This weekend the choir will resume their ministry to our congregation as they sing the prayer "Hear Our Praises". Some of the text of this wonderful anthem says, “May our homes be filled with dancing, may our streets be filled with joy. May injustice bow to Jesus as the people turn to pray.” I stopped during our read-through of this last week and challenged the choir with this vision…
Wouldn’t it be a blessing if people across the nation instead of reading about football players or partying running rampant in our city, they could read about dancing filling our homes, joy filling the streets, injustice bowing to Jesus, BECAUSE GOD’S PEOPLE TURNED TO PRAY? What a demonstration of the mercy of God! As we heard on Sunday morning in the video from
Isn't that the mode of missions, showing and proclaiming the mercy of God? While we can use language that communicates the truth, we must also live lives that confirm our words. When we truly love others, we will reach out to them with the love of Jesus, extending hope and healing in Jesus to souls torn apart by sin.
The text of the anthem continues, “From the mountain to the valley, hear our praises rise to You; From the heavens to the nations hear our singing fill the air…Hallelujah!” What appropriate words for a bunch of mountaineers to sing. Let our praise rise to You, then echo to the nations. Give glory to God and let others know of Him. That is what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:12, 16b “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Start out praising God for who He is and what He has done, then let your deeds echo the praise of your lips through acts of mercy.
Both lips and lives saying, Hallelujah, praise You, Lord!
In Christ,
Pastor Scott
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