Scripture
– NIV
Psalm
19:7-14 –
The
law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The
statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The
precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The
commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The
fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The
decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.
They
are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they
are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
By
them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
But
who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep
your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then
I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
May
these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your
sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
1
Corinthians 1:22-25 –
Jews
demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a
stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has
called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God
is stronger than human strength.
Bob’s
thoughts:
We
were happy to be here for worship, to wish the pastor happy birthday, and to
see the newly installed tile floor. I thought the acoustics would be harmed but
the sound was pleasing.
A
draped cross is displayed on the rear wall of the stage and on the Communion
table.
I was
pleasantly surprised with how many greeted us and one nearby who thanked me for
my service. She told us her father is a Marine veteran of Iwo Jima.
In
his message, Pastor Dan told about going to minister at a prison and being
harassed by the guards until he heard the laughter from the guards who
worshiped at his church who had set him up.
We
had worshiped at a church where they spoke of prison ministry, and I shared how
I didn’t think I could do that. That Monday morning, I got a call from a
waitress to whom I had been ministering that she was in jail. That was when I
heard God laugh.
I was
interviewing for a job as the head of maintenance at a penitentiary. The warden
wanted to know if I could interact with inmates without trying to witness to
them. I guess the cross and other items on my lapel made him wary. I was a new
believer and on fire for Christ. I didn’t get the job, but I did witness to the
warden. I was so sure when I prayed that this was the job God had for me, so I
was disappointed. Not long afterwards, the head of maintenance was blamed for
inmates having power tools they used to break out.
Today’s
message for me, “You are not called to be successful, just faithful.” I have
been well paid and I have been without work…I don’t know which is better, but I
can testify that we were always taken care of.
I
enjoyed the praise band, especially the female lead with her solo.
I was
glad the elements were offered verbally and juice was used. Many recent suppers
used wine and I abstain. I didn’t realize how much I missed being able to
partake of both elements.
Jan’s
thoughts:
It
is always a joy to visit this church, to see old friends and make new ones.
Today we got to do both, in addition to seeing the new floor in fellowship hall
and wishing the pastor happy birthday.
The
music was excellent, as always, and we were greeted warmly. We felt blessed to
partake in Communion.
The
message, entitled Divine Tension, was, for me, a timely reminder that we all
have strain in our lives, and that what God wants from me is not so much of a
mystery as it sometimes seems.
After
mentioning a couple of anxiety-inducing real-life situations, Dan referred to
the Jews and Greeks and what each required in order to believe in God. And
God’s response to both was Christ crucified. Dan stated that worldly eyes saw
only failure and humiliation, but Christ was the power and wisdom of God.
He
stated that we are not called to be successful, only faithful. And that is the
tension: to be faithful in God’s eyes or successful in the eyes of the world.
I
believe it’s a choice we are all called to make daily.
Our
prayer for this church:
Lord,
we pray for Your Presence with this congregation as they begin the search for a
new pastor next year. Guide them to the person whom You have chosen. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment