Journey of Worship

Posts Tagged ‘remember’

It’s been a while since I last recapped one of our services. Sorry about that. I’ve had stuff going on, and haven’t given much attention to the blog. We’ve continued to work through our summer series, Blockbuster Messages.

This past week we focused on the end of the world. Movies like 2012 paint a picture of destruction, fear and hopelessness. Yet, while the Bible also paints some vivid pictures of the end of the world, it even more so draws our attention to remember that the end of the world is coming, that we don’t know when, and that if we are in Christ Jesus, there is no reason to fear. If we live with a biblical worldview, then we will be ready and not caught off guard.

The messages we are receiving though the media are constant and often in contrast with biblical truth. We must be aware and constantly evaluating according to the Bible. Read the rest of this entry »

As we gathered on this morning in culmination of a week of remembering, reflecting, and celebrating, we again took time to praise the Lord for His mightiness. After walking through the events of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the vigil of Easter Saturday, it was good to be able to gather and celebrate something that is worth celebrating every single week – the resurrection of Jesus Christ who defeated death, sin, and the grave.

This morning was a part of our ongoing series “Do You Believe?” as we again looking at the truth of the resurrection of Jesus through some of the encounters in John 20 and asked if people believed.

For the full service experience, click for more. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the second of a two-part post about Good Friday. Last week I talked about an experience I had many years ago on Good Friday, and this week I’ll be wrapping up with why I think it is so important for evangelical Christians to also take time for Good Friday. Check out the first post here.

Remembering Good Friday helps us reconnect with the roots of our faith. The first Good Friday was definitely not seen as “good” while it happened. It was as the early church began to organize its pattern and flow of worship that remembering these events gained importance. The y believed the principle that external rites can order internal experience. As we understand what was accomplished through the event of Jesus’ death, it definitely was a good day as the powers of darkness were defeated.

Good Friday is part of a grouping of days known as the Great Triduum that also include Maundy Thursday (when Christ established communion, washed His disciples feet, and gave the new commandment of love) and the Great Paschal Vigil of Saturday (when Christ’s body was lying in the tomb). These days that resolve in Easter Sunday and the resurrection are at the core of our relationship with Christ and our spirituality. The events commemorated in these days cannot be taken lightly as they are some of the most holy, solemn, and serious events at the center of our faith.

These days allow us to again remember God’s saving work in human history. Good Friday is the part that focuses on the death of our Lord and Savior so He could become our Lord and Savior. Without death, there is no resurrection. The connection of Good Friday and Easter Sunday allows us to experience vividly the contrast of suffering/loss and celebration. We cannot fully understand God’s love for us unless we grasp what He gave for us.

Even though we worship the resurrected Christ every day and live in Him because He is alive, this is the time of year when we again can gain a clearer focus on that fact. I am married every day, but taking time to remember and celebrate our anniversary only serves to increase the commitment and joy of our relationship. By taking time to remember and reflect on the events that led to the greatest event in history, we can only benefit as our understanding and love for all God has done grows and the depth of our relationship increases. As much as we may know about the events of Christ’s death and resurrection, there is much that is still a mystery.

This year, make it a priority to be present in the events the church offers to help remember and celebrate. Instead of just looking at the Easter season as a time for vacation or taking it easy, take time to reflect and mediate on Christ and what He did for us. Take time to prepare for the celebration that will happen on Easter Sunday.

May God remind us of how much was given so that we might have life.

As we move through February, we continue the “Be People of Prayer” series. This past Sunday, Valentine’s Day, we took a little different approach to the topic of prayer. Focusing on passages in 1 Peter 3:1-7 and Matthew 18:19-20, we took a look at the value of husband’s and wives praying together and how the relationship between the two can impact the effectiveness and vitality of the prayer life in a home.

The service as a whole was a great time together of remembering and celebrating Jesus. We sang, prayed, heard Scripture, and did communion together. Click through for more details… Read the rest of this entry »

“We are simple people. You can’t remember ten things at once. Invariably, if you could remember just ONE true thing in the moment of trial, you’d be different. Bible ‘verses’ aren’t magic. But God’s words are revelations of God from God for our redemption. When you actually remember God, you do not sin. The only way we ever sin is by suppressing God, by forgetting, by tuning out his voice, switching channels, and listening to other voices. When you actually remember, you actually change. In fact, remembering is the first change.”

- David Powlison

Advent is the time when God breaks in on us with new surprises and touches us with a renewing and restoring power. –Robert Webber, Ancient Future Time

It’s the time of year when we enter into the season of Advent, which comes from the Latin adventus, meaning arrival or coming. Advent is traditionally a time when people slow down and take time to celebrate and prepare for Jesus’ birth at Christmas time. Many religious traditions choose not to sing songs of Christ’s birth until Christmas Day since Advent is not a time of joy, but of longing for the coming of the Savior. Read the rest of this entry »

I have heard about you, LORD, and I am filled with awe by the amazing things you have done. Show us your power to save us. (Habakkuk 3:2 nlt)

Something that has struck me as important recently is the significance of remembering. When I lead, I’ll often ask God to help us remember who He is, what He has done, and how He wants us to live. I do this rather frequently. You may wonder, why?

The aspect of remembering is huge for us. We go to great lengths to remember things that are important like significant moments in life, treasured relationships, birthdays, and more. We do so through pictures, videos, treasures, and conversations to help jog our memories. We feel sad when people forget about events that were meaningful to us, and it’s heartbreaking to watch some people forget as they age. We will also go to great lengths to block memories of situations that were painful, hurtful, or destructive.

Remembering is a huge necessity in our lives. We need to remember the stories, memories, and commitments of our life because we are forgetful people and are easily distracted. When we don’t remember, we lose a part of ourselves. We forget how God has used the events of life to shape us and reveal Himself to us. Author Robert Webber once wrote that “forgetting brings death, but remembering brings life.”

God knew this about us. As sin entered the world, He knew that we would need help in remembering who He is and what He told us. You can trace this theme throughout the Bible. God constantly told the Old Testament Israelites to build monuments to remind them and their children of the great things He did for them. He encouraged them to takes steps to remember His grace and mercy so that would not get distracted by other gods. He wrote down the 10 Commandments so they would not forget the essential things to live a God-honoring life.

As the early church began to meet, they meet weekly on the first day intentionally so that they would not forget the importance of the resurrection. Meeting together in fellowship was important throughout the week so that they would not forget each other or what God was doing. The writer of Hebrews recognized the importance of this as he told his readers to not give up meeting together. God’s message for us was that when we stop meeting together, we stop remembering and begin to forget.

So, why is remembering the greatness and character of God so important? When we remember, we are not distracted by temporary things or drawn away into sin. I think author David Powlison captures it well. “If you could remember just one true thing in the moment of trial, you’d be different. Bible ‘verses’ aren’t magic. But God’s words are revelations of God from God for our redemption. When you actually remember God, you do not sin. The only way we ever sin is by suppressing God, by forgetting, by tuning out his voice, switching channels, and listening to other voices.”

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:2 niv)