November 15, 2009 AM Service
Today’s Worship Service got underway with a reading of Psalm 121 and a prayer, both lead by Deacon Donnie Aebersold. Minister of Worship and Praise, Johann Kim, drew out of the Psalm that it speaks of God being Creator, Protector and Sustainer, then lead the gathered in some songs that reemphasized those characteristics:
- God Is So Good
- Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
- Come, Let Us Go Up
- In Christ Along
After a time of greeting each other, the choir ensemble sang the first three stanzas of “O That Will Be The Glory” and the congregation joined in on the last stanza.
.
Interim Pastor, Ben Dockery, reviewed the journey through the book of Mark, saying that it took Mark several chapters to discuss the first three years of Jesus’ ministry, yet it has taken about the same number of chapters to discuss just the final week of Jesus’ life. After praying, Dockery lead the congregation in The Lord’s Prayer.
.
Branden Keen read Romans 12:9-21, then the gathered sang “Let Others See Jesus In You.” Pianist Mia Kim played a rousing rendition of “Because He Lives” while the offering plates were passed.
.
This morning we heard preaching from Mark 14:26-72. We began by looking at Jesus’ prediction that Peter would deny Him three time before the rooster crows. Dockery told a story about one of his favorite t-shirts from college that had a rooster on it. He had certain memories attached to the shirt, and proposed that Peter might have been unable to wear a shirt like that because it would remind him of his failure and weakness. Next, we looked at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and focused in on Jesus’ prayer, “Father with you all things are possible, may this cup pass from me — yet not my will but yours be done.” We looked at God’s Will and God’s Wrath (the cup). Three basic elements of Gods Will:
- God has a sovereign plan
- God communicated to us in Scripture
- Prayer (for wisdom) and communion with God will allow us to discern on matter outside Scripture.
We looked at God’s Wrath in light of the other pain Jesus faced on the cross: physical pain and death, bearing sin in holy body, pain of abandonment, and finally- the wrath of God (“propitiation”).
.
We briefly looked at the betrayal by Judas and Jesus before the Sanhedrin. We finished by looking at Peter’s denials. We compared Jesus desire for the Fathers Will with Judas desire for wealth/advancemnet, the Pharisees desire for control and prominence, and Peter’s desire for self-preservation and safety. Each of these had consequences and responses (weeping bitterly, suicide, crucifixion, and false victory). Ben closed by talking about how painful it must have been for Peter, in particular, to have heard the reminder of his sin every morning from that time forward. Every time the rooster crowed, he winced at his lack of courage and disloyalty. But the same Jesus he denied took the cup of wrath and made his rooster-reminder a reminder of grace and glory. Peter needed to remember everyday that he failed, but there was one who did not and on his merits Peter is right with God and able to carry on with life and ministry (see Acts 2-10, 1 Peter & 2 Peter).
.
You can listen to the entire sermon by clicking here.
.
As today’s service began drawing to a close, a time of response and reflection was given through the singing of God of Grace and God of Glory, which Kim commented went right along with the message of what had just been taught. After several announcements were provided by Mickie Bainter, Dockery lead the congregation in a prayer specifically for Kim’s recital that will happen later this week. The service was concluded with a benediction reading of 1 John 4.