

Songs we’ll sing together at each campus include:

• Only Your Blood Is Enough from our Over The Grave album. Hear Only Your Blood Is Enough in full here.
• Before The Throne Of God Above from our Before The Throne album. Listen to it here.
• Give Reviving from Indelible Grace’s album Wake Thy Slumbering Children. Hear sound samples here.

See you Sunday.

Oh, and speaking of Kevin Twit, he’ll also give a free talk on the hymns of Anne Steele at Sojourn Midtown at 2pm Sunday, in the Listening Room. Details here.

Inside Sojourn podcast

I talked with long-time Sojourners Eric & Lorie Spann about some dramatic events of their Brazil mission trip earlier this summer, as well as their time at Sojourn and thoughts on the future as they prepare to leave the Sojourn community for South Carolina. Lorie has been a member and worship leader since the first year of Sojourn, and has served in Women’s and communications ministry, as well as serving as a community group leader. Eric has served as an intern in our Group Life and benevolence ministries, and played a big part in our East Campus being named last year’s Community Partner of the Year by the St. Matthews Area Business Association.

You can listen directly here, or download this new interview for free from our Inside Sojourn podcast at one of the links below.

Get Inside Sojourn on iTunes Here