“Glorious Resurrection!” April 8, 2012

O Glorious Resurrection! Our Eternal Life depended upon Jesus coming forth from the grave. When He said “I Am the Resurrection and the life,” there was in Him abundant Life for ever more!  To give us life, He sacrificed; He suffered, and ultimately surrendered His life on earth that we might have an Eternal home; That we too might be victorious over death and arrive in the heavenlies to ever be with Him, His Father, and the Holy Ghost. So many Glorious things happened in His life on earth, so many teachings, so many lessons learned.  Our whole existence relies upon His life on earth.  It was Jesus’ desire to bring forth a Blood bought Church. Ephesians 5:27 declares:  ‘That He might present a Glorious church, without spot, or wrinkle, with out blemish.’ Glorious, defined talks about magnificent beauty and splendor … Because of His Sacrificed life, the Church is beautiful, wonderful, magnificent in Glorious splendor!  Of course we realize that the Church is the saints of God, we are beautiful, to our Lord! Glorious also means, “Possessing Deserved Glory!” No wonder all Glory and Praise goes to the Son of the Living God! Matthew 16:7 tells us, “The Son of man shall come in the Glory of His Father with His angels.” This is something that all humanity desires to understand … the Glory of God!  Jesus speaks to His Father at the final preparations for Resurrection … In John 17:4-5 “I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest Me to do. And now, O Father, Glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the Glory which I had with Thee before the world was.” Let us meditate upon that statement; Jesus’ desire was to finish His work, that He might return to the Glory of the Father that was in the beginning. Only Eternity will reveal the Glorious Gift that Jesus has given to us!  The splendor of heaven, the possessed Glory of the Father which is bestowed upon Jesus as He comes forth from the grave.  Jesus possesses the Glory of the Father and He lives in us! We are so special to our heavenly Father and to His most Honoured Son, that He would desire to invest His Glory in us!  Hear Jesus Pray to the Father … in John 17:22-23  “The Glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are One: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in One; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast Loved them, as Thou hast Loved Me.”  Now we His people look forward to that Blessed Hope, and Glorious appearing of our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ! May you experience a Glorious Resurrection today!  Loving you Pastor

“Lamp of Prayer” April 1, 2012

As the Lord’s Week of Passion begins, let us turn our hearts toward Jesus and His Sacrifice upon the Cross of Calvary. Let us take special time this coming week to do something that will Bless the Lord, something out of the ordinary as we look forward to Resurrection Sunday.  We are blessed that you have joined us today in worship!

  

“For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the Salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.”  Isaiah 62:1       

Again we look at “Blessing the Lord!”  This is our goal, our quest, and we are strongly reminded of it as we come into this Week of Jesus Passion. I am challenged to worship more, pray more, read my Bible more, reach out to other more… to be mindful of those who are less fortunate than I, and to offer encouragement more often to those around me.  Today we are lighting the Lamp of Prayer in our Lord’s House. There are many reasons for this: but most of all we remember Jesus powerful and sorrowful words when He said;  “…Why sleep ye? rise and Pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” C Luke 22:46 A cry goes forth from the heaven, “Awake, awake: put on thy strength …” Such strength comes with a relationship with our God.  We grow in our relationship with the Father when we communicate with Him in Prayer, in Worship, in Praise, and in Ministering to others, C ‘like loving our neighbors as our self!’  I love the Passage of Scripture where Jesus took the three disciples with Him to the mountain and there they beheld the vision of Jesus talking with Moses and Elias/Elijah. In the glory of such a moment St. Luke reveals [9:30-32] that in their fear … [Matt. 17:6] “they fall heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw His Glory!” We are placing the Lamp in the Sanctuary today, to call us to Prayer, to a greater dedication, that we might be awaken to His Glory!  That we might win in the battle, the struggle against temptation.  Gideon won the battle with pitchers that held Lamps. Our ‘vessels’ [pitchers] must be filled with the Light of God so that our Lamps light the path before us and we are beacon to the lost.  I hear the Song of Solomon calling, “Arise my love, and come away.”  Come away from the fears of today, the things of this world, and come into My presence and I will sup with thee!  Awaken my heart O Lord!   Loving you, Pastor

“Come Bless The Lord!” March 25, 2012

Welcome to the Holy Lenten Season in the midst of the Commerce Family.  We trust that you have plans to commemorate our Lord and Savoiur as we approach the Friday of Darkness, the day of our Lord’s death. You are always welcome in this House of the Lord!  We are blessed that you have come to worship with us today!

 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” – Heb. 4:15

There are many thoughts when we bring up the subject of “Blessing the Lord!” In Christianity today, we need to have a deeper thought life!  As we meditate upon a Passage of Scripture, our thoughts will be guided by the Holy Spirit. He is the illuminator of God’s Word. The Holy Ghost is gentle and easily grieved. When we hurriedly give some thought to Scripture or breath a few sentences of worship as we go about our daily schedule, it does not give appropriate time for the Holy Ghost to prompt us to deeper meanings of God’s Word.  Please know that the Holy Ghost can work under any condition, He is the Spirit of God!  However to come into the sacred thoughts of Scripture and to see the depth of what is saying, one must ponder the Passage, and meditate upon it. We need to give “contemplation” room in our spiritual life.  Contemplation is a mental exercise. It is moments wherein we consider what we are reading, and give attention to it in a personal way. Meditating upon God’s Word, contemplating what He is saying to us will bring us into a higher level of Spiritual Awareness. The world is all about ‘new age’ and meditation, but this is not what I am talking about. To meditate upon God’s Word is a truly spiritual quest as we seek the heart of God, to ‘Bless Him;’ by searching for Him with all our heart.  Worshipping Christ is awesome and greatly desired of our Father God who loved Him so much that He would Sacrifice His Only Begotten Son that we might have Eternal Life! In this Holy Season of Lent, we focus on God’s Love, Jesus Sacrifice, and our awareness of more of Spiritual depth in our life.  Loving God, and Praising Jesus is where “Blessing the Lord” begins, but from there our life flows out to others.  It is in the “ACTION” of showing the Love of Jesus wherein we continue to Bless the Lord.  Hear His Words from Matthew 25:34-40; “…in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me!”  Share your life in Jesus ~Loving you, Pastor