Making the Theological Understandable
I have been thinking lately about the power of words. They are powerful to remind, to instruct, to encourage, to correct, and to comfort. At times when we experience doubt, we can meditate on the words of Scripture and find His comfort to us. This comfort is most needed when we are facing affliction of body, mind, and soul. The spiritual balm of His words to us has great healing power.
This Precious Day contains 24 hours to be a blessing, to live a life well-lived, and to make the most of every moment. I recently had cause to think on the brevity of life and how easily 24 hours can be squandered on poor uses of time. Then I considered that these are 24 hours I will never get back. I will never have a Groundhog Day movie plot for my life in which I can live the same day over and over, hoping to finally learn how to use time wisely. Today I resolve to bring glory to God by how I spend This Precious Day. How about you?
It’s hard to believe that the Lord will be our light some day and this will endure for all eternity.
Yet, this is what the Bible tells us.
I guess it makes sense since He put the great lights in the sky at the beginning of time. What difference should it make to us today to know that He is the Light of the World and will be our only light some day?
There’s a song sung by James Taylor called Handyman with lyrics that read:
Hey girls, gather round
Listen to what I’m putting down
Hey baby, I’m your handy man
I’m not the kind to use a pencil or rule
I’m handy with love and I’m no fool
I fix broken hearts, I know that I truly can
If your broken heart should need repair
Then I’m the man to see
I whisper sweet things, you tell all your friends
They’ll come runnin’ to me
Here is the main thing that I want to say
I’m busy twenty-four hours a day
I fix broken hearts, I know that I truly can
God doesn’t just fix broken hearts by whispering sweet things. He heals broken hearts by binding up the wounds. Broken hearts abound these days. Isn’t it reassuring to know that our LORD is the Healer of hearts such as these? Jesus is better than a handyman.
Not was. Not will be. Not past only. Not future only.
Already. Here. Now. He is exalted forever.
What does it mean to you that God is already exalted, has been exalted all along, and will be beheld as exalted for all eternity? How can you exalt Him in your heart today?
Chapel Worship Guide for Sunday 9 AM—May 19, 2013
The Nemmers Family Chapel at Advocate Condell
Prelude –Nathan LeMahieu, Campus Pastor at Christ Church Highland Park
Welcome—Barbara Shafer, Christ Church Highland Park
Worship in Song: Holy, Holy, Holy (Hymn 1)
Scripture Reading (Old Testament):
Joel 2:28-29 English Standard Version (ESV)
28 [a] “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
Prayer
Scripture Reading (New Testament):
5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Message: “The God of Love: Pouring out the Holy Spirit” by Nathan LeMahieu Campus Pastor, Christ Church Highland Park
The Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. AMEN.
Songs of Response:
Holy Spirit, Rain Down
You’ve Been Good
Benediction—Barbara Shafer
In John 14:1 we read, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”
What do we do when confronted with things that worry us, concern us, or make us afraid? Do we dwell upon the very things that bring fear, or do we take our troubles to the One who is greater than any trouble? Do we automatically grab the quickest, smartest, most technologically advanced option or do we evaluate things with an undergirding of faith in God?
While I know that Angelina Jolie is receiving much public acclaim for raising awareness about alternatives for women who MAY get breast cancer someday and for her courage in pursuing a solution to it, it’s important to reassure the many women and men out there who have elected not to be pre-emptive in that way that their stories are every bit as valid.
She wrote her story. I am a cancer survivor and I have written mine differently. If you’ve written yours differently, too, here’s my little shout out to you. Write your story of courage and faith in God with a personal flourish that flows uniquely from your hand.
Arguably, it is just as courageous–if not more so–to face a diagnosis with an unshakable trust in God. In an age of increasingly successful treatment options for every conceivable illness, heroes of the operating room can be a dime a dozen.
The Courageous Heroes of Faith are of great worth in the eyes of God.
Do you thirst for Him?
God observes the plight of the most helpless among us and He will arise! He will defend those who are least able to help themselves! While we do not understand the mysterious workings of God and how He will accomplish this, we can be assured that He will set everything right in the end.
What a reassurance to know that when we seek Him, He will never forsake us. We should endeavor to know Him, to trust Him, and to seek Him in all things and at all times.
