Proclaiming the Lord's Death

We Worship God
A Guide for Worship Leaders:
Remembering Jesus Christ


1 Corinthians 11:23-33 (The Message)  ^23-26Let me go over with you again exactly what goes on in the Lord's Supper and why it is so centrally important. I received my instructions from the Master himself and passed them on to you. The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. Having given thanks, he broke it and said,

   This is my body, broken for you.
   Do this to remember me.
After supper, he did the same thing with the cup:
   This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you.
   Each time you drink this cup, remember me.
What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt.
 ^27-28Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of "remembrance" you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe.
 ^29-32If you give no thought (or worse, don't care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you're running the risk of serious consequences. That's why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won't have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.
 ^33-34So, my friends, when you come together to the Lord's Table, be reverent and courteous with one another. If you're so hungry that you can't wait to be served, go home and get a sandwich. But by no means risk turning this Meal into an eating and drinking binge or a family squabble. It is a spiritual meal—a love feast.
   The other things you asked about, I'll respond to in person when I make my next visit.
.
For Reflection
Remember Jesus.  Remember Him, not just the figure on the cross.  Remember Him as he walked among us.  Remember Him as he healed the sick;  Remember Him as he befriended the outcast.  Remember the teacher.  Remember the transforming power of His touch.  Remember His words of comfort.  Remember His prayers.  Remember His resurrection.  Remember His promise of everlasting life.  Remember.

Pray
that you never forget the promise that is Jesus Christ.

Now Is the Day of Salvation

We Worship God
A Guide for Worship Leaders:
Remembering Jesus Christ

2 Corinthians 6:1-10 (The Message)Staying at Our Post
 ^1-10Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don't squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us,
   I heard your call in the nick of time;
   The day you needed me, I was there to help.
Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don't put it off; don't frustrate God's work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we're doing. Our work as God's servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we're beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we're telling the truth, and when God's showing his power; when we're doing our best setting things right; when we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.

For Reflection
Paul calls for us to give in to the Living God -- to show up!
How many times have you approached the revelation of your transformed self apologetically?  This is not so much a condemnation of your Christian practice but an acknowledgment that even in our easy society which is relatively free from persecution, life confronts us, sometimes harshly.  Life in Christ is not easy. But Christ is with you to help you ease the pain and to urge you gently into righteousness.
Sit quietly for awhile.  Listen for Christ talk.

Pray
for the courage to show up.  Pray that you hear Christ's voice of comfort, praise and guidance.  Pray for the transforming power of God to pass the Grace into you and through you.  Pray for quiet patience to hear His answer.

Remembering Jesus' Sacrifice

We Worship God
A Guide for Worship Leaders:
Remembering Jesus Christ

Matthew 26:17-30 (The Message)

The Traitor

 ¹⁷On the first of the Days of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Where do you want us to prepare your Passover meal?" ^18-19He said, "Enter the city. Go up to a certain man and say, 'The Teacher says, My time is near. I and my disciples plan to celebrate the Passover meal at your house.'" The disciples followed Jesus' instructions to the letter, and prepared the Passover meal.
 ^20-21After sunset, he and the Twelve were sitting around the table. During the meal, he said, "I have something hard but important to say to you: One of you is going to hand me over to the conspirators."
 ²²They were stunned, and then began to ask, one after another, "It isn't me, is it, Master?"
 ^23-24Jesus answered, "The one who hands me over is someone I eat with daily, one who passes me food at the table. In one sense the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery well-marked by the Scriptures—no surprises here. In another sense that man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man—better never to have been born than do this!"
 ²⁵Then Judas, already turned traitor, said, "It isn't me, is it, Rabbi?"
   Jesus said, "Don't play games with me, Judas."

The Bread and the Cup

 ^26-29During the meal, Jesus took and blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples:

   Take, eat.
   This is my body.
Taking the cup and thanking God, he gave it to them:

   Drink this, all of you.
   This is my blood,
   God's new covenant poured out for many people
      for the forgiveness of sins.
"I'll not be drinking wine from this cup again until that new day when I'll drink with you in the kingdom of my Father." ³⁰They sang a hymn and went directly to Mount Olives.

For Reflection
Yet another part of the mystery that is Jesus Christ!  It has been believed that once consumed the elements of communion were transformed in our bodies to the actual flesh and blood of our Savior.  We are hard pressed to believe that today.  But What if it were true?  How would it change your concept of communion?  How would it affect your every day obedience to God's call?

I suspect that it is well enough that we share the cup with the living Christ in this world as a reminder of the new covenant available to all humanity.  Whether the sacrament is actual, figurative, or symbolic,  its meaning is clear.   Communion is a memorial before God, of the transforming sacrifice on the cross once and for all. Celebrate the New Day!

Pray
that each time you share the bread and drink from the cup you re-commit your life to the living Christ.  Pray that you embrace this sacrament not only to remember the sacrifice of the Holy One, but also, to confirm your transformation in the Kingdom of God.

