High Place

I look high to see my help

You Oh Lord are my help

I look high for my hope

You Oh Lord are my hope

I look high for my life

You Oh Lord are my life

I look high to see my Lord

You Oh God are my Lord    2/ 2010

Is this my own fleshly thorn?

To be this lifetime borne?

Is God the author of this pain?

Is it because of my own stain?

Questions many answers few

When will this pain be through?

Is God too small or pain too large?

Does pain my strength enlarge?

Will answers decrease my pain?

Will they decrease my stain?

Is it forgiveness that I need?

Or His laws should I heed?

Or is pain a part of life?

Lived in such varied strife?

If not our own than others

Jailed in pain like brothers

Some pain is our very own

Some by others is strown

Like seeds of death they bloom

Growing into our own doom

Found and lost all the same

Caught in this painful game

Paying the price for mans sin

Until we can begin again

Jesus is our hope and healing

For pains terrible dealing

One day the end will come at last

When life begins and darkness past

flowers poke their head to see

leaves grow forth filling tree

birds build nest for family

days lengthen so beauty see

nature grows forth waiting

flowers bloom and birds sing

Child born and angels sing

death blooms Easter we sing   3/16/2020

At this time of congregations not meeting because of the Corona virus I hope this lesson will be of help.

A Worship Decoder

All around you in the sanctuary are symbols that are codes to understanding the God we worship and how we should worship Him. Here are the meanings of the codes you see every Sunday.

Colors: The colors for the Altar clothes and other items have their own meaning.

White: purity and holiness Red: redemption, salvation sacrifice

Purple: royalty and power Green: new life and provision

What do these colors teach you about Jesus?

The Altar

The altar is a reminder that Jesus is the Lamb of God sacrificed for us so all items on the altar represents Jesus. Everything on the Altar should say something about Jesus!

Cross: reminds us that Jesus gave Himself for us. It also shows we should be firmly established with God (vertical post) in order to reach out to the lost and our brothers and sisters in Jesus (left and right arms).

Offering plates: reminds us that as God has given us everything He blesses us by allowing us to give!

Bible: the written Word of God reveals to us the Living Word of God Jesus Christ

Candles: remind us that Jesus is the light of the world. The number of candles teaches us too!

1 = “The Lord our God is One God!”; 2 = Jesus is fully God and fully man; 3 = the Trinity; 4 = four corners of the world and Gospel for the whole world; 6 = creation (seldom used); 7 = fullness of creation and the Sabbath; 12 = twelve tribes and twelve apostles the people of God

Altar cloth: reminder of the Tabernacle made of curtains, the veil before the Holy of Holies and the cloth used to humiliate Jesus during the Passion.

Communion elements: The Body and Blood of Jesus are presented in different ways in denominations.

The altar can also contain olive oil to show the healing power of Jesus, incense to remember the sweetness of the presence of Jesus and other items used by different denominations.

The altar rail

The altar rail places us before the altar so we can meditate upon Jesus and spend time with Him in prayer! The middle is usually open to show that as the sacrifice of Jesus rent the veil before the Holy of Holies we are now allowed to enter into the presence of God ourselves and do not need a priest.

Pulpits

Pulpits are for the proclamation of the Word of God. The Bible is read and the Gospel proclaimed by the preacher from them. Some have one while others have two. With two pulpits the larger is usually used for preaching and the smaller for announcements. Long ago the larger pulpit was used for reading scripture and the smaller pulpit for preaching since the scripture was primary.

Piano and Organ

From our Jewish heritage music has been a part of worship. Many of the Psalms have choir and music notations on them. Some denominations do not believe in music because it is not directly mentioned in the New Testament. But the Apostles would have known music in their worship.

Choir loft

The choir loft is usually around the altar area. The choir is singing to God and so should be pointed at the altar. In fact everyone in the sanctuary should be pointed at the altar directing their worship to God.

Audio/visual equipment

Audio/visual equipment can be used to enhance worship with our video oriented society. With audio/visual equipment has come a new problem, to not let worship degenerate into entertainment.

Today is a Day of prayer for the terrible menace of the Corona virus. President Trump has called for Americans to take time to pray for help from God as we go through the plague of the Corona virus.

Cases are growing exponentially and the death rate is also. The lives of many have been dramatically changed and the world economy is under great stress.

God may your will be done and may hearts of stone break to become hearts of flesh and of love. 3/15/2020

Revealing

Looking through a dusty glass

A shiny luster more than brass

A glow that invades my sight

My vision seared by this light

I want to focus so I may see

Through the glass who may be

My eyes are forced to look away

Pushed back though I long to stay

I try again and the pain is intense

Without wanting to I must wince

The tears are not just from pain

From being withheld by sins stain

A smile is all that I can see

“You will soon be able to see”

The voice soothes my troubled soul

Though it sounds like a thunders roll

The light is felt more than seen

My heart and soul are left serene

I will wait for that blessed day

When before Him I will stay

Pray for middle Tennessee

Fed by storms clouds turns wind

quickly forming rotation of wind

faster and faster rotates the wind

Soon rotating wind forms a funnel

touching down see tornadoes funnel

mindless movement dangerous funnel

Funnel ripping bringing devastation

homes, towns, people face devastation

praying, hiding, fearing devastation

Carefully look to see what left behind

weep seeing what tornado left behind

loss, destruction and grief left behind

Lives lost by storm families do grieve

loss of physical memories we do grieve

storm rips from us safety and we grieve 3/6/2020