How do we worship?
As much as I love summer, there is nothing like a morning walk on a crisp fall morning. I always feel some excitement and anticipation as one season gives way to the next. I feel the same when it comes to starting a new sermon series. I’ve really enjoyed our current series, “Bear Fruit,” but I’m so excited for our next series, “Head, Heart, and Hands.”
My theological hero, John Wesley, talked about worshipping God with our head, our hearts, and our hands.
Our heads: God gave us a brain; we are supposed to use it. We are to study the Bible and apply what we learn in everything we do so the Gospel will shape every aspect of our lives.
Our Hearts: disciples of Jesus Christ should never be called the frozen chosen! We should be a people of joy, caring, and love who offer grace to the world. We are called to experience God deeply and profoundly as we conform our lives to the heart of Christ.
And finally, our hands: the body of Christ is called to be the physical and tangible presence of Christ in the world.
The Wesleyans built schools for street kids; they went into the world and shared their faith with the people they met. They cleaned up street drunks, taught spinster women how to read and write, and helped them learn job skills.
I love the notion of worshipping God with Head, Heart, and Hands! In our next series, we will talk about what that might look like here and now. We will also have several extended worship experiences over the next two Sunday mornings and a mid-week prayer gathering.
On Sunday, October 17, we are excited to invite everyone for a time of extended worship and prayer after our regular hour of worship is over. It will be a wonderful celebration of the Holy Spirit’s presence among us!
On Wednesday the 20th at 6:30, we will hold a mid-week “Beauty for Ashes” prayer gathering sponsored by our Stephen Ministers. Please join us as we pray about, share, and give to God the hurts and grief we have collectively and individually experienced through the last couple of years.
The following Sunday morning (October 24), we will follow worship with a Healing Gathering for anyone who would like prayer.
We’ve had quite a few Healing Gatherings over the years. I am a firm believer in God’s power to heal. Emotional healing, physical healing, spiritual healing, relational healing…God is in the business of healing. If you would like to be prayed for or pray with someone else, please join us after worship on Sunday, October 24.
On the last Sunday of the series, we will hold a fifth Sunday offering as we specifically focus on worshiping God with our hearts and hands. Every fifth Sunday we dedicate 100% of the offering to help people. This offering goes toward feeding families in East Kennewick through our Mobile Markets. In addition, it helps people at Grace Clinic who have no health insurance. The funds also support local victims and survivors of sex trafficking through our friends at Mirror Ministries. And, of course, the fifth Sunday offerings help ease the suffering of the poorest of the poor in our partner villages in the mountains of Honduras.
In Christ, your pastor,
Bryan White