Sunday, April 26th 2020
“Worship from Home”
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Brothers and Sisters; Grace and Peace to you! Welcome to worship from home. I am glad you are able to join me this morning as we bring glory, honour and praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus. It does not matter where you are this morning, what you are wearing, how you are feeling, or what you may be dealing with; know that you are welcome here. Ask Him to meet you where you are today! He loves you and longs for a deeper relationship with you. Let’s prepare our hearts and minds for worship to our Lord and Saviour!
Call to Worship:
“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.”
“How fitting these words of comfort and praise are during these times which can cause us much anxiety and confusion and frustration. He is our Strength, and we should always FIRST seek His face... not only when trouble comes. Let’s always come to Him first, not only as a second or last option! Glory in His Holy name. Look to the Lord in His strength and love!” Let’s Pray!
Opening Prayer:
Abba Father, what a week it has been! Many of us do not even have words to describe the pain from this last week. Even though we hear this terrible news, we still need to remind ourselves that you are in control. You are a Good Good Father, and we need to remind others about your love and peace, which you can bring. You have the power to restore the broken hearted, and we lift to you all who have been affected. May they feel an overwhelming peace from you. Father, we gather together, from our different homes, and we worship you together as one family of God. Even though we miss one another, we have hope that we will one day come together again. As we bring our praises to you, reveal to us ways we can be used for your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Songs of praise:
In whatever way, sitting, standing, listening, meditating or singing, I invite you to join me in some songs of praise this morning. Just click the link and it should bring you to our music this morning. Let’s sing to the Lord.
Prayers of the People
Father, we come to you today and we give you thanks for who you are. We are thankful that you are good. We come to you today admitting that we indeed need you! Where would we be without you? Some of us come with thankful hearts; some come with a song of praise, while others may come to you with heavy hearts. Many of us feel the pain and intense sadness and we think of those families affected by the shootings. May you peace and comfort shine in the midst of darkness and may your presence be made known to the hearts of those who mourn. May they look to you and lean on you, for you are our great comforter.
Father, we also pray for those who are still at work during the COVID-19 pandemic and we pray for them. May you protect them from harm and be with all of their families. For those who are feeling anxiety, frustration, impatience, cabin-fever, remind us of your goodness and that you have not left us. You are with us, for you tell us in your Word to “fear not for I am with thee, be not dismayed.” We have hope that you are always with us and we do not have to walk through life alone. Thank you for your daily presence. We now pray the prayer you taught us to pray saying: “Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory Forever and ever, Amen.”
Scripture Reading:
Psalm 63:1-3:
“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”
Song:
Meditative Thought: “What Have I Learned?”
Friends, I look forward to sharing a word with you each week. You could say it is one of the highlights, along with the phone calls. I enjoy talking with each one of you and praying for you. While we cannot meet in person, it is a blessing to have this technology where we can connect virtually. This morning, I want to share something God has put on my heart.
Recently, I have heard a great amount of discussion online from people wondering when life is going to get back to normal. That got me thinking “should life go back to normal as we know it?” There is so much that we can learn from this pandemic. Sometimes, we don’t really know our blessings until they are taken away. I said that once when we lost power during a winter storm. When we had power, did we take the time to appreciate it, or did we just take it for granted? There are many things that I have taken for granted and not even realized it. When these restrictions are lifted and I can visit my family once again, I will savor the visit. The next time I hug someone at church, I will take the time to let them know how much I appreciate their friendship. I have learned not to wish my days away because life is short. Sometimes we can get caught up in our day-to-day tasks and we say ‘we need a break.’ Now we are living that reality. When things resume, may we remember to take each new day and give thanks to God for another day to serve Him.
It is a blessing to be able to attend church. Maybe we have taken that for granted and not thanked God for the freedom of going to church for worship. There is a lot we can learn. What has God been teaching you during this time? Compassion? Patience? Forgiveness? What are some things that maybe you have taken for granted that will change your way of life when this is over? Should we go back to normal, or should we find a new normal and embrace all of God’s blessings? I know I could be doing better. Our scripture tells us that the writer of the Psalm earnestly seeks God. May we also follow his example, and seek God during this time. Together, let’s learn to be more forgiving, more thankful, more loving and more patient. Let’s take nothing for granted. I challenge you…let’s not go back to normal after the pandemic. Let’s find a new normal together and embrace each new day given to us by our Heavenly Father. Amen.
Let’s lift our voices once more this morning! Brothers and Sisters, remember, no matter what you are going through today, know that Jesus loves you. Morning by morning there are new mercies! All that we have needed, God provided before we knew what we needed! He is faithful. He gives us strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow! What a wonderful loving Father we serve!
Benediction:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)
***God Bless you! Anytime you would like prayer or if you have a prayer request, I am only a phone call or e-mail message away. I look forward to hearing from you. Have a safe and blessed Lord’s day.
– Pastor Stephen Wheaton
