Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg
Here is our Order of Worship
Book of Common Prayer/Advent link
Eternal Father,
you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation:
Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world,
our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.
Amen.
A Prayer for Humility link
Jesus, the Light of the World, as I celebrate your birth
may I begin to see the world in the light of the understanding you give me.
As you chose the lowly, the outcast, and the poor to receive the greatest news the world had ever known,
so may I worship you in meekness of heart.
May I always remember my brothers and sisters less fortunate than myself in this season of giving.
Amen
Luke 6:20-23 (NASB Bible Gateway)
And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say,
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you,
and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.
Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold,
your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.
Book of Common Prayer link
O God, who wonderfully created,
and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature:
Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity,
your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns
with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Book of Common Prayer link
O God,
by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the Peoples of the earth:
Lead us, who know you now by faith,
to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Wow, just what I needed to hear. My old fundamentalist pastor never preached that I was blessed. I am asking God to make me fully understand his forgiveness, love and grace. To make me feel it personally. Thank you Wade for preaching the truth.
By the title I didn’t think I was going to appreciate this message as I have done the “try harder and put on a happy face” approach to being a Christian. The message of God’s grace to us is real, come what may. Amen.
Wade, the subject of inner contentedness and happiness is one that’s dear to my heart. I truly have learned the peace that comes from within. I’ve never considered myself defined by others, by my possessions, my past, my success, etc.
But I must confess that my contentedness has caused me the greatest pain you could imagine as the opposition from those who see my contentedness as apathy and lack of motivation is very real. Family, friends, and even other believers do not understand why I don’t have to have the latest fashions. Why I don’t have to remodel my home every 5-10 yrs. Why I don’t buy a new car (mine is 8 yrs. old with 15,000 miles as of Christmas day).
It’s not easy being content in a world where happiness is measured by one’s possessions, success, title, travels, lofty associations, etc. As difficult as it is sometimes to be pressured to be more accomplished, more motivated, more performance-oriented, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Thank you for your understanding of inner happiness and contentedness. And thank you for the compassion you extend to those you minister to on occasions when they are struggling because of painful circumstances.