But, I digress.
With the sermon all "done", I sat down this morning to go over it once last time. I had written: "Today's Psalm reminds us to sing our praises to God, and that the Lord changes our mourning into dancing and gives us joy."
Sometimes (more than "sometimes"), the words that are written speak into me just as much as through me. In blue ink, I wrote: "I need this reminder today. A dear friend in the Emmaus community passed away Wednesday. Her service was yesterday. And then a death of a 37 year old woman who loved Jesus happened yesterday." What I ended up sharing IN the sermon was more than those thoughts, but it connected.
Today was one of those days where it all seemed to connect. At least for me. I experienced the Holy Spirit today.
I hope others did too.
Here is the link to listen to the sermon: FOUMC May 5th: "Kingdom Perspective: Where Is Our Focus?"
I will include the links to the songs we sang, the Call to Worship (it is referenced in the sermon, but not in its entirety), and a photo of the bulletin cover.
Maybe there will be something for you in the songs, the words, the Scripture passage, or something.
Peace on your journey,
Debra
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“Kingdom Perspective: Where Is Our Focus?”
Psalm 30 (CEB)
May 5th, 2019 (Communion
Sunday/Native American Ministries Sunday/3rd Sunday of Easter)
Fort Oglethorpe UMC
Psalm 30 (CEB)
1I exalt you, Lord, because you pulled me
up;
you didn’t let my enemies celebrate over me.
2 Lord, my God, I cried out to you for help,
and you healed me.
3 Lord, you brought me up from the grave,
brought me back to life from among those going down to the pit.
you didn’t let my enemies celebrate over me.
2 Lord, my God, I cried out to you for help,
and you healed me.
3 Lord, you brought me up from the grave,
brought me back to life from among those going down to the pit.
4 You who are faithful to
the Lord,
sing praises to him;
give thanks to his holy name!
5 His anger lasts for only a second,
but his favor lasts a lifetime.
Weeping may stay all night,
but by morning, joy!
sing praises to him;
give thanks to his holy name!
5 His anger lasts for only a second,
but his favor lasts a lifetime.
Weeping may stay all night,
but by morning, joy!
6 When I was comfortable, I
said,
“I will never stumble.”
7 Because it pleased you, Lord,
you made me a strong mountain.
But then you hid your presence.
I was terrified.
8 I cried out to you, Lord.
I begged my Lord for mercy:
9 “What is to be gained by my spilled blood,
by my going down into the pit?
Does dust thank you?
Does it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Lord, listen and have mercy on me!
Lord, be my helper!”
“I will never stumble.”
7 Because it pleased you, Lord,
you made me a strong mountain.
But then you hid your presence.
I was terrified.
8 I cried out to you, Lord.
I begged my Lord for mercy:
9 “What is to be gained by my spilled blood,
by my going down into the pit?
Does dust thank you?
Does it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Lord, listen and have mercy on me!
Lord, be my helper!”
11 You changed my mourning
into dancing.
You took off my funeral clothes
and dressed me up in joy
12 so that my whole being
might sing praises to you and never stop.
Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
You took off my funeral clothes
and dressed me up in joy
12 so that my whole being
might sing praises to you and never stop.
Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS IS THE WORD OF GOD FOR
THE PEOPLE OF GOD.
THANKS BE TO GOD.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today is the 3rd Sunday in Easter. “He is risen.” (“He is risen, indeed.”)
Easter Sunday wasn’t the end.
It was the beginning. Have you
noticed how the disciples still had questions and doubts, even after Jesus did
what he said he was going to do?!?!
We can relate to that, can we not?!
As we live into the Easter season, today we are focusing on the
lectionary reading from Psalm 30. I
decided to go with the Psalms for the month of May.
Today’s Psalm reminds us to sing our praises to God, and that the
Lord changes our mourning into dancing and gives us joy.
Our special music today was “Trading My Sorrows”. How many of you knew that song or had at
least heard it before today? It is sung
by a variety of artists.
The lyrics you heard today:
I'm trading my
sorrows
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord
I'm trading my
sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord
And we say yes
Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes
Lord yes yes Lord Amen
I'm pressed but
not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy's gonna be my strength
Struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy's gonna be my strength
Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning
His joy comes with the morning
As we noted in our Call to Worship, “God hears us in our fear and
our sorrow.” “God leads us in a new way.” “God surprises us with fresh mercy.” “God invites us to step into a new dance.”
