Once again, I don’t have a ‘Guest Writer’ article to publish today, so once again I print a song, a poem and a portion of scripture.
O love of God, how strong and true! Eternal and yet ever new;
Uncomprehended and unbought, beyond all knowledge and all thought.
O heavenly love, how precious still, in days of weariness and ill!
In nights of pain and helplessness, to heal, to comfort, and to bless.
O wide embracing, wondrous love, we read Thee in the sky above,
We read Thee in the earth below, in seas that swell, and streams that flow.
(Horatius Bonar 1808-1889)
"Risk Takers" by Malcolm Duncan
Before there was anything at all, God was.
He always has been and always will be.
He is the one constant,
the source of all life everywhere.
In the act of creation
He reveals something of Himself,
something of his heart. In creating the world,
He 'pours' Himself into it in some way,
because it is continually dependent on Him.
Yet he does not create a world
that is manipulated and controlled by him.
Instead, He gives people free will.
He is the sovereign and all-powerful God,
yet in an astonishing act of love and generosity,
He wills that His creation will itself have free will.
In effect, His will is done,
because part of the essence of His will
is that we have free choice.
He knows that this will lead to rebellion
and ultimately to great suffering for himself,
yet He chooses freedom over manipulation
because He values relationship
above laws and structures.
On YouTube you may enjoy listening to a song about the risk God took in giving us the option of whether or not to respond to his love: ‘Reckless Love - [Lyric Video] Cory Asbury’
Ephesians 3: 16-21 - New Living Translation (NLT)
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources the Father will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Sunday Morning
1] Church Website: A written summary of my message
2] Church Facebook page: We start live-streaming at 10:30am
3] Using the internet (Zoom) Click this link any time after 10:15am
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86444276040?pwd=WFpoTVMxWXVkWlowYkRtM0NQNHZhUT09
4] Using your home phone (land-line or mobile) to join us.
Dial any of these phone numbers
0131 460 1196 0203 051 2874 0203 481 5237
When prompted enter (Meeting ID) 864 4427 6040 #
When asked for a participant ID enter #
When prompted enter (Passcode) 4346 0249 #
Before phoning think about what charges you may incur, although many companies offer free weekend