He Was Worthy

When He cried out in the garden in the cool of the evening, He was worthy.

When He flung a rainbow across a waterlogged world, He was worthy.

When He whispered in the ear of an old, old man and said, “It’s a boy,” He was worthy.

When He walked with a young songwriter/shepherd and heard “surely goodness and mercy” for the first time ever, He was worthy.

When He spoke through mules and on walls and in furnaces, He was worthy.

And when He, through unequaled grace, stepped into flesh and became like us, He was worthy.

When He spit in mud to open eyes,

When He loosed the captives, When He turned over the tables in the temple,

When He calmed the torrent, When He stooped to reconcile,

When He fed the masses,

When He washed the calloused, When He touched the untouchables

When He (wonder of all wonders—this precious truth!) open-handedly stretched out His arms on an old Judean beam (could it be?) and bore the anger, sin, rebellion, pride, and idolatry of us all, He was worthy.

He was worthy when He breathed His last.

He was worthy when the Roman seal was plastered on that borrowed tomb.

He was worthy when no one believed anymore.

And when the grave could hold Him no more, When He felt the vibration of His own creation,

When the veil was shredded, and when the accuser was silenced, ransoming the souls of a multitude of millions in one weekend, HE WAS WORTHY! And when I look at who I am, and then realize who He is, I can’t help proclaiming,

“You are worthy. You are worthy. You are worthy.”

So now two words that should always unite us, and despite style, taste, or reason, should never divide us— 

Let’s worship!

Bring Me Back

The following reading works well as a prayer to end a sermon or worship set on brokenness and repentance.

Father God, the one who pursued me…

I repent of my prayerlessness
My carelessness
My discouragement because of flesh
My pride when I need brokenness.
Too many times I have fallen back on my own devices
Seeking things, seeking answers, seeking acceptance
I cry out to circumstances
And the more I seek to do
The more a fall away from You.
I use words to manipulate
To compensate
To demonstrate my own righteousness
I trust my public spokeness
While You long for my private brokenness
Holy brokenness of pride
Where grace and mercy reside
Grace that pierced your hands and side.
Brokeness brings self-confidence to dust
That turns my doubting into trust.
Every hurt that I’ve been through
When I’ve wondered what to do
Brings me back to faith in you
I find in these days, in my fallen ways
That I’m so far away from what’s true
And now my cry is Lord bring me back to you.
Bring me back to my passion
A divine realization,
the days of pure joy in salvation
Bring me back to total trust in your grace
When all I seek is Your holy face.
My trust in self tends to misconstrue
So God bring me back to You.

I Am America

Reader #1: I am a nation birthed from a yearning to breathe free. I am freedom’s shore. I came hundreds of years ago to find a haven where I could worship my God.

Reader #2: I found hunger, disease, and fear. I suffered torturous winters and sweltering summers, but the walls of a dictator no longer consumed me. I was free, and the freedom that I felt was worth the struggle. I died a thousand deaths to keep my freedom.

Reader #3: I was seized by ship, hunted like a wild animal across the barren beaches of my eastern coast. I was beaten, hanged, and buried, but not defeated. Never defeated . . .

Reader #4: I was brought here not by choice. I was shipped to this land by men who bought and sold me like cattle. A slave—I had no choice. I had no ownership, but my heart dreamed of a day when freedom would sing my name. I lived only for the promise of the fiery chariot that would take me to a land of true freedom. And now after centuries of struggle and destitution, I too am this nation. Once kidnapped by it, now a part of it.

Reader #5: I heard of the millions being slaughtered in gas chambers and concentration camps, and I ruthlessly sought to destroy the villains who would commit such atrocities. I am a hero. I had mercy upon those who had no mercy on me.

Reader #6: I have seen the scandal, humiliation, triumph, and assassination of my leaders. I have longed for freedom and yet have abused the very tools of its making. I have killed the innocent, murdered the wise, and ignored the poets of each generation. Still, in my heart is a hope that has never diminished, a hope that was rooted on my day of birth. I have pledged my life, my fortune, and my sacred honor on that hope that I will be free. Will I seek not only peace and freedom, but also the Author of peace and freedom? Only God can say, for it is He who must be sought, and if I do not seek Him, I will never know.

