Category Archives: Lord’s Day

The Greatest Drama Ever Staged is the Official Creed of Christendom

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The Person and Works of Christ by Jim LePage

This is the title of the first chapter of Dorothy Sayers’ book, Creed or Chaos? And in it she says,

 

“We are constantly assured that the churches that the churches are empty because preachers insist too much upon doctrine -“dull dogma,” as people call it. The fact is precise the opposite. It is the neglect of dogma that makes fur dullness. The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man -and the dogma is the drama.

That drama is summarized quiet clearly in the Creeds of the Church, and if we think it dull, it is because we either have never really read those amazing documents, or have them recited so often and so mechanically as to have lost all sense of their meaning. The plot pivots upon a single character, and the whole action is the answer to a single central problem: What think ye of Christ?”

 

  The Apostles Creed
 
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
   the Maker of heaven and earth,
   and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
 Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
        born of the virgin Mary,
         suffered under Pontius Pilate,
         was crucified, dead, and buried;
 He descended into Hades.
     On the third day He arose again from the dead;
     He ascended unto heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
    from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
 I believe in the Holy Ghost;
    the holy catholic church; the communion of saints;
    the forgiveness of sins;
    the resurrection of the body;
    and the life everlasting.
 Amen.


The Nicene Creed 
 I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible.
 And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of the Father before all worlds;
God of God,
Light of Light,
very God of very God;
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men and for our salvation,
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary,
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered and was buried;
and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;
and ascended into heaven,
and sits on the right hand of the Father;
and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life;
who proceeds from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified;
who spoke by the prophets.
 And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
May we recite this Lord’s Day our Creeds with all our hearts; and may we live the rest of the week accordingly to what we proclaim to believe.
Becky
Visit Jim LePage Art & Design Website

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 20-

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A prayer of intercession.

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!
Selah

May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfill all your plans!
May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy
heaven
with the saving might of his right
hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in
horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord
our God.
They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.

O Lord, save the king! May he answer us when we call.

Father, I come boldly before you in the name of Jesus. It is because of Him and through Him that I can come before you and be assured that you hear the voice of my prayer.

Your steadfast love, O Lord, is forever sure and your mercies new every morning. This morning, therefore,  I come before you to pray for my neighbor. That she might see your steadfast love and mercy anew in her life this day.

Answer to my friend’s prayer.  In the time of trouble she has seek your face and has not hidden from you. Her heart, her thoughts, her fears are before you. Oh Father, hear the voice of her prayer today.

She is troubled, her soul is heavy, she cries herself to sleep, and her troubles surround her day and night. Be her comforter. Be her protection, her support, her strength, her hiding place. Please, O God, answer her prayers according to your good will; she is your daughter, the apple of your eye, your child. Be with her today.

Lord you are full of mercy, and I pray that in your mercy you will remember her, remember all her prayers, her tears, her service to others, her love for your Word. Lord, let her know that you have not forsaken her. That you know the number of the hairs on her head.

Father, my friend has poured her heart before you many times. Her heart’s desires and plans are before you. Show her the way she should go. Bless her steps, and give her wisdom to decide the best in every circumstance. Lord, answer her. Please, Father, grant her the petitions of her heart, help her to wait patiently on you. May she shout for joy over your salvation and your glorious name.  May her rejoice in the God who hears!

Lord, I pray today for my friend. Some trust in so many things that are vain, but we know You. We know who is our only hope. We know that you hear the prayers of your children. We know that you will never leave us or forsake us. We know in whom we have trusted. We trust in You. We trust in your name, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Strong Tower, Jesus, Wonderful, Counselor.  We trust in every aspect of your name. We trust in You, in all of You, Oh Lord.

Rise my friend from the ground, Father,  help her stand upright. Be her victory. Be her song.

Blessed be your name, O Lord of Hosts.
Blessed be the King of kings who hears the plea of his servants.

Amen

 

A Poem for Little Souls: The Lord’s Day Evening

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Lord, how delightful ’tis to see
A whole assembly worship thee!
At once they sing, at once they pray;
They hear of heaven, and learn the way.

