The Lord blessed us with beautiful and full weekend of worship, witness, and fellowship beginning with Saturday evening worship, continuing through yesterday. It was great blessing to be in the House of the Lord worshipping, and praising. He always blesses us as we draw into His presence through His grace. Alice and I, along with Laureen and some of her friends, attended a Christian Concert, by Selah, Shaun Groves,and Aaron Shust, that held in Binghamton last night. It was a wonderful 3 hours of worship and praise. What a treat!
I love to read and preach fro Romans 5: 1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
In the words of Jurgen Moltmann, “Expectation makes life good, for in expectation we can accept our whole present and find joy not only in its joy but also in its sorrow, happiness not only in its happiness but also in its pain. Thus hope goes on its way through the midst of happiness and pain, because in the promises of God it can see a future also for the transient, the dying and the dead. That is why it can be said that living without hope is like no longer living. Hell is hopelessness, and it is not for nothing that at the entrance to Dante’s hell there stand the words: ‘Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.’”
Christians are people of hope. For us, sorrow is always a temporary emotion, and joy is the norm. The reason is that we know that life overcomes death, love is stronger than hate, light overcomes darkness, good will ultimately triumph and Jesus reigns. Jesus came to have his joy live in us (John 15:11).
Brennan Manning says, “I believe that the real difference in the American church is not between conservatives and liberals, fundamentalists and charismatics, nor between Republicans and Democrats. The real difference is between the aware and the unaware. When somebody is aware of that love — the same love that the Father has for Jesus — that person is just spontaneously grateful. Cries of thankfulness become the dominant characteristic of the interior life, and the byproduct of gratitude is joy. We’re not joyful and then become grateful — we’re grateful, and that makes us joyful.” When you are a grateful person you possess joy, even when you may possess little else.
What if we lived every moment as though our Lord was all around us? What if we lived as though nothing could happen to us that our Lord, could not take care of? What if you lived as though the power of the Holy Spirit lived in us, and we were walking around in a world created by our Lord, loved by him and blessed by his presence? What if we lived as though we were not meant to be alone, but an important part of the family of God?
In 1741, and an old man was wandering the streets of London, by the name of George Frederick Handel. At this point, he was angry at life. His mind kept returning to the time when he was famous and had the applause of royalty and the elite of London. But now his mind was full of despair and hopelessness about the future; the applause was gone. Others were now in the spotlight and envy began to possess him. Added to that, a cerebral hemorrhage paralyzed his right side. He could no longer write, and doctors gave little hope for recovery. The old composer traveled to France and began to soak in the baths which were said to have healing effects. The hot mineral baths seemed to help, and his health began to improve. Eventually, he was able to write once more, and his success returned.
But then he faced another reversal. Queen Caroline, who had been his staunch supporter, died. England fell on hard economic times, and the heating of large auditoriums for concerts was not permitted. His performances were canceled, and he began to wonder where God was.
Then one night, as he returned from his walk, Charles Jennens was waiting at his home. Jennens explained that he had just finished writing a text for a musical that covered both the Old and New Testaments, and believed that Handel was the man to set it to music. Handel was indifferent as he began to read the words which Jennens had put together. But then his eyes fell on such words as, ‘He was despised, rejected of men. . . he looked for someone to have pity on him, but there was no man; neither found he any to comfort him.’ His eyes raced ahead to the words: ‘He trusted in God. . . God did not leave his soul in hell. . . He will give you rest.’ And finally his eyes stopped on the words: ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth.’ He became aware of the presence of God. He was aware in a new and profound way that as he picked up his pen the Spirit of God was moving, and music seemed to flow through him. He finished the first part in only seven days. The second section was completed in six days.
Many will remember that when the classical work was first performed in London, and the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ was sung by the choir, King George II was so moved that he stood to his feet. To this day, people still rise to their feet as the great chorus is sung in praise to God.
In reflecting on Handel’s Messiah, Joseph E. McCabe wrote: “Never again are we to look at the stars, as we did when we were children, and wonder how far it is to God. A being outside our world would be a spectator, looking on but taking no part in this life, where we try to be brave despite all the bafflement. A God who created, and withdrew, could be mighty, but he could not be love. Who could love a God remote, when suffering is our lot? Our God is closer than our problems, for they are out there to be faced; He is here, beside us, Emmanuel.”
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-qBsHhFEgA
Fundraiser at Phil's Chicken House, Monday, March 14th from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the downstairs dining room. This will benefit the Union Center United Methodist Church Youth Group to allow them to attend Youth Retreats. The buffet is $9:99 and includes choices of dessert. Menu items can also be ordered. 10% of all income will be donated to the Youth. Tipping is allowed, and all tips will also be given to benefit the Youth. Please come out to support this good cause.
Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott
Saturday, March 19, 2011
6 PM Coffee Fellowship
6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music: Laureen Naik
Speaker: Rev. Brown Naik
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