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Getting Ready for Sunday - June 6
June 6
We
continue our study of Acts this week, and the Holy Spirit's work in
birthing the Church and causing it to spread from Jerusalem to the ends
of the earth. Peter addresses the crowds on the day of Pentecost with
these words, "God raised him (Jesus) from the dead, freeing him from the
agony of death, for it was impossible for death to keep its hold on
him.(Acts 2:24)" We see Peter preaching the power of the Resurrection
from the very beginning of the Church. We must carry on this legacy, in
our worship, our preaching, and our daily lives. If there is one thing
we know from human experience, it's that death is final, inevitable, and
powerful. Yet God's power is without limit. Death cannot hold him. The
grave cannot overwhelm him. What more do we need for strength and
comfort in our everyday battles than this truth? God is mighty and
powerful, and He is carrying out his plan to renew the world. As we
gather around the Lord's Supper table, let us be reminded that Jesus
gave this meal to us to show us that he would always feed and sustain
us. The power of his cross, and his love, gives us everything we need to
be his witnesses in the world.
SONGS:
I Sing the Mighty
Power of God (1715, Isaac Watts)- We will sing an "upbeat" version of
the classic hymn. This text extols God's power in creation. "He formed
the creatures with his Word, and then pronounced them good."
The
Power of the Cross (2005, Keith Getty & Stuart Townend) - God's
power is evident in creation, but it is specific and personal at the
cross. "Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live, won through
Your selfless love."
How Deep the Father's Love for
Us (1995, Stuart Townend) - The third verse admonishes us to focus on
God's power at work, not on our own strength: "I will not boast in
anything, no gifts, no power, no wisdom, but I will boast in Jesus
Christ - his death and resurrection."
We will close
with the hymn, "Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross." This closing hymn serves
to remind us where the power to live and love and serve comes from.
In
Him,
Patrick
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Getting Ready for Sunday by
This is where you will find posts about what to expect this coming Sunday morning at Long Green.
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