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preacher31
LOOK THERE'S JESUS - Subscribe
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Scripture: Jesus the Lamb of God 29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 (New International Version) Reflection: I got to ask myself. If I saw Jesus coming towards me would I say, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world? The sad thing is, I wonder if I would recognize Christ. Wow what a statement "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! How do you take away the sin of the world. Well God did! He gave us His son who literally, actually died on the cross for us. Now that in itself certainly is an unbelievable sacrifice, but without the resurrection the act of the cross would have been lost. Christ died, a painful, humiliating death, executed on a cross. But it didn't stop there, three days later He arose, He came back to life and remains with us as the Holy Spirit! He did this, so that you and I will not simply die in sin, but will live forever in glory! Guess What? You only have to do one thing, BELIEVE!!!!!!!! Prayer: Thank You lord I Believe!!!!!!! |
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preacher31
PALM SUNDAY 4/04/2009 12:36 - Subscribe
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All Glory, Laud and Honor Scripture: He was in the center of the procession, and the crowds all around him were shouting, "Praise God! Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Bless the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!" Mark 11:9-10 NLT Hymn: All glory, laud, and honor to Thee, Redeemer, King, to whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring; Thou art the King of Israel, Thou David's royal Son, who in the Lord's name comest, the King and blessed One! To Thee, before Thy passion, they sang their hymns of praise; to Thee, now high exalted, our melody we raise: Thou didst accept their praises—accept the praise we bring, who in all good delightest, Thou good and gracious King! All Glory, Laud and Honor Theodulf of Orléans (c. 750-821) Reflection: Not the revolutionary they expected When Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, hopeful crowds filled the streets waving palm branches and praising God. But less than a week later, when it became clear that Jesus was not the revolutionary they expected, this same crowd demanded His crucifixion. For Theodulf, whom King Charlemagne had made bishop of Orléans in the late 700s, praise was born of painful circumstances. After Charlemagne's death, Theodulf was exiled to Angers, France, on charges of conspiracy. In the dark prison at Angers, Theodulf apparently wrote the text of this hymn, which became the great Palm Sunday processional of the Western church—a celebration of God's grace sung by millions through the centuries. Our Holy Week readings are adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns by Mark Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale House Publishers (1995). Today's is taken from the entry for March 27. |
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preacher31
MAUNDY THURSDAY 4/08/2009 03:39 - Subscribe
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Partake of Me Scripture: I live by the power of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, those who partake of me will live because of me. John 6:57 NLT Hymn: Bread of the world, in mercy broken, wine of the soul, in mercy shed, by whom the words of life were spoken, and in whose death our sins are dead; Look on the heart by sorrow broken, look on the tears by sinners shed; and may Thy feast to us be the token that by Thy grace our souls are fed. Bread of the World, in Mercy Broken Reginald Heber (1783-1826) Reflection: A Communion hymn Reginald Heber wrote this hymn specifically for use in the service before the Eucharist. Its simple lines focus first on Christ and then on the attitude of the singer. Christ has spoken words of life and has taken our sins to the cross with Him. We are sorry for our sins and take this "feast" of bread and wine as a "token" of the forgiveness that Christ offers. For sixteen years Heber served as a parish priest in the village of Hodnet in western England. Three times he was asked to become the bishop of Calcutta, India, and twice he turned it down. Finally at the age of forty, he accepted the call and sailed for India with his wife and two daughters. Three years later, after preaching to a crowded church near Hindu shrines to Vishnu and Siva, he suffered a stroke and died. While Heber's hymns initially met with official church resistance, many of them were eventually published shortly before his death and have been a blessing to believers for nearly two centuries. Our Holy Week readings are adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns by Mark Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale House Publishers (1995). Today's is taken from the entry for April 4. For more reflection on Holy week, see The Passion, Tyndale's companion book to Mel Gibson's powerful movie about the last twelve hours of Jesus' life. |
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preacher31
THE LAST SUPPER 4/09/2009 12:48 - Subscribe
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MAUNDAY THURSDAY Go to Dark Gethsemane Scripture: Then Jesus brought them into an olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, "Sit here while I go on ahead to pray."… He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine." Matthew 26:36-39 NLT Hymn: Go to dark Gethsemane, ye that feel the tempter's power; your Redeemer's conflict see; watch Him one bitter hour; turn not from His grief away; learn of Jesus Christ to pray. See Him at the judgment hall, beaten, bound, reviled, arraigned; see Him meekly bearing all! Love to man His soul sustained. Shun not suffering, shame or loss; learn of Christ to bear the cross. Go to Dark Gethsemane James Montgomery (1771-1854) Reflection: Learning from Christ's passion Step by step James Montgomery takes us through Christ's passion. We go with our Lord to the Garden of Gethsemane, where those troublesome thoughts of death assailed Him. While His trusted friends drifted off to sleep, Jesus fought off the temptation to avoid the Cross. It was difficult time, and in Montgomery's simple text we feel drops of sweat. At Jesus' trial—a shabby excuse for justice if ever there was one—He bore the beating and badgering without speaking a word. He was carrying our sins with Him to the Cross. At the Cross we can only fall at His feet to worship. At each point of this journey we have much to learn from our Savior. We can learn to pray when tempted and to endure suffering with patience. And Christ teaches us to rise in newness of life, to live in a way that honors Him, and ultimately to join Him in glory. Our Holy Week readings are adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns by Mark Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale House Publishers (1995). Today's is taken from the entry for April 1. |
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GOOD FRIDAY 4/10/2009 02:35 - Subscribe
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Were You There? Scripture: As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where they placed his body. Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to embalm him. But by the time they were finished it was the Sabbath, so they rested all that day as required by the law. Luke 23:55-56 NLT Hymn: Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble! Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb? Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb? O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble! Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb? Were You There? Traditional spiritual Reflection: Experience the "tremble" This favorite hymn comes from the rich American spiritual tradition, probably developed in the early 1800s by African-American slaves. As in most spirituals, the words are simple, seizing on one central theme or concept. Spirituals tend to have a lot of emotional appeal. As a result, this hymn, like few others, puts the singer there. We experience the "tremble" as we sing it. And in the triumphant final stanza, we experience the glory of a risen Lord. We are called out of the cold analysis of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection into the moment of living it. We are called out of the theological debate and into the stark reality. We hear the nails pounded into the cross, we see the onlookers wagging their heads, we smell the burial spices, and we feel the rumble of the stone rolling away. And we tremble… tremble… tremble. Our Holy Week readings are adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns by Mark Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale House Publishers (1995). Today's is taken from the entry for March 21. |