Making the Theological Understandable
The Scripture pictured below articulates a question that is eternal in its significance. Why does God even care what happens to us? Why did God make humans alone in His image? We are so small and unimpressive and yet God–the sovereign Creator of the universe–cares for us. This is beyond humbling. His mindfulness of our helpless estate is worthy of our praise.
Sometimes adults think they’re too smart. We become too proud. We think we’ve outgrown our need for God. We call Him a crutch for weaklings and only suitable for intellectually deficient people who can’t figure out life on their own. We say the spiritual equivalent of “Me do it!” as if we’re 2 years old all over again, throwing a tantrum.
Isn’t it ironic, that God ordains praise from the lips of babies and that’s how He chooses to silence the proud?
How do we praise Him? We can praise His Name.
Chapel Worship Guide for Sunday 9 AM—May 5, 2013
The Nemmers Family Chapel at Advocate Condell
Prelude
Welcome—Barbara Shafer, Christ Church Highland Park
Worship in Song:
Scripture Reading (Old Testament):
NAS Psalm 57:9 I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to Thee among the nations. 10 For Thy lovingkindness is great to the heavens, And Thy truth to the clouds. 11 Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Thy glory be above all the earth.
Psalm 59:16 But as for me, I shall sing of Thy strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Thy lovingkindness in the morning, For Thou hast been my stronghold, And a refuge in the day of my distress. 17 O my strength, I will sing praises to Thee; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.
Worship in song:
Prayer
Scripture Reading (New Testament):
NAS Hebrews 12:5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
Song of Response:
Benediction—Bill Slater
There’s a poem by Cecil F. Alexander (1848) called “All Things Bright and Beautiful” and it begins:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.
I was thinking about that today because one of the joys of gardening and feeding the birds is the short window of migration when these jewels of nature wing their way through my yard. The year round residents of goldfinches and cardinals and blue jays have been joined by migratory indigo buntings and rose-breasted grosbeaks. It will not be long before the scarlet tanager and the Baltimore orioles and hummingbirds will be here, too. In their colorful beauty and their cheerful song, I am certain they are praising the LORD.
Everything that has breath praises the LORD. The trees clap their hands (Isaiah 55:12) and if we fail to praise God, even the rocks cry out.
Luke 19:36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Let us praise Him! No one should be outdone by the trees and the stones.
Strange to think about, that the lightning and hail, snow, clouds and wind can do the LORD’s bidding. It’s even more strange to think that they praise Him. How do they praise Him except to obey?
I wonder what sea creatures do when they praise the LORD. Does praise just happen in their doing what they were created to do?
Everything that has breath received its life from its Creator. Therefore, it is only fitting that everything that has breath should praise the Lord.
Chapel Worship Guide for Sunday 9 AM—April 21, 2013
The Nemmers Family Chapel at Advocate Condell
Welcome—Barbara Shafer, Christ Church Highland Park
Worship in Song: From Micah 6, The Offertory with LeAnn Malecha and Mike Taylor (First Presbyterian Church of Libertyville)
Scripture Reading (Old Testament):
Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Prayer
Scripture Reading (New Testament):
Matthew 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 “And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.
Songs of Worship:
His Eye is on the Sparrow
Shall we Gather at the River
Message: “Humility: a Mark of Spiritual Maturity” by Barbara Shafer
Humility is a mark of spiritual maturity because it is a key to understanding what it means to do justice and love kindness. The justice and loving-kindness shown in the Mosaic Law serve to point out how impossibly high the standard is and why we need a deliverer. Humility is seen in the Cross as the place where love and judgment meet. When we let go of pride and approach God with the faith of a child, we will see that spiritual maturity is reflected, not in independence, but in full dependence upon God who showed us the way in which we should walk. Only then are we able to show true justice and exhibit genuine loving-kindness to others.
Hymn of Response— It is Well with My Soul
Benediction