23.3.13

A Gift of Love to Share



March 23, 2013
Opening Hymns:
723 Shall We Gather at the River http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh723.sht

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 118:19-29
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.[b]
27 The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up[c] to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.


Message:
As we are entering into holy week this scripture reminds us of God’s never failing love. The scripture for today proclaims “His love endures forever.” Truly it does. His love is enduring through every sin we commit. His love surrounds us during every crisis in our lives. If there is one message that we should take away from Holly Week, it is that God loves us very deeply.

What is our response to His love? That is up to each one of us. We can sing praises to God, and rejoice because His love has saved us. We can spread His love to others, sharing the blessing that we have been gifted. We can allow it to fill our lives and change our lives to more closely follow Jesus’ path. We could also ignore this gift and continue to live our lives unchanged. Each of us have been given this blessing of life, love, and forgiveness. Each day we make decisions on how we respond to these most precious gifts.

Time of Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for Your gift of Love and forgiveness. Help Your love transform our lives so that we can share this beautiful gift with others. Amen


The Lord’s Prayer


Closing Hymn
731 Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh731.sht

May the Lord bless you and keep you: May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." Amen.

Go in peace, serve the Lord
Thanks be to God

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