Putting the ‘Stew’ back in Stewardship…July 20th

In the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi the prophet addresses sin in the priesthood. In their sacrifices, they were offering up ‘defiled food.’ By law, a pure animal was required, but instead they were giving God the blind, the sick and the lame. Their sacrifices were useless (vs 10). But what about us today? Are we acting as stewards who offer the best…or are we giving God what we reject?

A steward is one who is trusted to complete or over see a specific task. A good steward is one who works to the best of his or her ability. Good employees honor their employer. The life of a good steward is one that honors God. Sunday morning we’ll consider our stewardship and whether we’re honoring God or just offering up some ‘lame’ excuse for work.

“…I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.”
I Corinthians 14:15

Sunday morning, July 20, 2014

The following songs are found in the hymnal, Songs of Faith & Praise.

“I Know That My Redeemer Lives” – 528

We’ve sung this spiritual song for years (over 100 years to be exact), but do you ‘know’ how many times you sing the words, ‘I know…?’ Singing all four verses and the chorus only once you’ll repeat this short, two-word phrase 11 times. If you consider the echo, 16 times. Is that important? Why the repetition? Who cares? Those who believe in Christ and have given their life in His service (stewards), won’t shy away from proclaiming their allegiance. With bold confidence they will repeat, “I know, I know that my Redeemer lives!”

“Higher Ground” – no book higher plain

Where are you heading and how eager are you to get there? This old song was rewritten by Ken Young in the late 80’s and inspires us as we press on to heaven. The men join in on the second verse with a thunderous echo; “Heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay. Tho some may dwell where these abound, my prayer, my aim is higher ground.”

“Night with Ebon Pinion” – no book

A haunting melody comes from this old spiritual psalm as we consider the night Jesus was betrayed. The beauty of the scripture is sung as we open up the 3rd verse. Notice the words of Christ in Mark 14:36, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” Now consider these words as we sing;“Abba, Father, Father, if indeed it may, let this cup of anguish pass from Me, I pray; but if it must be suffered, by Me, Thine only Son, Abba, Father, Father, let Thy will be done.”

“How Great Thou Art” – 76

The chorus of this great, classic hymn will follow the Lord’s Supper. Then, for emphasis, we’ll sing just the 3rd verse; “And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin…How great Thou art!”

“Soldier’s of Christ, Arise” – 647

A solider is a servant! He is called to be faithful in service to his country and his ‘King.’ But what kind of servant will he be? Will he be one who sits back and waits for battle, or one who is constantly preparing himself for war? As soldier’s (steward’s) of Christ, we must get up and get ready to defend our faith. Only then will we over come through Christ and stand entire (complete) at last.

“Trust and Obey” – 915

How do you know if you are truly being a good steward in the Kingdom? Malachi was chastising the priest in chapter 1 because they were offering defective sacrifices. They were giving God the rejected portions of their flock. When you give to God, what are you willing to sacrifice? Verse three of our invitation song challenges us; “But we never can prove (we will never be) the delights of His love until all on the altar we lay…” So what are you laying on the altar before God?

“We Give Thee But Thine Own” – 663

As the collection plate is being passed consider what you’re putting in. What are you ‘placing on the altar?’ You will hear the words, and hopefully you’ll sing the song, but will you give to God what belongs to Him; “…whatever the gift may be; all that we have is Thine (His) alone, a trust (responsibility) O Lord, from Thee. May we Thy bounties thus as stewards true receive (thankfully accept His blessings), and gladly, as Thou blessed us, to Thee our first fruits give.” Are we honoring God by giving Him our first fruits (best), or are we guilty of giving only what we don’t want?

“When We All Get to Heaven” – 853

Closing our service time together, we sing about heaven. But we must live a life that is ‘…true and faithful, trusting, serving EVERY DAY…’ Being a faithful servant, and demonstrating the traits of a good steward will lead us to the throne of God, where we can sing and shout the victory!

1, April 4, 20141, April 5, 2014

From the Beginning to the End…April 6th

There’s a simple little pamphlet that provides ‘expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, and (the) historical background’ of many literary works. This study guide, CliffsNotes, has provided students with the opportunity to learn about a specific book. A useful means by which some find an amazing summary of some great works of literature.

In similar form, the book of Revelation sketches the entire sweep of humanity. The church Christ died for and her epic struggle to remain faithful to Him. The spiritual war between God and Satan, and a figurative look at that final battle. But these ‘notes’ are more than just a summary. And Sunday morning’s lesson will be more than just CliffsNotes; in a few short minutes we’ll go from…the beginning to the end!

“…I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.” I Corinthians 14:15

Sunday morning, April 6, 2014

The following songs are found in the hymnal, Songs of Faith & Praise.

“Great Are You Lord” – no book

Opening our hearts and voices we’ll sing the praise of God in this short, contemporary hymn. ‘Holy Lord, Most Holy Lord! You alone are worthy of my praise…’ Join us in singing a song of praise unto the Lord Most High!

“How Great Thou Art” – 76

Transitioning from this recently written song of praise (Great Are You Lord), we’ll continue the thought of praise with a hynm that was penned 65 years previously. But don’t think this song has it’s origin in the mid-1900’s. It’s inspiration comes from a poem written by Carl Boberg in the late 1880’s. Seeing the majesty and power of a thunderstorm reminded him of the power and majesty of our God. He was moved to pen the thoughts that we sing today. “…I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul…How great Thou art!”