Reader #7: I am Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, and King. But I should never forget that I am also Lee Harvey Oswald, Charles Manson, and Al Capone.

Reader #1: I will only rise if I am willing to fall.

Reader #2: To fall to my knees

Reader #3: and recognize the God that brought me here.

Reader #4: I am the best and the worst of man.

All: I am America.

Your Great Name: Worship Intro

Before there was anything there was a Name.
Before seas and land, before dust was formed into flesh
Before Babel’s broken tower, before the ark was set in place
Before there was anything
Before prophet, priest or king…
There was a Name.
No other name in history
could banish demons, calm the sea.
It echoes through eternity.
Chains are broken, souls set free
by His Great Name!
His Name birthed stars and pinned them in the sky.
His Name brought angels to Bethlehem
from the greatest and the least
To see the One True Name
And when we speak His Name all heavenly hosts revere.
It reaches past our weakness and our fragile, thin veneer.
It’s a Name above every name- spoken in each race and tongue.
There is power and blessing
Perfection and peace.
There’s  understanding!
Even when we feel pain,
there’s healing, faith and redemption,
at the mention of His name.
And it doesn’t matter the size of your burden,
the scale of your mountain,
the weariness of your journey…
In that Name there is hope and joy and rest
In his Name we are blessed.
His Name is listening for the echo of worshipers.
In the midst of this earthly mess
His Name redeems.
The all-sufficient king
The warrior of righteousness
Over every living thing…
And no matter how deep the hurt,
or the chains you have bound you for years,
We are free! All those things that drive us insane
are stepping stones to holiness with the power of that Name.
What is that name that changes us?
Who is the fourth person in the furnace
The One who closed the mouths of lions
Who crushed the head of the accuser
And exiled demons from the weak.
And opened muted mouths to speak.
What is that Name?
What is the greatest name we’ll ever say?
Who remains victorious to this day?
Who is this one greater than the grave?
Who lived and died to save?
Who conquered death and walked away
With scars of crimson stain
The one who bears the mark
Jesus is His Great NAME!

10 “Must-do’s” of Worship

• I must give up control.
• I must stop selfish ambition
• I must end my bitterness
• I must want it bad.
• I must stop looking around.
• I must stop wondering what other people think.
• I must identify idols and burn them up..
• I must let go of traditions of men.
• I must be willing to change.
• I must bring somebody with me.

God in the Storm

He’s there.

When our hands are weary

He is our strength.

When fear overtakes us

He will give us courage.

When we experience a collision of circumstances

He will prove himself as all sufficient

When we are torn He mends.

When we are lost He finds.

When we are despairing

He encourages.

When we are silent

He speaks.

When we are wounded

He Heals.

When we are without a chance

It is then that He assumes His stance

When we tremble under the weight

He’s the master of our fate.

If only we would embrace all that He is today.

Every doubt and fear that disturbs our nights and consumes our days

Would crumble under His prodigious glory

Because He is exactly who He is:

The inconceivable, tumultuous, relentless God of the storm.

Jonah and the Worm

 

He:(Your church name) church presents Jonah and the worm.

She: Jonah and the worm? You mean whale.

He: No Worm.

She: Worm? Why not whale?

He: We’ve got to think outside the box here. Plus if you want to understand the culture, you’ve got to dig deep and you’re bound to run into a worm or two.

She: Cute.

He: Seriously-anybody can do the story of Jonah and the Whale. It takes real chutzpah to dramatize the story of Jonah and the Worm. Plus I think you’d probably prefer me being a worm than you being a whale.

She: You’ve got a point there.

He: We all remember the story of Jonah

She/Voice of God: Jonah, I need you to take a trip.

“He” as Jonah: A trip! I love trips! Hopping on a camel into the wild, blue yonder! Sleeping under the stars! Climbing mountains! Cruising on sail boats! I’m on my way, Lord.

She/Voice of God: I need you to go to Nineveh!

He as Jonah: Anywhere but Ninevah!

