WORSHIP
Easter People Proclaim. Worship: April 28, 2024
Image from freepik: by frimufilms
When Jesus uses the image of the vine and speaks of vineyards, He is choosing something very familiar to His hearers. Viticulture is well known around the world. More than eighteen million acres worldwide is used for growing grapes—from Panama to Tajikistan to Zimbabwe! Today, the cultivation of vineyards is still an important agricultural component in both Israel and the Jordan, lands where Jesus walked and taught. Life in the vineyard is vital! As branches grafted to the Vine that is Christ, we are vitalized by His power. As we worship, God’s life-supporting power infuses us! It is time to continue growing!
He Cares. Worship: April 21, 2024
One of the small but interesting features of many cathedral and monastery churches in Europe and other places is presence of misericords. A misericord is a small wooden shelf attached to the underside of a folding seat in a church, often in the choir area. Misericords physically supported people at worship during long periods of standing during extended prayer and other services when sitting was not permitted. The term “misericord” means “pity of the heart.” That word is part of the church phrase Misericordia Domini, a Latin term for describing the acts of mercy of God to His people. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, constantly and consistently shows acts of mercy to us as His people. His care comes straight from the heart!
More Amazing Than a Miracle. Worship: April 14, 2024
“Amazing” is a commonly used word in the English that has a rich history. It came into common usage in the 14th century as a variant of the older root word “amasod,” which meant stupefied or confounded or overwhelmed with sudden surprise or wonder. The word “amazing” shows up several times in hymns that we sing—from describing the action of God in the birth of Jesus as “love amazing” to bringing to our hearts and minds that in His suffering to pay the price of our sins, our Lord showed “amazing pity”. Two other hymns refer to the “amazing grace” of God, and in another hymn, the author of the text rejoices that God “has done amazing things to me”. The season of Easter is a time for us to be truly amazed and filled with the praise of our amazing Lord!
Reacting to the Unbelievable. Worship: April 7, 2024
When Thomas finally met Jesus, alive again after Easter, he went from demanding proof to a personal confession of faith, “My Lord and my God.” It would have been a different story had the news been false. The rest of the Jerusalem congregation truly exhibited Easter faith when they became a welcoming community, one that shared with newcomers whatever they needed. The news was unbelievable, but so were the responses—in word and deed as faith saw the freeing truth: we need fear nothing, not even death. We have heard the news as well. How shall we respond?
Easter Sunday: Says Who? Worship: March 31, 2024
When Isaiah wrote about God’s plans in terms of a feast, people may have wondered, “Says who?” The prophecy wasn’t clear, and the resurrection of Jesus was still centuries in the future. If the women at the tomb decided to tell someone later, they might not have been believed. But today’s Epistle includes a list of those who did hear and see Jesus Himself, including Paul, who had persecuted the church. We are here because untold millions of our brothers and sisters heard God’s Word, came to faith, and couldn’t keep the news to themselves. Who told you? Whom will you tell? And if anyone asks, “Says who?” invite them to join us in worship to hear for themselves.
PALM SUNDAY. A Glorious Death. Worship: March 24, 2024
The death of Jesus on the cross is not cause for continued sorrow or ongoing relief. As the Epistle points out, our Lord’s giving of Himself for our sin makes His a glorious death. It causes “every tongue [to] confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11). How do we do that? First, our Lord’s death draws us to Him, where we find forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Then, each day we are given opportunity to die to sin ourselves and to receive Christ’s forgiveness. It is an ongoing process that involves interacting with the people around us, with whom we share Christ’s invitation to heaven itself. We sing “Hosanna,” which means “save us.” Because of the cross, we are confident that we have been saved already.
FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT. Service and Sacrifice. Worship: March 17, 2024
Today’s Epistle speaks of Jesus, our High Priest. High priests are called to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people as well as themselves. Jesus is a different sort of high priest who offers Himself as sacrifice, once for all, that we might be forgiven and granted eternal salvation. In the Gospel, Jesus proclaims that He came not to be served, but to serve. He came to offer His life as a ransom for us. As we follow Jesus, we are called to reflect His actions and attitude of service and sacrifice. May we likewise go to serve and sacrifice for others.
FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. Eternal Life and Love. Worship: March 10, 2024
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We hear today of eternal life that is given to us because of God’s great love for us, shown to us in perhaps the most famous Bible verse, John 3:16. This verse speaks of God’s genuine love for us and the world shown in Jesus’ death on the cross for us. The love of God never ends. God’s love is present here and now and extends into eternal life as eternal love. May we be so encouraged by God’s love to share it with others. Thanks be to God for such love!
THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. Christ Crucified Worship: March 3, 2024
We focus our attention on Christ crucified. The apostle Paul tells us that this is a stumbling block and foolishness to some people. Yet Paul also reminds us that for us who are being saved, Christ crucified is the power and wisdom of God. We may face people in our lives who view us as foolish. God, in His wisdom, sent Jesus to die for you.
From Suffering to Hope. Worship: February 25, 2024
Today we hear the apostle Paul proclaim something rather odd: that we can rejoice in our sufferings. Paul says this because—as he tells us—suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because our hope is in Jesus who died and is risen for us and our reconciliation and peace. That is something to rejoice in!