The letter 'I' in worship brings us to the idea of us 'incarnating the love of Jesus'. We note today that this idea is rooted in the reality of the Incarnation of Jesus as described in John 1:14 - 'the Word became flesh'. Surprising, Jesus, toward the end of his earthly life, says to his followers - 'As the Father sent me into the world, so (in the same way) I am sending you!'. We reflect on the meaning of this today and see an example in the lives of Peter and John in Acts 3-4.
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Today we come to the cluster of disciplines that is foundational to all of the others. We take time in this lesson to consider the critical important of 'hearing the Word' in our lives in order that our faith might remain strong and healthy. In particular we spend time contemplating Paul's words, 'let the message about Christ dwell among you richly' and seek to offer very practical suggestions as to how this can done.
Listen below or right click here to download. As we continue to consider what it means to 'make space for God in our daily lives', we come to the letter 'S' in the word 'worship' and consider what it means for us to Share our lives with others. Paul speaks to us about what it means for us to be the aroma of Jesus in this world. Today we examine the implications of Paul's very descriptive language. May we hear the Word clearly!
Listen below or right click here to download. We are working our way through the letters of the word 'WORSHIP' in this teaching series. We are discussing some of the Spiritual Disciplines practiced by followers of Jesus all over the world. The overall title for our series is, "Making Space for God in our Daily Lives". Today we come to a cluster of disciplines that are designed to help us think about those things in our lives that may have crept into such a place in our hearts that they have overtaken our 'first love'. 'Relinquishment' is the idea of 'letting go' of those things in order to 'take hold of the life that is truly life' (1 Tim. 6:19).
Listen below or right click here to download. In this 2nd message in our series regarding Spiritual Disciplines we examine the Scriptures with this question in mind: how can I become more aware, more attentive, more conscious of God in the day to day routines of life. Several verses from 2Corinthians 3-4 remind us of the unspeakable privilege we have of intimate relationship with the God of all Creation - a privilege only granted to us because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Today our desire is to be reminded of this immense privilege and to put it into practice in our lives through attention to one or two of the Spiritual Disciplines that direct our attention God-ward on a daily basis.
Listen below or right click here to download We contemplate today one of the most well known verses with regard to the idea of worship. Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship." God desires that we seek Him. He longs to be found by us! How can we seek Him? The cluster of disciplines we consider today include: Celebration, Gratitude, Communion, Rule for Life, Sabbath and Worship. The question for each of us is: how do we most effectively worship God? What is one practice that I can put into my daily life that will draw me to more fully offer my body as a living sacrifice to God, which is my true and proper worship?
Listen below or right click here to download file We begin the New Year by hearing a beautiful invitation from Jesus: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30) Rest for your souls! What does that mean to you?? Taking Jesus' yoke upon us implies the idea of total surrender to Him and to His values. In return is this indescribable gift of grace: rest... for your souls.
Today we introduce the main ideas behind the series of sermons over the coming 7 weeks. Rooted in the word 'WORSHIP', these messages will be an examination of what we sometimes call 'spiritual disciplines'. At the heart of the series is a desire to make space for God every day; to live lives that are attentive to His ongoing presence and to live in such a way that our whole life is an act of worship to Him. The disciplines are simply habits and practices that we can put into our lives to help us to walk closer to Him. After all, the invitation from Jesus is: 'Come to Me...' May it be! Listen below or right click here to download the file |
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