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Worship Ministry - December 2023

Names of God: Giver

God gives His Son
It’s Christmas time! A wonderful and stressful time of year, when we are all busy with gatherings and filled with worry about what gifts to give our loved ones. It is also that time of year when you are reminded about the “true” reason to celebrate and the great gift that was Jesus Christ! Even though this message can become routine and mundane year after year, this truth is why we rejoice. The remembrance that Jesus Christ came to earth, in the form of man, to save us from our sins should cause us to celebrate.

Giver
We see time and time again, throughout scripture, God giving His people what they need. Whether it was guiding them through the desert, giving strength to the weak, or food to the hungry, God provided and was the sustainer of life. Be encouraged by the Word of God:

• God gives life:
• Job 33:4 - The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
• John 3:36 - For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
• God gives wisdom:
• James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and
  without reproach, and it will be given to him.
• Psalm 119:169 - Let my cry come before You, O LORD; Give me understanding according to Your word.
• God gives rest:
• 1 Samuel 17:47 - Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’S, and He will give you into our hands.
• Deuteronomy 23:14 - For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you.

• God gives Jesus:
• John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
  perish but have everlasting life.

• Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

As we give this holiday season, to the ones we love and to those in need, I hope that we will reflect all the abundance of gifts God has poured on us. Go before Him with thankful hearts, knowing that He has made a way for eternal life through Jesus Christ, the greatest gift.

Love you and mean it!

Lyric of the Month
Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing

Isaiah 7:14 ESV
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Worship Ministry - November 2023

Names of God: Creator
God is BIG

When you take a moment to think about God, who He is, and what He’s done, you can quickly become overwhelmed. God is a big God, who is mighty, a protector, a healer, a king, and a creator. It is, however, comforting to know that God is bigger than we can even fathom, greater than anything we can even imagine. This should excite us, that the
strongest person we know or could dream up in our heads; is weak compared to the strength of our God. The wisest person, the one we go to when life gets messy, God is more wise. Praise be to God, for He is beyond compare.

Creator
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
The first name or attribute of God we learn is that He is the “creator.” Out of nothing, God formed all things and without Him, nothing would have been made (John 1:3). With His breath and words He said “Let there be light and there was light.” One moment there was nothing, void of anything and only darkness, and then with one breath of life God began everything that we see today. All things formed from the mind of God and for His glory.

God didn’t create, especially you and I, without thought or care, but rather He knows every detail. In Psalm 139:14-15, the psalmist praises God for forming him and uses the words “intricately woven” to describe how God brought him into the world. Just like the psalmist, you and I aren’t an afterthought or a meaningless byproduct of the creative activities of God, but a creation He takes great care in forming. Why? That is a question that is hard for humanity to wrap its thoughts around.

Why would a God so powerful, the One in which all the universe was formed, care so much about me? Who am I to deserve even one thought from God, let alone His time and care to be “intricately woven” by Him? Even though it is hard for us to completely understand, humanity is God's most precious creation. One commentator wrote it like this:
“The universe He spoke into existence, but when it came to His children, He got more involved, more intimate. And so, He wove us together before anyone else even knew we existed. We are wonderfully made.” 

God, however, isn’t finished creating and David knew that when he wrote Psalm 51. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) David understood that God not only was the beginning of creation but also that God is always the source of creation in us. David cried out to God to create “a clean heart” and to “renew” him. That should be our daily cry to the creator of all life, that God would renew our hearts and minds so that we may glorify Him in all things. God, You are rich in mercy, may You continue to create us in Your imagine for the world to see!

Love you and mean it!

 Lyric of the Month
This is my Father's world:
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.

Isaiah 40:28
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.