Be Ready to Give a Reason for the Hope in You!

May 24, 2017 6 Comments

Can You Give a Reason for the Hope in You?

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Ted outlined for us how we can take the gospel to others. He used 1 Peter 3:14-16. We are to be prepared to give a reason for the hope in us to anyone who asks.

Have you ever thought of how you might give a defense for the hope in you if you were asked? This is a really good question and one that needs some preparation and thought. Pastor Ted broke it down for us.

First Honor Christ- Remember it is all about Him.
Prepare a Defense- Answer when asked what Jesus means to you personally; tell them the reason for the hope that is in you.
Do it with Gentleness and Respect- This is contrary to what the world does. Speak with kindness and with respect.
Have a Good Conscience so that when you are slandered those who revile your good behavior will be put to shame.
Sharing Jesus leads to joy.

Therefore, take some time and thoughtfully tell your story to yourself.

For me, I know that if it were not for my faith in Jesus I would not be where I am today. There have been too many things in my life that I am not proud to speak about. As well as situations that might have lead me to take the wrong course of action. For example, I was pregnant when I lost my first husband, I could have chosen to have an abortion or given my child up for adoption. Jesus gave me the strength to carry on and I now have a handsome young man as my son.

The Reason to Be Ready.

Furthermore, we all have a reason for the hope that is in us as believers and followers of Christ. The Holy Spirit will empower us with the right words at the right time. We just need to be ready. Because the world is hurting and they need to know that there is hope.

In closing, I leave you with this hymn, “Jesus, My Blood and Righteousness,” because it helps me be prepared. Here is a relate link, Hope.

Be prepared to give a defense to anyone who asks you. Tell them of Jesus.

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Seasons of the Church

Excruciating Means Out of the Cross or Crucifixion.

April 13, 2017 10 Comments

Excruciating: What is it Origin?

Have you ever wondered about the word excruciating? Or have you pondered on the suffering that Jesus Christ went through for your sins? Well, I learned about it in regards to the crucifixion of Christ in world history in the 8^th grade. Where we looked at from a medical perspective.

The origin of the word is “Latin excruciātus, past participle of excruciāre to torment, torture, equivalent to ex- ex-¹+ cruciāre to torment, crucify (derivative of crux cross); see -ate [1]. Can you see how it means out of the cross? When you look at the medical aspect of what Jesus went through on the cross, you can understand the word even more.

If you really want to read more about suffering Jesus went through, this check out this link Medical Aspects of the Crucifixion of Christ.

As we are approaching Good Friday, there is a hymn that comes to mind. O Sacred Head Now Wounded brings tears to my eyes when we sing it in church. Though it is 10 verses long, this hymn sings so mournfully of the woe He went through and that He bore my burden to the cross. In verse 8, I sing of how can I thank Him for this dying sorrow and ask Him to make me His forever. “O Lord, let me never, never out live my love for Thee,” is how this verse ends. The final two verses close with seeking Lord Jesus to be near me when I am at death’s door.

Thus, I pray that you will contemplate His true suffering and how He died on the cross for you. As you do, I hope that you will have a new appreciation for the word excruciating.

In Closing

I leave you with Luke 22:44.

⁴⁴And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.[2]

Good Friday Meditation. Pondering the suffering of Jesus.

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[1] excruciate. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved April 13, 2017 from Dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/excruciate

Seasons of the Church

O Perfect Life Of Love – Jesus Died to Make us Whole

April 10, 2017 2 Comments

O Perfect Life of Love

O perfect life of love!
All, all is finished now;
All that He left His throne above
To do for us below.

No work is left undone
Of all the Father willed;
His toil, His sorrows, one by one,
The Scripture have fulfilled.

No pain that we can share
But He has felt its smart;
All forms of human grief and care
Have pierced that tender heart.

And on His thorn crowned head,
And on His sinless soul,
Our sins in all their guilt were laid,
That He might make us whole.

In perfect love He dies;
For me He dies, for me;
O all atoning Sacrifice,
I cling by faith to Thee.

In every time of need,
Before the judgment throne,
Thy work, O Lamb of God, I’ll plead,
Thy merits, not my own.

Yet work, O Lord, in me,
As Thou for me hast wrought;
And let my love the answer be
To grace Thy love has brought.*

This hymn is most inspiring to me as we enter Holy week. The first four verses speak to what Jesus came to do for us, how he did it, and how it pierced his tender heart. Jesus died to make us whole. In verse 5, I especially like how it becomes personal. Jesus died for me and I cling by faith to Him. When my time here on earth is done and I face the judgement throne, it will be on the merits of Jesus and not my own I plead. The last verse is such a beautiful plea that Jesus would work His love in my heart.

*http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/p/operfect.htm

Meditation for Your Holy Week

Here is a link to hear the hymn sung.

I encourage you to read and meditate on Psalm 22 as you go through Holy week.

Jesus died to make us whole. Meditation for Holy week.

