Hebrews
10:23-25
Let
us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but
encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
We
seem to spend more time at hospitals now which is expected as we age, but it
seems most of the visits are for our children. We sat and listened to some
sermons online.
The
premise of a good sermon (or any message) often seems to be to repeat the main
thought a few times to get it to sink in, but I have noticed how much harder it
is to follow the repeats when the core message is a good one. Maybe I take it
to heart more quickly and it loses power in retelling.
I wonder
how the Abe Lincoln/Gettysburg Address approach would work with a power sermon,
one shorter message followed, for example, by an extended personal prayer time
or small group discussion time among members of the congregation.
It
was great to have time to reflect and pray about the message we just heard and
look to Christ as to how to apply it in our lives.
We
are greeted at times by someone who is very knowledgeable about their church.
They often go into lengthy discourse on their history and that of the church,
and most times this is very interesting and helpful. However if the visitor has
a question or needs to find the restroom, the history lesson can be lost. It is
good to identify yourself as knowledgeable on the church (“I’ve been a member
for X number of years.”) but you need to discern if the visitor is looking for
that much information. If you can get the guest to talk about themselves, you
can connect them to people with similar interests. They may talk shop, but it
gets them talking and provides a connection to the church.
After
spending most of this weekend at the hospital with our daughter, we listened to
sermons online today.
In
spite of being exhausted, I missed being part of a worship service. It’s odd to
think that this is how my life was before I returned to church: Sunday mornings
unconcerned about the time or what I would wear or any responsibilities I might
have before, during, or after the hour. Having virtually all of Sunday free.
But
then Jesus called and my life has not been the same since, thank God. It was
when I was deep in despair that He came for me. He rescued me, pulled me out of
the pit and changed my life. He transformed me into a completely new person (2
Corinthians 5:17). He saved me.
I
hope with all my heart that you know Him too, because He knows you and loves
you.
Heavenly Father, we pray that as You speak to us in the messages we hear we will take Your word to heart and apply Your truths in our lives and our service to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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