pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: worship


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Defining Jesus

In Matthew 21, the religious leaders want to know where Jesus gets his authority.  He hasn’t been through the hoops, He isn’t one of them.  But is important to know why they are asking the question.

Just the day before Jesus came into Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna!” and the city was full of excitement.  He proceeded to the temple and drove out all the sellers and money changers.  Then the blind and the lame came to Him and He healed them.  Normally to be healed or cleansed of sins – commonly thought to be the reason one was blind, lame and so on – one had to buy sacrifices and bring them to the priests so that they could perform the rituals.  But Jesus had driven out the sellers.  His touch was free.  Not only was Jesus not one of them, He was operating counter to their rules and was disrupting their economic system.  They wanted to trap Him and be rid of Him.

Sometimes we too struggles with these issues.  We question whether or not Jesus leads, for often we want to be the ones in control.  We question whether of not we (or sometimes it is another) are worthy of Jesus’ love or forgiveness or… but we are all worthy because it is a free gift.  We do nothing to earn grace, mercy, love, forgiveness.  Sometimes we try to trap Jesus too, seeking to have our will done instead of His.

May we come to see what the religious leaders could not – that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth.  And may we come to do what they could not – to truly worship Him as Lord and King.

Scripture reference: Matthew 21: 23-27


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Sing a Song!

As the sea closed in and the waters settles back down, the Israelites sang a song of thanks to God.  As a community, they worshipped God.  Song has a way of uniting us too. At a gathering, there are certain songs we all know and these songs draw us together.

Song also carries along our history or common story.  Songs are sung over and over as a way to remember.  Songs can also bring us back to another time or place – this song reminds you of your wedding or that song reminds you of Christmas or Easter.  Music is a reminder of who we are and brings us back into community.

Songs are also connectors.  Songs connect us to God as we lift our praises to Him.  One can just get lost in a song and find oneself in God’s presence.  Song also connects us to the people we are physically present with in worship.  It binds us young and old, rich and poor, into a people gathered as one.  When we worship and sing together, God is present.

Scripture reference: Exodus 15: 1-11b and 20-21


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Jump All In

New can sometimes be scary.  But new can sometimes be exciting too!  And often it can be a mix of the two. Our attitude largely has to do with it being our choice (or not) but sometimes new just happens – like the start of a new school year.

In our worship we tend to like the tried and tested.  Whether you are a contemporary worshipper or a traditional worshipper you probably like the routine you are used to.  If you always sing out of the hymnal, then a song from a different source may seem odd.  But if you are used to the Praise Band bringing out new music on a regular basis, then you are comfortable with that.

No matter how we worship or the style we prefer, God is seeking for all of our being to be given in worship.  He is fully present and desires the same of us.  God wants to offer us all of His redeeming grace and transforming power.  By being fully engaged we step into the possibility of His offer.  Step into this and don’t be surprised if you experience God in a new way.  His “new” may be hearing the words of an old hymn in a fresh way or it may be in the words of a new praise song.  He may tough you in a new way during the message or in a time of prayer.  It may even be during the Lord’s prayer that you say every time.  Maybe it is in a personal way during communion.  Jump all in tonight or Sunday and see what God has for you!!

Scripture reference: Psalm 149: 1-4


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Being Good Soil

How good is our soil?  Are we receptive to the seeds God wants to sow into our faith?  When we are good soil, we hear the word of God and understand it.  As God’s roots take ahold of us, He becomes a part of all aspects of our lives.  We in turn come to bear fruit not only with our words but also with our actions and deeds.

As we seek to be sowers, we must be humble and submit to the yoke of Jesus Christ.  As we seek to build the kingdom we must acknowledge the fact that all we can do is sow.  We are utterly dependent upon God to make the seeds grow and for new life to spring forth.

When we accept God’s call upon our lives, we take up that yoke 24/7 by connecting to God through prayer, study, worship… to nurture our faith, to better understand the Word, and to better equip ourselves to be sowers of seeds of faith.  We have to first be good soil to sow into other’s lives.  Work your soil!

Scripture reference: Matthew 13: 18-23


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Jesus is My Hero

Human heroes come in different shapes and sizes.  Heroes are admired for various reasons.  A big fan of science may admire Louis Pasteur or a big fan of rock and roll might really admire the Beatles.  But in my opinion, although great ou in their fields, they fall short of ‘hero’ status.  To some a Mother Teresa or an Anne Frank may be a hero, but may just be admired by most people.  A soldier who gives his life to save his fellow soldiers is a hero to many, and certainly to his fellow soldiers, but may not be a hero to all.

What qualities are required of our heroes?  Is it loyalty, courage, dedication, perseverance?  Maybe it is these qualities in some cases, other intangibles in different situations.

Would you put Jesus in the ‘hero’ category for you personally?  Most Christians would look at the life and teachings of Jesus, culminating in his death on the cross to pay the price for all of our sins followed by his resurrection, and look at Jesus as a hero.  The depth of his love and the sacrifice he made is courageous, extraordinary, and amazing. Jesus is my hero.

Heroes are often people others emulate.  If Jesus is your hero too, how will we emulate him today?  He calls us to love the world as he first loved the world.  Sounds like a great place to start!  Happy loving today!!!