Reflections on the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper

So, this past Sunday we had a good time at church reflecting on the last six weeks talking about loving God and people well. How to do it and why we do it. As a fitting ending of this study, we shared in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper often called Communion.

I wanted to share some reflections that came as I thought about why we do this act within our Christian churches. We can find these reasons in Scripture in 1 Corinthians 11:23-34.
This sacrament was left for us:

1. To reflect on who HE is
2. To reflect on what HE has done
3. To reflect on how HE now calls us to live 

As we approach a celebration of the resurrection, I was acutely reminded of His love and sacrifice for us on the cross (here is a great song about His love - How Great is the Love). I'm thankful that we have such a time to remember this not just once a year, but any time we come to the table.

We get to remember that His body was broken for us and it's our life source. We get to remember that it is the blood shed on that cleanses us and brings us salvation and right relationship with our great God. We do this in remembrance of the God Man, Son of God, Jesus Christ. May we never take this for granted or make this a common thing. It is a true truth that we need to revisit often as we tend to forget things to quickly. "This do in remembrance of ME."

Song of the Week

Worthy, Worthy 
by Vertical Church Band

No pen or quill, no scribe in perfect skill
With flawless words, could capture all You are
No lofty thought, no scholar of this world
Could grasp an inch of such infinity

Though we cannot comprehend such a mystery
Just a glimpse of You revealed is compelling us to sing

Holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty
Worthy, worthy is Your Name
All of Heaven joins the universe ever crying 
Worthy, worthy is Your name

With hearts amazed and songs that never frame 
The fullness of Your worth and majesty
We come again and fall on bended knee
And here adore the God that we don't see

When You return, we'll hear the trumpet sound
You'll lead us home riding on the clouds
Where we will stand and sing forevermore
The honor and the praise, the glory is the Lord's

(Check out the song here on their YouTube channel. I promise you will want to play this when you are in a place you can belt it out and lift up your hands.)

Let. It. Go.

I have not posted in a very long time, but I figured if I was doing a "guest post" on a friend's blog (The Teacher's Wife), that I probably needed to do one for my own.

Let. It. Go.

This is my theme for the year. It's funny how the song that people are singing these days is from a Disney movie and the title is "Let It Go". (My favorite version yet.)

I also have a theme song and it's not the one above, but we will talk about that shortly.

As I started the new year, I ask the Father to give me a theme or focus for the year. This year it just seemed clear, in my prayer time and other times of corporate worship, that I needed to let some things go in my life. Have you ever felt that way? Feelings that things were just weighing you down? Well, that's where I was and I was ready to be free and no longer weighed down in my walk with the Lord and in the life He has called me to live for Him.

This leads me to the song that the Father gave along with this theme. It's William McDowell's Withholding Nothing. Here are just a few of the words of the song:
                      I surrender all to you
                      Everything I give to you
                      Withholding nothing
                      Withholding nothing

                      King Jesus
                      My Savior
                      Forever
                      I give you all of me
                      I give you all of me

The Word, the Holy Spirit, the words of songs and of brothers and sisters in Christ have encouraged my heart to truly "let go" this year. It's not easy. It's rather painful. However, I know that it will be worth it so that I can run this race with perseverance and I can say "I won't go back".

Be blessed!

Annual Staff Retreat Reflections: Part 1

Prayer from A. W. Tozer

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more… I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, I want to want thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.

Song of the Week

Have Your Way by Britt Nicole

Feels like I`ve been here forever,
Why can`t You just intervene?
Do You see the tears keep falling?
And I`m falling apart at the seams.
But You never said the road would be easy,
You said that You would never leave.
And You never promised that this life wasn`t hard,
But You promised You`d take care of me.

So I`ll stop searching for the answers,
I`ll stop praying for an escape,
And I`ll trust You, God, with where I am,
And believe that You will have Your way.
Just have Your way.
Just have Your way.

When my friends and my family have left me,
And I feel so ashamed and so cold.
Remind me that You take broken things
And turn them into beautiful.
So I`ll stop searching for the answers,
I`ll stop praying for an escape,
And I`ll trust You, God, with where I am,
And believe that You`ll have Your way.
Just have Your way.
Just have Your way.

Even if my dreams have died,
And even if I don`t survive,
I`ll still worship You with all my life.
My life, Yeah.

And I`ll stop searching for the answers,
I`ll stop praying for an escape,
And I`ll trust You, God, with where I am,
And believe that You will have Your way.
Just have Your way.
Just have Your way.

I know You will.
I won`t forget.
You love me.
Have Your way.

Okay so these words are seriously the words of my heart right now.

Theme Verses for the New Year - 2009

Psalm 37:3-5 (Amplified Bible)

3Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed. 4Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. 5Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.

Hebrews 10:23 (Amplified Bible)

23So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgment of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (Amplified Bible)

18Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

Father, help me to live these out in this new year. May I glorify you more in 2009 than I did in 2008. May my life be a reflection of your grace and your love.

The Way You Love Me

The Way You Love Me
by Anthony Evans

This heart breaks slowly telling me “what are you doing to me?”
We’re not brave, do what it takes
I didn’t know I’d lose everything

Everything that meant anything to me was gone
Something right has to come from this wrong

It is the hurt that breaks me
It is the pain that pulls me to my knees
And the tears, they’ve changed me
To what I couldn’t see
Become so clear to me
This is the way, the way that you love me

My way destroyed me
I couldn’t see I was my worst enemy
So you took away, till my soul ached
And I knew it was no mistake

Everything that meant anything to me is gone
Something right has to come from this wrong

It is the hurt that breaks me
It is the pain that pulls me to my knees
And the tears, they’ve changed me
To what I couldn’t see
Become so clear to me
This is the way, the way that you love me

You loved me so much that you let me, you let me fall knowing that I would lose it all and hear your call
You loved me so much that you chased me, when I ran away you captured by letting me run
To the end of myself, to the end of myself

And this is the way you love me
The way you love me

It is the hurt that breaks me
It is the pain that pulls me to my knees
And the tears, they’ve changed me
To what I couldn’t see
Become so clear to me
And this is the way, the way that you love me

This is the way you love me