“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” – 315

Taking all five verses of this song we’ll sing before, during and after the Lord’s Supper. Before the partaking of the bread we’ll sing a verse not found in many of our hymnals, “His dying crimson like a robe, spreads o’er His body on the tree. Then I am dead to all the globe and all the globe is dead to me.” Notice the reference to his blood-soaked body and the message of Paul to the church in Colossae; “Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules?” (NIV) Colossians 2:20. During this time of meditation, let me encourage you to focus on the Savior and ‘survey’ the cross.

“I Come to the Garden Alone” – 595

Written from the perspective of Mary Magdalen as she came to the tomb of Christ we sing; “I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses…and the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses…” Perhaps after reading John 20:15, we can better understand the ‘voice I hear.’ “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’” Understanding the context of the songs we sing will strengthen our songs of praise and edification.

“Doxology” – 66

Have you ever considered what this word means? Doxology comes from two Greek words, δόξα, (doxa) meaning “glory” and –λογία, (-logia) meaning “saying.” So translated, when we sing “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!” We are actually…”Saying Glory!” A simple hymn with an obscure title giving us a noble message.

“Step by Step” – 15

“O God, You are my God and I will ever praise You!” Ask yourself, do you seek Him in the morning, and do you honestly strive to walk in His way? We sing the song and many will see our walk, but only you know whether or not you are seeking Him at the dawning of every day. It’s a walk that takes one step at a time…step by step He WILL lead me.

“Just As I Am” – 924

A beautiful invitation song we have sung since the mid-1800’s. Singing this song of encouragement (though it is actually a song we sing to HIM) we proclaim that we will indeed come to God, to the Lamb of God who shed His blood!

“When We All Get to Heaven” – 853

When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory.” WOW…consider that message we’ll sing as our closing song on Sunday morning. Are we ready to see Jesus? Are you ready to ‘shout the victory?’ Only if we come to him and walk with Him (step by step) will we ‘get to heaven.’ We can learn about our Savior and come to know and love Him as we study from ‘the beginning to the end.’

1, May 10, 20121, May 10, 2012

Then Sings My Soul!

Have you ever considered the impact you might have on the lives of others based on what you might, write, say or do? You might go throughout life unaware that there are people watching, listen and learning from you. Let’s look at one event that continues to impact millions of lives…

In the late 1880’s, a poet from Sweden by the name of Carl Boberg, was inspired by the beauty of God’s creation. His friend, J. Irving Erickson, capturing this awe inspiring moment wrote the following: “Carl Boberg and some friends were returning home to Mönsterås from Kronobäck (Sweden), where they had participated in an afternoon service. Nature was at its peak that radiant afternoon. Presently a thundercloud appeared on the horizon, and soon sharp lightning flashed across the sky. Strong winds swept over the meadows and billowing fields of grain. The thunder pealed in loud claps. Then rain came in cool fresh showers. In a little while the storm was over, and a rainbow appeared.

When Boberg arrived home, he opened the window and saw the bay of Mönsterås like a mirror before him…From the woods on the other side of the bay, he heard the song of a thrush…the church bells were tolling in the quiet evening. It was this series of sights, sounds, and experiences that inspired the writing of the song.”

Carl Boberg recounted the following information behind the inspiration for his poem:

“It was that time of year when everything seemed to be in its richest colouring; the birds were singing in trees and everywhere. It was very warm; a thunderstorm appeared on the horizon and soon thunder and lightning. We had to hurry to shelter. But the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared.

“When I came home I opened my window toward the sea. There evidently had been a funeral and the bells were playing the tune of ‘When eternity’s clock calling my saved soul to its Sabbath rest.’ That evening, I wrote the song, ‘O Store Gud.'”

Years later a British missionary, Stuart K. Hine, was motivated by the poem (‘O Store Gud’, translated means ‘O Mighty God’) and wrote the words to a hymn that has touched million’s world wide. Baptized in 1914, Hine penned the words to the hymn, “How Great Thou Art” in 1949. Read this poem (sing this song) again…

“O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds (works) Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!”

The second verse references ‘the woods and forest’ and the ‘birds sing(ing) sweetly’. Like the first verse, the second gives us a reminder to the original poem. But here is a forgotten verse we need to reintroduce and bring back to life. This verse is a needed reminder from the unique, original work of Stuart Hine.

“When burdens press, and seem beyond endurance,
Bowed down with grief, to Him I lift my face;
And then in love He brings me sweet assurance:
‘My child! for thee sufficient is My grace’.”

If you enjoy learning about the history of our hymns (traditional and contemporary), I encourage you to look into the resources that can give you better understanding and clarity for the back ground of our songs of praise. The chorus of this hymn begins, “Then Sings My Soul…”, this is also the title of a great resource for hymn history. I encourage you to see for yourself the joy in Hymnology. You can find it on Amazon.com

Keep your mind on heaven, your eyes on God’s word and your focus on praising the King of Kings. When I stay close to Him, lift my voice and my heart to worship God…

“Then Sings My Soul!”