Do we believe that today?
If so, do we live it?
Verses 1-3 from
today’s passage:
1I exalt you, Lord,
because you pulled me up;
you didn’t let my enemies celebrate over me.
2 Lord, my God, I cried out to you for help,
and you healed me.
3 Lord, you brought me up from the grave,
brought me back to life from among those going down to the pit.
you didn’t let my enemies celebrate over me.
2 Lord, my God, I cried out to you for help,
and you healed me.
3 Lord, you brought me up from the grave,
brought me back to life from among those going down to the pit.
What is the author’s response to the healing and being brought
back from the pit?
It is expressed in verse 1—“I exalt you.” The Psalmist, David, begins with the response
and then goes on to share parts of the difficult journey.
Are we able to exalt and praise the Lord in response to our
difficult times? It isn’t easy, is
it? Yet, we can get there. We can get there because of
relationship. Because we have seen God
work in our lives before and we can trust God to continue working in us and
through us.
That’s why we can sing praises and exalt the name of the Lord.
Now, “Trading My Sorrows” may have been fairly new to most of you.
Let me go back to the 1980s with you. How many remember Amy Grant? I’m going to alienate some of the younger
folks probably, but she is coming to Chattanooga in the fall for a concert.
Does anyone remember her singing, “Sing Your Praise to the Lord”? Rich Mullins wrote it. I used to get
tongue-tied over that song, it went so fast in parts, especially the chorus:
Sing your praise to the Lord
C'mon everybody
Stand up and sing one more
Hallelujah
Give your praise to the Lord
I can never tell you
Just how much good that its
gonna do you just to...
C'mon everybody
Stand up and sing one more
Hallelujah
Give your praise to the Lord
I can never tell you
Just how much good that its
gonna do you just to...
Here’s a short clip from 2015—she slowed down a little from the 80s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX2KClfOmHw
(1:35)
By singing our praise to the Lord and exalting the Lord,
especially through the difficult times of life, helps us keep a kingdom
perspective. Our focus is on God, not on
the circumstances, not on our personal wants or desires, but on the kingdom.
Praise changes things.
We may still have to walk through the valley of the shadow of
death (or the valley of suck, as my colleague Rev. Ken Hagler refers to it and
that I’ve preached about in the past), but we know that God IS with us. And because of that, we are able to keep our
focus on God. More on the valley in next
week’s sermon (you can listen to the recording.)
Notice how David ends the Psalm in verses 11-12:
11 You changed my mourning into dancing.
You took off my funeral clothes
and dressed me up in joy
12 so that my whole being
might sing praises to you and never stop.
Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
You took off my funeral clothes
and dressed me up in joy
12 so that my whole being
might sing praises to you and never stop.
Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
What sorrows, what shame, what hurts, what……
What is it that holds you back or down?
What do you need to lay down before the Lord so that you can sing
your praises to the Lord with your whole being and never stop?
As we come to the table today to remember how much Jesus loves us,
may we lay down the things that keep us from being able to freely sing our
praises to the Lord.
May we trade our sorrow and shame for joy.
As we prepare our hearts and minds to come to the table, hear this
Psalm Prayer from Psalm 30 by Richard Eslinger from the Upper Room Worshipbook:
Psalm Prayer by Richard
Eslinger (#92A) in the Upper Room Worshipbook, 1985.
Loving God, you have always
been our help.
We cry to you and you
hear us.
You bring healing to your
people
and deliver us from death.
Our grief you have turned
to dancing
and our sorrow to joy.
Our hearts sing to you,
gracious God;
we will praise you for ever. Amen.
-----------------------------
Call to Worship:
L: Sing
praises to God, all you faithful ones
P: God
hears us in our fear and our sorrow
L: Where
there was no way
P: God
leads us in a new way
L: Where
there was no mercy
P: God
surprises us with fresh mercy
L: Where
there was weeping
P: God
invites us to step into a new dance.
~ Rev. Susan A. Blain,
Worship Ways website.
Opening Hymn: "Holy, Holy, Holy" UMH 64
Praise:
"Lord, I Lift Your Name on High"
"Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)"
Special Music for the day:
Closing Hymn: "It Is Well with My Soul" UMH 377 (v. 1)
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