Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg
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Here is our Order of Worship
A Beautiful Prayer by Martin Luther King Jr. link
Thou Eternal God,
out of whose absolute power and infinite intelligence the whole universe has come into being,
we humbly confess that we have not loved thee with our hearts, souls and minds,
and we have not loved our neighbors as Christ loved us.
We have all too often lived by our own selfish impulses
rather than by the life of sacrificial love as revealed by Christ.
We often give in order to receive.
We love our friends and hate our enemies.
We go the first mile but dare not travel the second.
We forgive but dare not forget.
And so as we look within ourselves, we are confronted with the appalling fact
that the history of our lives is the history of an eternal revolt against you.
But thou, O God, have mercy upon us.
Forgive us for what we could have been but failed to be.
Give us the intelligence to know your will. Give us the courage to do your will.
Give us the devotion to love your will.
In the name and spirit of Jesus, we pray.
Amen.
Prayer of Confession from The Book of Common Prayer link
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name.
Amen.
Wade and Rachelle Burleson are doing a five week series called When Relationships Crumble. Today we feature Part 2 – 15 Words That Can Save a Relationship
The Apostle's Creed link
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth;
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen
Please enjoy our concluding song
Benediction
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.’
First!
2
“15 Words that can save a relationship”
Wade,
How can we determine whether a relationship is actually worth saving; are there relationships that should be ended?
Ken G.
Sure, there are relationships worth ending. God divorced national Israel. In Part III we will show that when appropriate boundaries are established, the consequences for the other person “crossing” those boundaries (e.g. abuse, adultery, abandonment), is separation in relationship. However, the separation (and resulting consequences) is best for the abuser, the adulterer and the one who abandons. What we are attempting to help people see is that constantly pointing to other people as “the cause or source of my pain or healing” will only perpetuate a dependence on that other person. When Jesus becomes your Source and your Healer, you can end a relationship for the good of the abusive, adulterous person who has already abandoned the relationship. In other words, a person who habitually violates established personal boundaries (as Israel did with God) has no room to complain when a divorce occurs.
And the person who ends a relationship with an abusive, adulterous person who has already abandoned the relationship has no reason to feel “guilty” for implementing the consequences associated with the actions of the person who crossed the established boundaries of healthy relationships.
So, yes, there are times to end a relationship.
Thanks for that clarification, Wade.
One big reason relationships crumble is:
People are following the wrong example, and listening to the wrong voice, in the name of “religion.” Just as Muslims put Muhammad first and Roman Catholics put “Mary” first, Evangelicals put Paul first – not Jesus Christ the Son of God, our Lord God and Savior.
We need to hear….
The message of The 11 (“The narrow gate”)
“The eleven disciples went to Galilee”
“Where Jesus had told them to go”
They heard His voice and obeyed His will
Despite uncertainty down below
Jesus spoke to them at length
He wasn’t really a Tweeter
Only 3 of them wrote Scripture
Matthew John and Peter
“Feed my sheep” said Jesus, for though
“Heaven and earth will pass away”
I have the words of eternal life and
“My words will never pass away”
“Enter through the narrow gate”
The voice of Jesus through the eleven
Believe in Jesus “through their message”
And “eat from the tree of life” in heaven
Jesus commissioned the eleven
With “everything I have commanded you”
“Teaching THEM to obey” Jesus
And “THEM” means me and you !
“The command given by our Lord and Savior”
Is not a Pharisee speaking alone
It came rather “through your apostles”
Matthew Peter and John
If a Pharisee boasts proudly
Those men added nothing to my message
He doesn’t speak for Jesus
His words are nothing more than garbage
Bibliography
All “quotes” in “quotation marks” are from the writings of the Apostles Matthew John and Peter in the Bible, mostly the “Red Letter” words of Jesus. [Matthew, John, Revelation, 2 Peter – NIV]