Show Us Christ

Sunday morning retuning: Celebrating God’s Glorious Gift of Marriage Sunday with our mass renewal ceremony was so neat!  To see about 120 couples renew their commitment to each other was very encouraging.  I pray for those who were watching that whether single, married, divorced or widowed, they were able to hear God speak to them about His design for this sacred covenant.

Last Wednesday and Thursday I gathered in the sanctuary with the Engage and Transcend bands respectively to lay down their portions of the upcoming North-Mar Worship CD “Show Us Your Glory”.  It was a lot of hard work to prepare and execute our different responsibilities, but things went very well.  Thank you for praying. 

I asked each of the bands to pray through those two nights that we would know God’s glory in our midst as we made music, and I believe we did.  I was especially aware of this at one particular moment.  As we prepare to begin our fall preaching series by taking up again our “One Step Behind Jesus” journey through Luke, it is especially fitting that we consider the song which caused me to become so aware of God’s glory.

It is called “Show Us Christ”. Although the entire song is a beautiful prayer for God to reveal His glory through the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, the chorus really drives this home.  It says, “Show Us Christ/show us Christ/O God reveal Your glory/through the preaching of Your Word/until every heart confesses Christ is Lord.”  It focuses particularly on preaching as a means by which God reveals His glory.

I hope this is not a new thought to you, but if it is that’s OK.  The point of preaching, as I have heard it said, is not information, but transformation.  Another story I have heard tells of a statement etched into the pulpit of a church somewhere which echoes the cry of every earnest heart, “We would see Jesus?” which in itself is a paraphrase from John 12:21.

One of our female voices was singing the lead on this and so I was free to pray without the distraction of having to sing.  Though this is a simple song, it is powerful in its simple plea.  As she sang I felt God’s presence, and not just for us in those moments, but for people who would be challenged to echo this prayer and see preaching accordingly, as a way for God to reveal His glory through Christ.

As we enter this series this fall that is my prayer.  You can hear the full song at this link Show Us Christ.  Listen, and pray, and let’s expect God to answer, this Sunday and every Sunday, as His Word is preached.

Jesus, we want to see You and in You the glory of the Father.  Use preaching this Sunday and every Sunday as a way to do that.  We want to see Your glory.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy