Getting Ready For Sunday: How To Prepare For Sojourn Gathered, July 4, 2010

This week at Sojourn Gathered we’ll conclude our series on Galatians.  Ironically, this conclusion falls on a day we celebrate freedom in the United States, Independence Day.  Galatians is all about freedom — the promise of gospel freedom, won by the blood of Christ on the cross.

• Freedom from the Law
• Freedom from the sins of the flesh
• Freedom from those who try to enslave us to their own list of do’s and don’ts

In fact it doesn’t get any plainer than Galatians 5:1:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

After clarifying this, Paul ends his epistle to the Galatians by teaching us to walk in the Spirit and to bear each other’s burdens.  Then he makes his final appeal to turn from those who would enslave us to the Law, rather than to the true gospel formula:

Jesus + nothing = all we need

Songs we’ll sing together this Sunday include:

• “We Are Changed” a Sojourn original from our Over The Grave album (hear a preview of “We Are Changed” at Last.fm)
• “Living Faith,” also from Over The Grave (hear a preview at Last.fm) We’ll sing this before the Call To Worship.
• Sovereign Grace O’er Sin Abounding (hear a preview by Sandra McCracken at Last.fm)

See you Sunday.  Until then, reflect on this Call To Worship, which we’ll hear and read together at the start of the service:

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.  Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though some one might be willing to die for someone who is especially good.  But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to for us while we were still sinners.  And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s judgment.”

Romans 5:6-9