I have been there, and still would go,
‘Tis like a little heaven below;
Not all my pleasure and my play
Shall tempt me to forget this day.

Oh, write upon my memory, Lord,
The texts and doctrines of thy word;
That I may break thy laws no more,
But love thee better than before.

With thoughts of Christ, and things divine
Fill up this foolish heart of mine;
That, hoping pardon through his blood,
I may lie down and wake with God.

Isaac Watts
Divine and Moral Songs for Children

May the Lord bless you this day, dear friends.
Becky

Also by Isaac Watts, A Poem for Little Souls: The Lord’s Day Morning

A Poem for Little Souls: The Lord’s Day Morning by Isaac Watts.

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This is the day when Christ arose
So early from the dead;
Why should I keep my eyelids closed,
And waste my hours in bed?

This is the day when Jesus broke
The powers of death and hell;
And shall I wear Satan’s yoke,
And love my sins so well?

To-day with pleasure Christians meet,
To pray and hear thy Word;
And I would go with cheerful feet,
To learn thy will, O Lord.

I’ll leave my sport to read and pray,
And so prepare for heaven;
Oh, may I love this blessed day
The best of all the seven!

Isaac Watts
Divine and Moral Songs from Children

Have a blessed Lord’s Day, dear friends.

 

Becky

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 103-

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©Shiloh Photography

 

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in
steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Father in Heaven, Lord of all, what an amazing thing that you incline your ear to hear me when I come before you in prayer. Thank you, Father.

Father, my Father, many times I am more prone to listen and to pay attention to all the voices inside my heart, inside my head, to all the doubts, the confusion, the plans, the joys, the sorrows, the worries, the lists, the longings, the times. Help me, help me, to quiet those voices, to speak to my soul and say,

“Bless the Lord, O my soul….”

Father, what if…

Instead of worrying, I would not forget all your benefits…
Instead of the guilt of my sin, I would remember how you have forgiven all my iniquities…
Instead of lamenting of all my weakness, physical and spiritual, I would remember that you heal the brokenhearted…
Instead of crying in the pit as if there were no hope, I would lift my eyes to my Redeemer who lives…
Instead of wearing a cloak of self-pity, I would remember how you crown me with steadfast love and mercy…
Instead of being satisfied with what the world offers, I would be satisfied in you…
Instead of worrying about the times, the seasons, I would remember that you renew my strength like the eagle’s…

Help me, Lord. Help me to preach the gospel to myself, every day, every hour.  To see your righteousness, to remember the way you have dealt with your people. How you have always shown yourself merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Oh, Lord, when the enemy comes and tries to place the heavy burden of guilt on my shoulders, help me speak to my soul and say, “Remember, remember, your God, O my soul, He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities…”

Father, let me lift my eyes to the heavens above the earth and be reminded of your steadfast love toward those who fear you. That I may never forget how far you have removed my transgressions from me. How you deal with me full of compassion, always remembering my frame, that I am but dust.

Lord, one day I will not be here, but You always remain. I pray for my children and my children’s children. Lord, make yourself known to them. Know their names and call them unto you. I pray that in your steadfast love will draw them unto you. That they will fear your name and be established.O Father, that they will fear you, keep your covenant and remember your commandments.

My King, my Lord, let me rest today in the fact that you reign sovereignly. How amazing it is to now that your kingdom rules over all. Over all. Over all.

How can I not bless you, Oh Father? Let my voice join today the one of the angels and the saints in praises to you.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Amen.

Becky

Praying the Psalms

The Secret of the Quest

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We cannot find God without God.
We cannot reach God without God.

We cannot satisfy God without God- which is
another way of saying
that all our seeking will fall short unless
God starts and finishes the search.

The decisive part of our seeking is not our
human ascent to God,
but his descent to us.
Without God’s descent there is no human ascent.

The secret of the quest lies not in our brilliance
but in his grace.

Os Guinness*

May the Lord bless us this week as we abide in His grace.
Becky

*Quoted by Tullian Tchividjian in his book Surprised by Grace: God’s Relentless Pursuit of Rebels