To give thanks and praise to You, oh God, is the joy of my heart.
And how can it not be?
You gave me Jesus to redeem me from my sins.
You defeated sin, Satan and the power of death through the cross.
You gave me the hope of everlasting Life through the empty tomb.
You showed incredible love, grace and mercy to an obstinate sinner.
Holy God, You are so worthy of worship and praise. Time and capacity prohibits me from naming all the reasons. But, I look forward to the day when I will have eternity to name the reasons to praise You.
How can one not praise You?
How can one not raise their hands to You?
How can anyone not fall on their knees in worship of You?
It’s because they do not know You – help me to know You more that my praise of You will bring You more and more glory.
Receive my praise – for it is the joy of my heart.
Joy
Christ-Drenched Joy
Today, Living Word Lutheran Church is excited. We are excited that we are redeemed by God our Father through Christ Jesus our Lord. We are excited that through faith in Jesus, our sins are forgiven and thus everlasting life is ours. We are excited to be serving an awesome God. We are excited that we live in a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We are excited that Satan has been defeated. We are excited that we are children of God. We are excited and drenched in joy.
…and oh by the way…we are excited that we are worshiping (for the first time) in our new building 🙂
To God be the glory!!!
The following is a little something I wrote for Holy Communion on this 3rd Sunday of Advent — JOY.
Yes! Oh Yes! It is right and our pleasure to worship you, to give You thanks and to make much of You, oh God. It is our joy to sing of Your mighty deeds. Through Jesus Christ Your son – the Messiah – You redeemed a lost and broken people through his death and resurrection. You reconciled us back to You and gave us Life. You healed that which the serpent broke and restored that which was lost. Holy Father, Your power is great. Your mercy is wide. You grace is abundant. Fill us again and again with your Spirit to overflowing that Joy may exude from us without end. May the world be drenched in love and be swept away in Your never-ending life. And so, it is our pleasure to join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise.
Hope-Filled Heart
Merry Advent everyone! That’s right, Advent is here but better yet, Jesus is coming. No, not some earthly birthday party where presents are exchanged in celebration, but rather our King is coming – here – soon – to bring his Church home.
That’s the joy in my heart.
That’s the excitement in my soul.
That’s the longing of my heart – my hope.
So join me in worship as we sing praises to God our Father through Christ Jesus the Lord.
Father in heaven, it is fitting and natural to sing Your praises at all times and in all places as joy overflows from our hearts. You sent Jesus to be born in our likeness – to take on our frail form and then to suffer and die, only to shatter the fetters of death that we may be free. And now we anxiously await Jesus – this time to gather his church for an all-out banquet feast as we engage in uninhibited worship of You, oh God, with all the saints. And so, we prepare our hearts to receive our King as we join with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing our joy-filled refrains of praise to You.
Adventing
Everybody is waiting for something:
Sales
Opportunities
Meaning
Healing
Everyone is waiting,
and waiting,
for something.
Waiting anxiously
Waiting hopefully
Waiting expectantly
But how time is wasted waiting wrongly?
How much energy is expended?
How much hope is drained?
Dashed hopes
Wait on Jesus and you won’t be disappointed.
Hope
Peace
Joy
Love
Wait on Jesus
The Reason for Christmas
Holy Father,
As we inch ever closer to Christmas,
we are reminded that the point of all our preparations is
to worship our Savior,
Jesus,
who was born to die for us.
Many have suggested that Christmas has nothing to do with death,
but without the death and resurrection of Jesus,
we are left with nothing;
no hope,
no peace,
no JOY.
May the JOY of the Advent season fill our lives
so much so,
that Jesus radiates from us
and therefore brings You glory.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
JOY
Holy God,
we are ever reminded that
the JOY of this season is not found in
gifts
or food
or decorating.
Our JOY is not in
stuff
or vacations
or even in our families.
True and unending
JOY is found only in
Jesus;
something that can not be taken away
by anything
or anyone
of this world.
May that JOY overflow in abundance
that you may be glorified through our lives.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Yours
Holy God,
Yours is the glory and honor and praise.
Yours is the Kingdom forever more.
You said a word and creation sprang forth.
You breathed breath and life sprang up.
And therefore, oh God, I ascribe all worship onto You,
oh sovereign King and Lord.
And so it is with great joy that I appeal to You this day.
It is with great joy that I fall into Your hands.
It is with great joy that I hope in You.
Bless my words and deeds
that everything about me points to You.
May I not seek advise from men but rather call out to You.
May I not worry and fret but rather find peace in You.
May Your Kingdom come.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Christmas, Enough Said
Waiting
Anticipation
Excitement
Joy
Celebration
Fellowship with family and friends
Worship
CHRISTMAS!
But…
What are you waiting for?
What are you anticipating?
Why are you excited?
What is causing your joy?
What and why are you celebrating?
Why are you in fellowship?
Who/what do you worship?
You see…
The answers to the above questions vary for some. For some Christmas is about the wrong answers. For some Christmas is about the wrong reasons. For some Christmas is about worshiping false gods. For some Christmas is nothing more than a holiday for which you get time off from work or school.
But…
Christmas is about Jesus; born for you, who later died for you, and then rose from the dead for you. Christmas is about hope, peace, love and joy. Without Jesus, Christmas is not Christmas.
Christmas
Jesus
Enough said.
The Pastor -|—
.blog
Hey all,
The Heart of a Pastor is now the owner of http://www.heartofapastor.blog. Â I decided to streamline my blog address as the new .blog domain names just became available. This shouldn’t mess people up (too much). I believe my old (and longer) address will redirect you to my site.
In any case, nothing is changing with this site, just the shorter address. So to close, I am not going to leave with you just an administrative update but rather with the Word of God:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13
Have a great day 🙂
The Pastor -|—
Joy, Peace and Hope
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. [Romans 15:13]
This is the reason I publish posts on this blog.
This is what motivates me to preach week in and week out.
This is what is on my mind and heart when I prepare a lesson plan or Bible study.
This is why I can get feisty, at times, on Facebook and Twitter.
And…
This should be what guides all our interactions with people day in and day out.
You see…
People are desperately looking for joy and peace and therefore will place their hope in almost anything in order to find said joy and peace.
[Maybe this describes you. In a way it describes all people.]
Often times that hope is greatly misplaced. It might be through diving yourself into an activity or living vicariously through your children; carting them around to every and any athletic competition. This joy and peace seeking may be through a relationship that is anything but God-glorifying. Maybe joy and peace for you are found through financial means or through physical pleasure. But none of these hope place keepers will fulfill what a person is looking for. It will ALWAYS leave you lacking and simply (and dangerously) lead you down a path of destruction; away from THE God of hope.
So when I see this it saddens my heart.
But if the God of Hope has filled you with HIS joy and peace in believing that Jesus Christ has died and risen for you, that your sins may be forgiven, then that hope should drive you to reach out to others.
And be feisty, if necessary (and in a God-loving way of course)
If you have not been filled with this joy and peace (and even if you have been), then hear (I mean, read this):
You are a sinner without hope.
Without Jesus you WILL die and stay dead.
But…
Jesus Christ died FOR YOU.
Jesus Christ rose FOR YOU.
And through faith in him your sins (all your sins) are forgiven.
Therefore…
you will not stay dead but live with him forever.
That is, of course, if you have placed your faith in Jesus.
So…
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing this Good News, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Stop you futile search of joy and peace in this world and seek the God of hope through Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Pastor -|—
The Heart of a Pastor 