Meg White and Youth Group January 1, 2012
Meg: Good Morning Everyone, it is wonderful to be here with you on the first day of our New Year 2012! Happy New Year’s Day to you and thank you for joining us in worship this morning! The Bible offers a lot of advice about how we as Christians can live the good life…whether we are facing challenges, or joyful times.
What I love about the Bible is that often, the advice is timeless. It can feel like it was written just for us, for the moment in time that we are going thru. It’s got wonderful history in it about our ancestors and the roots of Christianity, it has words of encouragement, and it challenges us to be more like Christ. Of course it has some unsettling things in it too, murder, greed and revenge, but we’re not going to talk about that today. The Bible was put together by people like you and me who wanted to give future generations a way to remember the stories of their faith. Those stories and words of wisdom guided and led generations from long ago, and they can encourage and guide us still today. So, take a journey with us this morning as we share quotes from others, pieces of wisdom from the Bible, and music!
Following each of our scripture readings we will sing a song that compliments what we’ve shared from the Bible, and quotes. You are welcome to join us in singing; in fact we’d love it if you did! The words will be on the screen, enjoy!
Kim: - Picture of Peace:
Peace: “We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of Peace.” - William Ewart Gladstone. John – 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift------ peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So, don’t be troubled or afraid.”
Hymn: Peace like a River
Hattie: Picture of Thankfulness:
Thankfulness: “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say thank you?”- William A. Ward
Hebrews – 13:5 “Be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Hymn: Give Thanks with a Thankful Heart
Ben: Picture of Comfort:
Comfort: “God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.” - Author unknown
John – 14:18 “I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.”
Song: Lean on Me
Emily: Picture of Prayer:
Prayer: Mathew – 6:6 “When you pray, go away by yourself, all alone, and shut the door behind you and pray to your Father secretly, and your Father who knows your secrets, will reward you”
Hymn: Sanctuary
Katie: Picture of Light:
Light: “Never dull your shine for somebody else. – Tyra Banks
Mathew – 5:14-16 “You’re here to be light, bringing out the God colors in the world; God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hill top, on a light stand, shine!”
Hymn: Shine Jesus Shine
Rachel and Kaitlyn: Picture of Blessed
Blessed: Mathew – 5:3-9 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less there is more of God’s rule. You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you, only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are- no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.”
“You’re blessed when you care. At that moment of being care-full, you find yourselves cared for. You’re blessed when you get your inside world, your mind and your heart put right, then you can see God in the outside world. You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.”
Hymn: Blest Are They
Savannah: Picture of Hope
Hope: “At the point where hope would otherwise become hopelessness, it becomes faith.” - Robert Brault
Romans –15:4 “Hope is an adventure, a going forward- a confident search for a rewarding life. Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Hymn: Lord of All Hopefulness
Kaylee: Picture of Love
Love: “Love one another and you will be happy. It’s as simple and as difficult as that.” - Michael Leunig
1 Corinthians – 13:13: “There are three things that will endure- faith, hope, and love- and the greatest of these is love.”
Hymn: They Will Know We Are Christian By Our Love
Meg: Peace, thankfulness, comfort, prayer, light, hope and love are just a small part of the Bible, written so long ago and still prudent to our lives today. I haven’t always been real good about reading the Bible. I can’t tell you the number of times I have tried to get on a daily schedule of reading, only to get off track in a month or two. However, that doesn’t stop me from continuing to try. I am constantly amazed at how the scripture verses I read for the day are right on target for what I’m dealing with in my life. The time I spend in the Bible is such a blessing for me. It challenges me to grow in my faith, to ask questions and to learn new things, it allows me to carve out time just for me and God, and it reaffirms God’s love for me.
So, it’s New Year’s Day and time to start thinking about resolutions! Now, I’m not generally a fan of New Years resolutions, mostly because I haven’t really been able to stick with what it is I think I should do, But that doesn’t stop me from continuing to try. What is the saying, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! What if this year our resolution was to make God a bigger priority in our lives? What if we made a conscious effort to spend time nourishing our faith, whether that’s reading the Bible, meditating, walking in nature, singing songs of praise, or meeting with friends? What might our lives look like? How might that change our world?
I know when I make God a priority in my life I am a much better person. I am slower to anger, more patient, understanding, loving and compassionate. I am in tune to the miracles that surround me, like: the sun rise in the morning, the stars in the night sky, the friend who is there to give me a hug just when I need it most, the food we have to eat when so many others haven’t had any nourishment at all, the warm house we have to live in and the gift of family and friends. I am thankful for what I have instead of always thinking that I need more. In fact, I kind of like the person I am when I’m in touch with my Creator! I bet you know what I mean…..
We are extremely blessed to be a part of a church that is constantly pushing us out of our comfort zones and giving us the opportunity to put our faith in action! The sound team, the worship team, the choir, the sound booth, the hospitality team, our wonderful pastors, the worship coordinators, the altar guild, our children, youth and young adult ministries all work together to make St. Paul’s a place where you can come to worship, make friends, sing, grow in your faith and then…… to nudge us out into the world. God calls us to bring his kingdom here on earth. So, my friends how will we make God a priority in our lives this new year? Will we become involved in Family Promise, serve meals to the homeless, play bingo in the nursing homes, read with a child, will we spend five minutes in prayer and make youth group, classes and church a priority? Will we go on a mission trip; will we stand up for those who are oppressed and burdened? The list goes on and on. What will you do?
As you make God a priority in your life…you will begin to see the gifts that come from a relationship with our loving Creator. Gifts that are for all of us….Peace, thankfulness, comfort, prayer, hope, love and so much more. These are the gifts that money can’t buy, these are the gifts that fill us and allow us to walk through our days, the good times and the bad. They are for all of us. That’s the beauty of God’s grace! God loves each of us and wants to have a relationship with us. All we have to do is reach out and take God’s hand! How will you do that this year?
Hymn: Precious Lord Take My Hand
