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Worship Ministry - December 2022

Thankfulness
"Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1

For some, being thankful comes easily, and others find it difficult. Having a thankful spirit takes practice and patience, especially in a world in which the attitude of “more, more, more” is the norm. We are bombarded with personalized ads, telling us all the things in the world that will make us healthier, happier, and "handsomer." Every day, we are pressured to get the new thing, just so we can feel like we fit in with those around us.

“As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.” Psalm 17:15

Lord, may we be satisfied in you! Help us to rely on You for all that we need, and may You be all that we want.

We are in the season of thanksgiving and giving as we celebrate the holidays. It is easy for us to hang on for dear life as we go from one event to the next, buying all the presents, and eating all the food around us. My prayer for each of us this year is that we would remember for whom we should be thankful and who gave us the great gift ever. To help us do that this year, here are some ideas that will help us practice thankfulness:

1. Have your family write down things they are thankful for on little slips of paper. Place those in a bowl and pull one out each day so you can specifically thank the Lord for what He has done, and given to you.
2. As you wrap presents up, pray over each one for the person that will receive it. Pray that they will know the gift of Christ's salvation.
3. Set a reminder on your phone to take 5 minutes a day to sit quietly with the Lord. Silence and quiet will be in short supply during the holidays, so take time to be still in the Lord’s presence.
4. As you sit down for a meal this holiday season, specifically lift up those who are going without this year, and those that are hungry. Pray that God would give you an opportunity to help those in need.

Lyric of the Month
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord, unto me
faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Psalm 150:1-2
¹ Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! ² Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!

May the Lord fill us up with thankfulness this year!

Worship Ministry - November 2022

Evidence
At the beginning of this year, I got the dreaded (at least for most people) letter saying that I was summoned to jury duty. I was rather excited because I had never done it before, and it was a chance for me to put my law knowledge to use from all the true crime podcasts I have listened to. On the day of selection, I got there early, picked up my badge, and waited patiently for my name to be called, and it was. I was the last juror selected for the DUI case that was going to start in 20 minutes. As the evidence was laid out in front of us, as witnesses were called and questioned, and testimony was heard, I wrote as many notes as possible not wanting to miss anything that may be important. Unfortunately, my fellow jurors took notice of my note-taking and later voted me the foreman of our group.

At the end of it all, I stood in the jury box and read out our verdict for the man on trial. We found him guilty, forever changing his life. Forever blotting his record in the eyes of
society.

I was struck by the seriousness of the moment. The burden that was placed on my shoulders to lead a group of strangers, peers, to decide whether or not a man was guilty or innocent, hit me. I was flooded with the realization that this is all of our stories when it comes to the judgment of our sin against God. We are all guilty of crimes, sins, against a holy God that makes it impossible for us to be in His presence, impossible for us to spend eternity worshiping Him; and yet when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, we are found not guilty. Not because we deserve it, not because we are perfect, found sinless, but rather God the father looks at His blameless Son for evidence of our righteousness. Jesus is our witness, and His record becomes our testimony, His blood our payment. May we never forget the goodness we have in Jesus Christ and never lose our thankfulness to Him for bringing salvation to us on the cross.

“See the cross, the empty grave the evidence is endless. All my sin rolled away because of You, oh, Jesus.” (Evidence by Josh Baldwin)

Lyric of the Month
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart