Willow Creek Community Church holds to a core belief that people matter to God. They matter to us, too. With an understanding that Jesus Christ came to earth to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), But Jesus went beyond a mere rescue mission; he transformed lives. Jesus came to redeem this broken world, and it is on this core belief that Willow has built its mission statement: to turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Christ. Willow is committed to carrying on Christ's mission by reaching out to those who are far from God, coaching those who follow Christ by equipping them for their spiritual journey, and unleashing unprecedented levels of compassion and justice into our broken world. Weekend messages are a key component in reach out to others and encouraging and inspiring them along their spiritual journey.
New Testament Professor Dr. Gary Burge continues the midweek study of Psalms with a look at chapter 51.Gary writes, "Many have asked me about the origin of the public confession we used tonight. The confession comes from the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) which was first penned during the English Reformation in 1549 and came to the United States in the 18th century with the Church of England. Since then it has gone through a number of revisions to reflect the new centuries in which it is used. Many denominations have borrowed from the BCP over time so that its language is what shapes many of the worship liturgies you will hear today at weddings, funerals, etc. The version we used tonight is a revision done in 1979. This confession is from the Ash Wednesday liturgy that is always used along with Psalm 51."You can find it online at: http://www.bcponline.org/SpecialDays/ashwed.html.