Our Savior

We Worship God
A Guide for Worship Leaders:
Remembering Jesus Christ

Titus 3:1-7 (The Message)

He Put Our Lives Together
 ^1-2Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God's people should be bighearted and courteous. ^3-8It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.

For Reflection
"...hated and hated back."  It's true, we are some times caught in the whirlpool of hate, a downward spiral of retaliation which engrosses us and rots the soul.  There is more to life than the agony of self-centeredness apart from God.

Who among us will break these death spirals?  Who will take the first radical step and have the courage to say, "It stops here, right now, with me?"   Now that you know the saving grace that is God in Jesus Christ, only you can stop.  Love is contagious.

Pray
for wisdom to break the downward spirals of sin.  Pray for the courage to fight the instinct for retaliation.  Pray to listen to God inside you.  Pray for the courage to reject self and embrace God-centered agape.

Worship Inspires Service

We Worship God
A Guide for Worship Leaders:
Worship Inspires Service

1 Timothy 5:1-8, 5:17-22 (The Message)

The Family of Faith

 ^1-2Don't be harsh or impatient with an older man. Talk to him as you would your own father, and to the younger men as your brothers. Reverently honor an older woman as you would your mother, and the younger women as sisters. ^3-8Take care of widows who are destitute. If a widow has family members to take care of her, let them learn that religion begins at their own doorstep and that they should pay back with gratitude some of what they have received. This pleases God immensely. You can tell a legitimate widow by the way she has put all her hope in God, praying to him constantly for the needs of others as well as her own. But a widow who exploits people's emotions and pocketbooks—well, there's nothing to her. Tell these things to the people so that they will do the right thing in their extended family. Anyone who neglects to care for family members in need repudiates the faith. That's worse than refusing to believe in the first place.
 ^17-18Give a bonus to leaders who do a good job, especially the ones who work hard at preaching and teaching. Scripture tells us, "Don't muzzle a working ox" and "A worker deserves his pay."
 ¹⁹Don't listen to a complaint against a leader that isn't backed up by two or three responsible witnesses.
 ²⁰If anyone falls into sin, call that person on the carpet. Those who are inclined that way will know right off they can't get by with it.
 ^21-23God and Jesus and angels all back me up in these instructions. Carry them out without favoritism, without taking sides. Don't appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily. If a person is involved in some serious sins, you don't want to become an unwitting accomplice. In any event, keep a close check on yourself. And don't worry too much about what the critics will say. Go ahead and drink a little wine, for instance; it's good for your digestion, good medicine for what ails you.

For Reflection
Not all who request assistance are in need of assistance.  But for those who are truly in need, give freely.  Jumping to hasty conclusions and listening with out question rumors of misdeeds leads to sin.  Not acknowledging good work is rude and counter productive.  Enjoy life, even a little wine.  Some will fall to sin.  Help them up.

Pray
that you will listen to God's guidance to live an honorable and admirable life.  Pray that you will guide others to dot he same.

Assisting Widows

We Worship God
A Guide for Worship Leaders:
Worship Inspires Service

1 Timothy 5:9-16 (The Message)
 ^9-10Sign some widows up for the special ministry of offering assistance. They will in turn receive support from the church. They must be over sixty, married only once, and have a reputation for helping out with children, strangers, tired Christians, the hurt and troubled.
 ^11-15Don't put young widows on this list. No sooner will they get on than they'll want to get off, obsessed with wanting to get a husband rather than serving Christ in this way. By breaking their word, they're liable to go from bad to worse, frittering away their days on empty talk, gossip, and trivialities. No, I'd rather the young widows go ahead and get married in the first place, have children, manage their homes, and not give critics any foothold for finding fault. Some of them have already left and gone after Satan.
 ¹⁶Any Christian woman who has widows in her family is responsible for them. They shouldn't be dumped on the church. The church has its hands full already with widows who need help.

For Reflection
Well now isn't that interesting!  In those days losing a husband was losing everything.  There was no doubt that they needed assistance.  The question was, "what kind of assistance and who should provide it?" Think about the characteristics of the widow ministers.  What kind of job description would you write for them?  Why does age matter?  Why married only once?  What characterizes their qualities as a helping person?
Putting a younger woman in a position that she might mass guilt by failing in the eyes of God is a worse way of helping.  The need to a part of a household is so powerful that it replaces the prime motive, serving God. Young widows are not to be condemned but, rather, encouraged to find fulfilling lives in more appropriate directions.   Who are the widow's in your life?  What is the difference between enabling them and helping them?

Pray
for divine guidance in your helping relationships.  Pray for wisdom that shuns judgment.  Pray for insight that helps others discover their gifts and rejoice in them.

A Widow's Gift

We Worship God
A Guide for Worship Leaders

Mark 12:41-44 (The Message)
 ^41-44Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, "The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all."

For Reflection
What is your two cents worth?  Have you given extravagantly to the mission of the Lord?  Have you sacrificed your self completely?

Pray
that you rise above your old self and embrace the new you.  Pray to explore the extreme regions of the new you.  Pray that you will recognize the Christ in you and listen to His gentle encouragement.