Brown's Daily Word 9-29-09

Good morning,
It is almost the end of September, 2009, with many great things coming along soon. Don't forget that the Continental Worship Band will be presenting a concert of worship and praise at the First Presbyterian Church in Endicott on October 12 at 7 PM. Please set aside the date, and come out to support Laureen and her team. You will be blessed.
The Book of Job is known for the suffering, trial and the tears of Job. Yet in the Book of Job we have these triumphant words, "I know that my redeemer lives". In Job 8:21 we read that God will “fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” Since God gives us the gift of laughter, I thought I would share some classic bulletin bloopers .
"The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the church basement on Friday at 7 p.m. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy."

“Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don’t forget your husbands.”

"The pancake breakfast will be next Sunday. The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the church would lend him their electric girdles."

"The sermon this morning: ’Jesus Walks on the Water.’ The sermon tonight: ’Searching for Jesus'."

"Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use the large double doors at the side entrance."

"Mildred is recovering in the hospital following surgery. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of the pastor’s sermons."

"The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon."

"Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones."

"The pastor is speaking tonight on the reality of hell. Come early and listen to the choir practice!"

In James 5: 13 it is written, "Is any merry, let him sing Psalms. I was reading about the style of worship in England in 1400s. The men sat on one side of the aisle the women sat on the opposite. There were no hymn books. There were no praise choruses. The congregation sang the psalms. There is always deep joy in the presence of the Lord.
We experience celebratory joy always in the context of fellowship. I attended a conference where Bill Hybel was one of the speakers. He spoke about the need for celebration and joy in the life of the church. Whenever we come before the very presence of the Risen Lord He dispels my sadness and depression, and fills us with His joy. We can declare, " You have turned our mourning into dancing, O Lord".
It’s good to laugh. It’s good to be encouraged. It’s good to be together. That’s why I believe in the communion of the saints. I believe in the importance of fellowshipping with each other and loving each other and encouraging each other. 1 Corinthians 12:21 says that “the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don’t need you,' and the hand cannot say to the foot 'I don’t need you.' Each part of the body needs the other parts. And each part of the body of Christ needs the other parts.
We can and must, as the body of Christ, experience communion and fellowship with one another.
1 John 4:7 says, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.” The word for love is agapao. It means “to show affection, to demonstrate our love with our actions.” There are several things that we can do to show love for one another. First of all, we can encourage each other. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says “Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” We all have times when we need the affirmation, encouragement, and love.
of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Maybe you could be the answer to someone else’s prayer.
Another thing we can do to show love for one another is by serving one another. 1 Peter 4:10 says “Use whatever gift you have received to serve others.”
Rick Warren said in "The Purpose Driven Life" that “the greatest gift you can give someone is your time. Because you’re giving something you can never get back.”
If you give someone ten dollars, you may get it back someday. But if you give three hours of your time on a beautiful Sunday afternoon you are giving the most valuable resource you have. That’s what it means to love one another, and that’s what the communion of the saints is all about.
When we say “I believe in the communion of saints,” we are affirming, “I believe in the fellowship of all Christians. I believe that God has called us to encourage one another, pray for each other, and serve each other."

In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPeVIuRjUi4