As a young boy growing up on a West Texas farm, I remember well the days we would raise little baby chicks. From hatchlings we would nurture them with heat lamps, clean water, the appropriate feed, warm straw and a secure chicken coop. Though I don’t recall if we ever ‘incubating’ the eggs, they were our responsibility from the very beginning.

But without the incubation process, the hatching of the baby chick will never happen. Of course, eggs aren’t the only things that need an incubator. The premature baby, the ‘new endeavor,’ even a virus may have an incubation period. And this morning as we recognize those babies born in 2014, Robert Taylor will share some ideas about how we can prepare our children for life in this world. Not just any life, but a life focused on God and His will. Parents, we have an obligation to care for our children, prepare our children, and ‘bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.’ (Ephesians 6:4) And if you think about it, it all begins in…”The Incubator.”

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

Sunday morning, March 1, 2015

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

“Wonderful Words of Life” – 543

“Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life…” what a joy to sing about our salvation! Consider your life in Christ, your salvation in His name…beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. It’s encouraging to me to read/sing the words of the 2nd verse; these words are ‘all so freely given,’ and for the one who is listening and open to the message, these words are ‘wooing us to heaven.’ Wonderful words of life!

“How Beautiful” – 365

Preparing ourselves for the Lord’s Supper we’ll sing a spiritual song that was written less than 25 years ago. A song that speaks to the beautiful hands that serve, the beautiful, radiant bride (the church of Christ), and the beautiful feet that walk. This song, however, does more than just talk about Christ physical body, but alludes to the church as the body of Christ. Notice verse one as we sing about the hands of Christ as He served His disciples the ‘last supper.’ And visualize His feet as walked the dusty road to the cross. But then continue on to verse three as we transition to the feet that spread the good news (the gospel), and the hands that serve the Lord’s Supper today. How beautiful…in deed!

 

“Lord, We Come Before Thee Now” – 797

Following the Lord’s Supper many have a sense of quiet stillness. It’s fitting to come before our God with awe and reverence and so we sing, “Lord, we come before Thee now, at Thy feet we humbly bow…” setting the stage of a lowly servant approaching the king we see how we might say our souls depend on Thee. But the contrast comes in the third verse; our God, unlike an earthly king, allows us to come and stay with Him. To dwell with Him and seek His blessing.

“Can You Count the Stars” – 992

A simple song that asks a simple question; “Can you count the stars of evening…can you count the clouds…can you count the birds or the fish…can you count the little children?” If God knows their number and shows them His care, surely we can rest assured knowing that, “He has not forgotten thee.” Maybe we could say, each day in we are in God’s care, we are growing in His incubator.

“I Love to Tell the Story” – 659

Before the lesson we’ll sing a spiritual song that provides us with a clear understanding of the incubator. We sing, “I love to tell the story, it is pleasant to repeat, what seems each time I tell it more wonderfully sweet; I love to tell the story (ready for this) for some have never heard…” For some have never heard…how important for us to share the message of salvation to a lost and dying world.

“Softly and Tenderly” – 934

One might wonder how ‘come home…’ could be attributed to the incubation process. Then again, when we consider this life as just the nurturing and preparation stage for a new life, we might just all being in the incubator. It would explain why Jesus is calling us ‘softly and tenderly.’

“Jesus Loves Me” – 1014

Even the littlest child is likely to know this simple song. What better way to bring our children through the incubation process then to train them up and remind them daily that Jesus loves them. Parents, this should resonate in our hearts…‘this I know, for the Bible tells me so!”

“There is a Habitation” – 860

The beauty of this song comes in knowing that heaven is a perfect place. It’s a place where there is no war, no sorrow, no death, and no tomorrow. A place with no desolation, no night and no decay, And though this song doesn’t say it, no incubator. For within the gates of heaven we’ll be singing eternal praises to our King. Would that we instill a desire within our children to say, “I am ready to go to heaven!” When this life is over, when we leave the incubator, let’s be ready for the city built by the living God.