Worship Ministry - January 2025
Thank You!
Thank you to all who helped make this Christmas season so special! We had a great Christmas Night of Worship where we were reminded that Jesus came to be the “Light of the World!” Thank you to all those who sang in the adult or children’s choir! You put in time practicing when you could have stayed home and napped, so I thank you for your willingness to sing! I hope you had fun and were blessed each week by the fellowship as much as I was! To the band members, thank you for using your talents to glorify the Lord. To all the people who worked behind the scenes, I truly couldn’t have done it without you and you were a great blessing to me!
Be the Light
I will never forget all the lights going out at the NEEDTOBREATHE concert! Of course, there was some light; the exit signs and the light seeping in from the hallways, but the arena was pretty dark. The lead singer stepped up to the mic and encouraged everyone to turn on their phone flashlights. As I pushed the button to turn mine on, lights all around me began to turn on. It started to get brighter and brighter as everyone began to turn their flashlights on and I was amazed at how bright the room became. You could see the people's faces across the room. You could easily walk around with no problem!
It hit me, that this was a great picture of how the light of the gospel can penetrate the darkness of the world. Through each one of us…
“13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:13-16
Christ has called each of us who belong to Him to be the light in the world; letting the world see Him and His love through our faith and works for God’s glory. It can feel at times, that we are that one phone flashlight in a dark arena. Sure people can see the light but it is being swallowed by the darkness around it. However, we must remember that we are not alone for we belong to His church, His kingdom. There are lights shining all around us, believers all over the world doing the work of the Lord and giving Him praise. (Side thought: Do you ever think about how because of God’s people being spread out all over the world, there probably isn’t ever a second during a day that someone isn’t actively praising the Lord?)
As we start this year, let’s pray that the Lord would renew in us a desire to live for Him and that we would show the world the light of His gospel! Let us join together with other believers to worship Him, seek Him, and delight in His Word! We can, just like the arena was filled, light the world with the glory of the Lord and His truth if we bind our hearts to His and encourage other believers to do the same. Through Christ, we can grow closer to Him as individuals, as His church, and reach the world with The Truth.
Love you and mean it!