Bishop Bruce R. Ough, preaching at the Reach event at Sioux Falls Embrace Church in October, 2018.

We are entering the season of pastoral transitions and time for clergy renewal and vacations. The need to have alternative plans for worship, besides the pastor preaching, is important to allow space for clergy leave, renewal, and transitions.

We are making some worship resources available to you. There will be several recorded sermons for use, as well as entire worship services. Here is a list of the resources that we know will be available and the date that you can plan to have access to each.

Camp and Retreat Ministries worship service: (honors camping and outdoor ministry, not summer 2020 camping programs). The scripture reading for the service is Luke 6: 12-16. Access the recorded worship service here.

Bishop Ough’s recorded sermon, titled “The Home of God.” The message focuses on Revelation 21:1-6: 21: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind. He will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples. God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” ⁵ Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look! I’m making all things new.” He also said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ Then he said to me, “All is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will freely give water from the life-giving spring. 
View and download the recorded message here.

Rev. Ben Ingebretson

Rev. Ben Ingebretson shares a message titled, "Where To Pitch Your Tent In a Pandemic." Ingebretson, the director of new church development, preaches on Galatians 5: 22-23: By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. Circumstances have a way of closing in on us at certain times in life, making us feel trapped or suffocated. In those times, God has given us a way to be lifted above the stuff life throws at us. Consider again the nine fruits of the Spirit. These qualities may be exactly what we need today.
View and download the message here. 

Rev Kris Mutzenberger shares a message titled, "Closer: Living Stone." The message centers on 1 Peter 2:4-10: Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built[a] into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone,a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him[b] will not be put to shame.” To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,”  and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
View and download the message here. 

Rev. Bob Ruedebusch

Rev. Bob Ruedebusch offers two recorded messages. The title of the first message is 
"Three Simple Questions: Who Are We Together?"  The message is based on Ephesians 4: 1-15: 
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he took many captive and gave gifts to his people." (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)  So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
View and download the message here. 

"Praying the Questions: Through Self Giving Love" is the title of the second message from Rev. Ruedebusch. The message centers on 1 Thessalonians 5: 12-22:  But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.  And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets,  but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.
View and download the message here. 

Rev. Kermit Culver will be recording a sermon series of three messages: The title of the series is, “Beginning Again—In the Middle of a Pandemic.”  Here are the titles and scripture for each of the messages:

• Message one: “The Hovering,” “The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” Genesis 1:2 
• Message two: "The Breath,"”“Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground.  He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” Genesis 2:7
• Message three: "The Choice,”“The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."  Genesis 2:15-17

These will be available on or before May 22.

Rev. Roger Spahr will record a sermon titled, “I Want to Live an Exceptional Life.” The scripture is: ^“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! ²⁵ All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24–25 (NLT).
This recorded sermon will be available on or before May 27.

Camp and Retreat Ministries worship service: (honors camping and outdoor ministry, not summer 2020 camping programs). The scripture reading for the service is Luke 6: 12-16. Access the recorded worship service here.

Discipleship Ministries has developed resources, including a virtual choir, three-week series “Chosen & Precious.”  Resources included are: order of worship, preaching notes, music suggestions, youth lessons, children’s lesson, and graphics. Access resources here.

We will continue to gather resources and inform you about additional worship resources as they become available.