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Seasons of the Church

A Sermon in the Form of a Hymn

March 4, 2017 2 Comments

The Sermon, My Song of Love Unknown

While I grew up attending a Baptist church and there are several hymns that I love; yet, what I, particularly, love about a Lutheran hymn is the fact that it is often a sermon put to music.

As I begin to read and meditate on different Lenten hymns during this season. I have come across one of my most favorites, “My Song of Love Unknown.” I, particularly, like this hymn because it sings of so much about Jesus and His suffering. The song is a sung in a melody as opposed to four part harmony. The music is so moving to my heart and soul. It often brings tears to my eyes when we sing it in church.

In the hymn, “My Song of Love Unknown,” there is a sermon and so much more. It sings of why Jesus came, what He did and how He was rejected and crucified. I usually begin to cry in verses 5 and 6. These verses tell of Jesus going to the cross to set even His foes free; He did not have a place to call His own and He died a death that was meant for me. Therefore, I will gladly sing His praise as in verse 7.

They rise and needs will have
My dear Lord made away;
A murderer they saved,
The Prince of life they slay,
Yet cheerful He to suffering goes,
That He His foes from thence might free.
In life, no house, no home
My Lord on earth might have;
In death no friendly tomb
But what a stranger gave.
What may I say? Heav’n was His home;
But mine the tomb wherein He lay.

A Sermon in the Form of a Hymn.

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For Your Benefit

I have added 2 links to this beautiful and inspiring hymn. One is a You-tube video and the other is where you can find all the verses to this sweet hymn (see above). This song is a great one to meditate on and help you to focus on what Christ did for you and me. I do hope that you will take the time to listen and meditate on it. I am sure that you will come to love this one as much as I do.

Seasons of the Church

Lent: Give Up or Take Up?

March 2, 2017 6 Comments

For This Season of Lent

I was reading my church newsletter for March and I came upon Pastor Crowe’s article, “What are you doing for Lent?” In which, he discusses whether or not Lutherans give up something for Lent. During this season, other churches may give up things like meat or even chocolate, however, the LCMS position on this is quite different. Pastor Crowe goes on to encourage us to take up something for Lent to help us remember and personalize the great sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for us.

This in turn lead me to consider taking up the focus on Lenten hymns during this season. Therefore, it is my aim to focus on one Lenten hymn each week during these 40 days and what better hymn than the one we sang for Ash Wednesday service, titled O Lord, Throughout These Forty Days. The lyrics are as follows:

O Lord, throughout theses forty days

You prayed and kept fast;

Inspire repentance for our sins,

And free form our past.

2. You Strove with Satan, and you won;

Your faithfulness endured:

Lend us Your nerve, Your skill and trust

In God’s eternal Word.

Though parched and hungry, yet You prayed

And fixed Your mind above;

So teach us to deny ourselves,

Since we have known God’s Love.

Be with us through this season, Lord

And all our earthly days,

That when the final Easter dawns,

We join in heaven’s praise.

In conclusion, there is a link to a You tube video of this beautiful hymn. I found it quite appropriate as the season of Lent begins. In it, I see the reason one might give something up in order to deny one’s self. Yet, I still like the idea of taking something up. What will you take up this season?

Lent: Give Up or Take Up? That is the question.

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The Lutheran Perspective

QUESTION: Do Lutherans have to give up something for Lent as some other denominations require?

ANSWER: From the perspective of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, “giving something up for Lent” is entirely a matter of Christian freedom. It would be wrong, from our perspective, for the church to make some sort of “law” requiring its members to “give something up for Lent,” since the Scriptures themselves do not require this.

If, on the other hand, a Christian wants to give something up for Lent as a way of remembering and personalizing the great sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for our sins, then that Christian is certainly free to do so — as long as he or she does not “judge” or “look down on” other Christians who do not choose to do this. (This is taken from the lcms.org web page.)

Just 4 Fun

Fun with Song Titles!

April 30, 2016 No Comments

Using Songs & Hymn

Titles to Express

My Faith!

Song links are underlined, songs in blue.

I love music and God often puts a song in my heart. I love traditional hymns as well as contemporary praise songs. I had a creative streak to put song titles together to make sentences that expressed my faith. Some have links to the you tube version or the song is highlighted in blue. i do hope the you can enjoy this as well.

HYMNS

I Know Whom I have Believed and It is Well with My Soul.

Be Though My Vision, oh, Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise!

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place and I will forever sing O Worship the King. O Love that Wilt Not Let Me Go is found in the O Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.

Mercy Me Songs

Dear Younger Me,

I have a New Lease on Life. Jesus has made me Flawless and Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. It is not Wishful Thinking to believe that God will Finish What He Started. I say Welcome to the New and I will Shake because God has done a great thing in me.

Different Artist

People Need the Lord and I need to tell them My Story. Through prayer and study of God’s word, I am Learning to be the Light. In John 8:12, Jesus tells me that He is the light of the world, therefore He is My Lighthouse.

King & Country

My prayer: Dear God, help me to Fix My Eyes on You. You sent Your son, Jesus, to be the Proof of Your Love. When I am down and I feel that I can’t go on, I turn to Your Shoulders to gain the strength to continue. Amen!