Our summer series on “Repeating themes” concluded by looking at the theme of “Calling”. The text of the final sermon can be found here.
Matthew 4:17-22 gives us the account of Jesus calling fishermen as His first disciples, redirecting their fisher skills to be used in service of the Good News.
What skills have you accumulated over the years? We are all different, working in different places, gathering differing skills. Have you ever sat down and thought about what you fill your days with? It can be a valuable thing to take some time out and take a personal skills inventory. It can also be quite surprising!
How can your skills be used to promote good news? Jesus took fisher skills and harnessed them for the work of the Kingdom. Such is a calling He invites us all to embrace… namely using ‘who we are’, for the purpose of extending to others His loving invitation to encounter God. The greatest tool God can use is our willingness to be the people God intends for us to be!
Prayer: Lord, I thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am Your unique creation, different to any other. You have led my life thus far and equipped me with many skills. Help me to allow You to use who I am to share the message of Your love with others. Amen.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Living
In Worship this past week we looked at the theme of living. The sermon for the day can be found here. Biblically speaking… what is life? An all to brief survey follows. Life is….
The breath that is God breathed into every soul.
Symbolized by a Tree of life
Saved in Noah.
Restored by Elisha.
The path of blessing for the righteous.
Praised in the Psalms... as God redeems, guides, protects,
... a fountain, a joy, a blessing.
The reward for humility (Proverbs)
In the prophets, a way to pursue.
Become as a 'watered garden'
A covenant of life and well-being.
A river that flows through the temple.
For Jesus...
Something God will take care of. Don't worry.
Something defined by more than life on earth.
For John...
In Christ is life
Whoever believes has eternal life
John 3:16!
Jesus is the Bread of life... to be consumed.
In Acts
Jesus is the author of life.
Repentance leads to life.
In Romans
Seeking brings life
We are saved by His life... to walk in newness of life.
All die in Adam, all live in Christ.
In Corinthians
The Spirit gives life.
Life is at work in us.
Our true life hidden in Christ.
In Titus
We are encouraged to take hold of life
In 1 John
Life is manifest in the love we have for God and each other.
In Revelation
We eat from the Tree of Life
Our names are in the Book of life.
We drink from the Water of life
And the Spirit and Bride say “Come”…
Prayer: Lord Our God we thank You for the gift of life. Teach us this day to embrace the abundant life that Jesus offers to us. As we glimpse Your purposes in our daily lives may we be renewed to serve one another. Amen.
The breath that is God breathed into every soul.
Symbolized by a Tree of life
Saved in Noah.
Restored by Elisha.
The path of blessing for the righteous.
Praised in the Psalms... as God redeems, guides, protects,
... a fountain, a joy, a blessing.
The reward for humility (Proverbs)
In the prophets, a way to pursue.
Become as a 'watered garden'
A covenant of life and well-being.
A river that flows through the temple.
For Jesus...
Something God will take care of. Don't worry.
Something defined by more than life on earth.
For John...
In Christ is life
Whoever believes has eternal life
John 3:16!
Jesus is the Bread of life... to be consumed.
In Acts
Jesus is the author of life.
Repentance leads to life.
In Romans
Seeking brings life
We are saved by His life... to walk in newness of life.
All die in Adam, all live in Christ.
In Corinthians
The Spirit gives life.
Life is at work in us.
Our true life hidden in Christ.
In Titus
We are encouraged to take hold of life
In 1 John
Life is manifest in the love we have for God and each other.
In Revelation
We eat from the Tree of Life
Our names are in the Book of life.
We drink from the Water of life
And the Spirit and Bride say “Come”…
Prayer: Lord Our God we thank You for the gift of life. Teach us this day to embrace the abundant life that Jesus offers to us. As we glimpse Your purposes in our daily lives may we be renewed to serve one another. Amen.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Dying
In our summer worship services we’ve been examining reoccurring themes that weave in and out of the Bible’s 66 books. This past week we looked at the theme of dying. The sermon for the day can be found here.
As Christians we should not be afraid to talk about death. We are mortal and somewhere along the line death will be our destiny. We confess to believing that death is not the end but part of a process that leads us home. On what grounds dare we make such bold assertions?
We first and foremost have the witness of Jesus Christ. It is a pillar of our faith that “He died and He rose again”. The work of Jesus began long before He was born and will continue long after we have gone. He raised Lazarus from the tomb. He spoke about eternal life as a fact. He demonstrated to His disciples both in His resurrection appearances and through His ascension that the boundaries we place upon life do not apply. God raised Him from the dead!
We have the witness of countless saints who across the centuries died in the hope of Christ. The first Christian martyr, Stephen, declared in his dying moments; “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts7: 56). The conviction that this life is not all that there is has led many to stand firm as intimidators threatened to take their lives. They have glimpsed something beyond the boundaries death seeks to contain us within.
We have the witness of Scripture. Paul writes in Romans 6:8 “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.” Spiritual growth involves dying to our self and living for Christ. As we share in His death, so we are promised we will share in His life (both in the now and beyond the now).
Through our faith in Jesus Christ we are given an opportunity to glimpse beyond the barriers of space and time, and invited to believe that “we ain’t seen nothing yet!”
Prayer: Lord, help me to see death as part of Your plan for our lives. Let us not be fearful of its power nor be in dread of its inevitability. Remind us that there is more to life than life on earth. Help us not to live only for alone but live everyday in the light of eternity. Amen.
As Christians we should not be afraid to talk about death. We are mortal and somewhere along the line death will be our destiny. We confess to believing that death is not the end but part of a process that leads us home. On what grounds dare we make such bold assertions?
We first and foremost have the witness of Jesus Christ. It is a pillar of our faith that “He died and He rose again”. The work of Jesus began long before He was born and will continue long after we have gone. He raised Lazarus from the tomb. He spoke about eternal life as a fact. He demonstrated to His disciples both in His resurrection appearances and through His ascension that the boundaries we place upon life do not apply. God raised Him from the dead!
We have the witness of countless saints who across the centuries died in the hope of Christ. The first Christian martyr, Stephen, declared in his dying moments; “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts7: 56). The conviction that this life is not all that there is has led many to stand firm as intimidators threatened to take their lives. They have glimpsed something beyond the boundaries death seeks to contain us within.
We have the witness of Scripture. Paul writes in Romans 6:8 “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.” Spiritual growth involves dying to our self and living for Christ. As we share in His death, so we are promised we will share in His life (both in the now and beyond the now).
Through our faith in Jesus Christ we are given an opportunity to glimpse beyond the barriers of space and time, and invited to believe that “we ain’t seen nothing yet!”
Prayer: Lord, help me to see death as part of Your plan for our lives. Let us not be fearful of its power nor be in dread of its inevitability. Remind us that there is more to life than life on earth. Help us not to live only for alone but live everyday in the light of eternity. Amen.
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