Wow!!!! Was anybody else blown away by Sunday’s worship time? I thought it was incredible from start to finish.
Mike’s prelude with the scripture scrolling on the wall was very cool.
Even the responsive call to worship (which, isn’t my favorite thing) was awesome. I sensed people were hearing the words they were saying- “When one suffers, we all suffer. When one is honored, we all rejoice.” It laid a great foundation for the theme for the day, “being a caring family.”
Following the call to worship with “How Great Thou Art” was the perfect choice- We had just declared commonality and unity. Why? Because God, who is worthy, calls us together!
The Choir number was a goose bump song. Erin and John did amazing solos and the song itself really ministered to me.
The Bell Choir’s version of “I love you Lord,” during the offering was wonderful. It was a lean back, close your eyes, and reflect moment. For me, times in worship where I can chill out and close my eyes and focus on God are “good for the soul” moments. Thank you bell choir for supplying that moment today.
The praise and worship section was particularly strong this Sunday. Wonderful songs- “Sway Songs”- you know, the kind where you can just let your body sway back and forth as you sing and worship. The congregation seemed to jump in and participate really well.
RuthAnn’s children’s message was great. I think I liked that they projected RuthAnn onto the screen during the children’s time. We do need to get the camera set, however. Lots of movement makes me a little sea sick. What did you think of that addition to the service- being able to see the children’s sermon as well as hear it? I do know that I won’t sit in the middle of the front row again, because I saw me way too much up on the screen.
I will be honest with you about the message. While it was the kick off message for our 50 day adventure, I really believe it may be the most important message I have preached in a long time. Let me explain. This church is full of tremendous people who do a really great job of caring for each other. My experience in ministry over the past three decades, however, is that many Christians have a skewed perception of what people are looking for as they look at us. It strikes me that many of us believe that living as a Christian means believing the right stuff, standing up against the things we are told to stand up against, attending church religiously, serving on boards and committees, using church words, avoiding bad words, avoiding the appearance of sin, etc. My conviction is that most people are bored by our pronouncements and judgements and holier-than-they-are attitudes. Most people are going to be impressed by our faith not by the things we say we believe, but by the way we treat each other. So my sermon was really about treating each other in a way that reflects all the things we say we believe. Maybe I am nuts to think that a church can live out the lifestyle that I shared in the sermon, but I really believe this church can. It would mean changing our way of thinking a little bit. It would mean working very hard at being positive and encouraging. It would mean drawing a line in the sand against gossip and negative attitudes. It would mean not caring about getting it our way. But I really believe this church can do it. At least I am putting all my eggs in that basket, and trusting to see some special results.
What do you think? Is it possible for church folks to live out Philippians 2: 1 -11? Is it possible for us at Decatur FBC to live it out?
I am looking forward to your comments.
