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Giving Thanks

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Colossians 3:15-17 says: 
"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
 
I recently spoke to our Rooted group on this passage and was really impacted by the repetition of the thankfulness theme. This passage, I had thought, was about how we can be faithful members of the Body of Christ...that we seek to do everything for God's glory, that we be sure to come together to be taught about God and to sing to him using a variety of songs to express the wide variety of amazing truths we know about Him and what He's done for us. 
 
But in looking at it these past weeks, what stands out to me is the Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, emphasizes one thing above the others. There's only one thing he says three times in these three verses. He says to be thankful three times. 
 
In the midst of encouraging the people to rehearse the Gospel when they come together; In the midst of encouraging them to be accountable to admonish and teach one another so as to have the Word of Christ dwelling richly in them; In the midst of instructing them to worship the Lord corporately and to do so with all the biblical means available to them; Paul keeps emphasizing this one thing...be thankful.
 
As we enter Thanksgiving week, I want to hear that exhortation afresh. I want to grow in being thankful. Thankful to God for the Gospel and the Word. Thankful to God for great pastors who teach us his Word. Thankful to God for the joy of freely expressing worship to the Lord together with his Body. 
 
Let's be thankful this week. But let's not just be thankful this week. Let's make it a lifestyle. Let's be a people marked by thankfulness as we seek to live out the other commands outlined in this passage.
 
Let's come into his presence with thankfulness this Sunday ready to praise the Lord for all He is and all He's done.
 
Here are the songs and Scriptures that will make up our service this week.
 
Call to Worship from Colossians 3:15-17
Come Praise and Glorify
Amen
How Deep the Father's Love 
Communion
At the Cross
 
Here's a Spotify Playlist of the songs.
Posted by Tim Payne with

Adopted to Worship

This Sunday, we will be participating in Orphan Sunday as a church. Orphan Sunday is intended to be a reminder to each of us that God calls us to play our part in caring for the fatherless in our midst. It's a reminder that there are those around us as well as around the world, who are helpless and in need, who have no means of earning or re-paying anything they are given. 
 
The plight of the orphan should evoke compassion in us. It should provoke us to action. And while the specifics of that action will vary, choosing simply not to act is not an option.
 
But there's something else Orphan Sunday should provoke in us: Worship. 
Seeing the plight of the orphan should remind us of our condition prior be adopted into the family of God our Father. We had no spiritual family. We had no ability to way to change our condition. We had not hope of every repaying any provision made for us. And more than that, we didn't even realize we were orphans. We thought we were self-sufficient. We thought we had all we needed...and all the while, we were running away from the One Source of hope, of family, of provision that we would ever have.
 
We were orphans. All of us. And we had no hope. We were destitute. And our desperate condition was of our own creation. We weren't orphans because of a tragedy that happened TO us. We were orphans because of a tragedy that happened BY us.
 
And then the Father sent his one and only Son to make final and complete payment, at the cost of his life, so that we might be called children of God and fellow heirs with Christ.
 
We were all adopted. We didn't earn our place. We didn't have anything to offer prior to being adopted. And now, all we have to offer is our worship. As we come together on Orphan Sunday. Let's remember we were all orphans. Let's remember we've been adopted by the Father....adopted to worship.
 
Here are the songs and Scriptures that will form our services on Sunday:
 
Call to Worship from Psalm 68:4-5
How Great Is Our God
He is Our God
Amen
Here Is Love
Crowns
Orphan Sunday Sermon -various
 
Here's a Spotify Playlist of the songs.
Posted by Tim Payne with

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