For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.” Matthew 11:18-19 NKJV
We had a beautiful time yesterday, worshipping together at Watermark Assisted Living. With many new people coming recently for our Sunday afternoon sessions, it is almost hard to remember a few years ago when only one or two would show up. “Jesus What a Friend for Sinners”, written by John Chapman and published in 1910, is an older hymn that not all of my friends were familiar with, but I have grown to love singing it both because of its honest message and its hauntingly beautiful melody. The song reminds me of what John Newton is reported to have said in his old age, ““Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”
This is the day that the Lord has made;let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 ESV
No matter what the calendar says, or what is happening in our world, we can always join in with King David by saying, “This is the Day that the Lord has made!” I hope you will enjoy our sing along at the Life Care Center a few weeks back.
This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24 NKJV
That is a question that friends ask, doctors ask and that we all want to know. But whether we recall the date or not: no matter the season: This is the Day That the Lord Has made! I hope you enjoy this living little opening medley of two of our favorite choruses. This is the Day and Thy Loving Kindness seem to be big hits with the residents at Life Care Center and I hope that you will enjoy listening and maybe even sing along!
And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. Genesis 1:16
In many hymns we sing about how great God is, and especially in the song, “How Great Thou Art.” Those lyrics remind me of my Sunday afternoons, when I was a small boy. For some reason, my parents decided that Sunday afternoons were a great time for me to memorize Genesis chapter one. I’m not sure if they really cared so much about me learning scripture, of if they just figured it was good discipline for a busy nine-year-old. While I slogged through the process, I was always quite impressed with the verse that said: “And God said let there be light.” and POW- there was light! I imagined God’s Spirit moving over vast dark ocean waves while God wrestled with the mysterious elements of the creation. I could just picture how after the light, came the oceans, then fish, birds, animals and finally man. After reading about all of God’s impressive accomplishments, we come to the tail end of verse sixteen, where it says, “He made the stars also.” This final act of creation is added almost as an afterthought, but today, after more than 60 years I know that in that snippet of a verse when God spoke, that trillions and trillions of stars came exploding into the universe. At those times when I see the enormity of God’s creation, the words of the hymn come back, “I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder.” and I am stunned that our mighty creator God has chosen to love people like you and me. Though we cannot with even our most advanced instruments see the farthest star, God calls every one of them by name and He calls us by name as well. Then this mighty loving creator God paused, took a deep breath, and then “He made the stars also!”
I see the stars; I hear the rolling thunder.
His power throughout the universe displayed.How Great Thou Art by Carl Boberg 1886
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork .
Psalm 19:1 NKJV
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