She: Jonah whined, and went in the opposite direction.

He: Then you have the little side-note about the storm sent by God, being thrown over the side of the boat, the storm calming and being swallowed by a great fish, praying in the fish for three days and nights. Just your basic exposition needed for the real miracle of Jonah. Thus Jonah and the worm.

She: You’re serious.

He: Just my take on the whole story….

She: After that Jonah cried

He: Repent!!!

She: And the whole town of Ninevah repented. Jonah the whining prophet proclaimed:

He: (Said in a very melodramatic whiney voice) “LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”

She: God asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

He: So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city.

She: There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.

He: And the LORD God grew a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant.

She: But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm.

He: God prepared a worm

She: God prepared a worm

He: To chew up the plant.

She: A Huge shade-giving plant.

He: Large enough to shade a man.

She: And God prepared a worm.

He: Not 500 worms

She: Not 10 worms

He: Not 2 worms.

She: God prepared a singular

He: Solitary worm.

She: One worm.

He: Big plant.

She: One

He: Small

She: Insignificant

He: Ordinary

Both: Worm

He: Big plant.

She: Can you hear God speak to the worm.

He: (looking into his palm, whispering as if to a tiny pet) Go get it. Eat that plant up.

She: The worm looks up.

He: Waaaay up.

He: And the worm begins to chew.

Both: And the big plant fell.

He: The big plant fell and the worm achieved a God-Sized task.

She: It was worm food super-sized.

He: I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!

She: You ate it, Worm.

He: (break character) Watch it, partner (or name of “She”).

She: Ity-bity worm

He: Big shade plant.

She: Beloved disciple,

He: What is the plant that stands before you today?

She: A rebel child?

He: A dying church?

She: A transitional community?

He: A helpless victim?

She: An aetheist neighbor.

He: A discouraged leader?

She: A fear?

He: A need?

She: A pain?

He: God prepared a worm.

She: And God will prepare us as we go.

He: Ity-bity Us

She: Huge World.

Both: Not in here. Out There!

He: This is GOD’s Message,

She: the God who made earth,

He: made it livable and lasting,

She: known everywhere as GOD

He: “Call to me and I will answer you.

She: I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things

He: that you could never figure out on your own.’

She: Therefore

He: Ity-Bity as we are

Both: Go! Out there!

©  Matt Tullos

Paint on the Wall

There once was a church upon a hill,
where everything was fine until
the paint inside was getting old
and peeling in some spots, I’m told.
The pastor called a business meeting.
After the preliminary meeting,
The deacons cried, Come one! Come all!
What color should we paint each wall?
They gathered in the sanctuary,
each determined and contrary.
Sister Gail said, What do you think
about a very chartreuse pink?
Brother Dave said to the crowd,
Isn’t that a bit too loud?
I prefer a subtle blue.
It makes the walls look clean and new.
Six women rebuked, We wanted gold!
It seems much warmer. Blue’s too cold!
A man in the back began to bellow,
Yellow! Yellow! Yellow! Yellow!
The pastor said, I’m here more than all of you.
I agree with Dave. The walls should be blue.
From that point on, their voices grew stronger.
Each emotional plea became longer and longer.
Then a voice of strong and stern love
silenced the church as it spoke from above.
You wonder why you can’t hear My call
when your greatest struggle is paint on the wall.
Paint your church the pale color of skin,
for you let no other races come in.
Paint your church a wealthy green,
for you ignore starvation you’ve seen.
Paint it white and clean as uncallused feet,
for you refuse to share My joy in the street.
I agree that your walls could be painted blue,
for your hearts, so cold, are given to few.
You give many renditions of church as a game,
but you fail to give water in My holy name.
You pray using eloquent thees and thous,
and yet you forget about the heres and nows.
You struggle to be an earthly saint,
but My love must not be covered in paint.

© Matt Tullos

And so We give (Responsive Reading)

Leader: You have given me Your shield of victory. Your right hand sustains me! (Ps. 18:35)

Congregation: Lord, we give because You gave us this victory. Not because we were strong. Not because we deserved it. You gave to us freely out of Your mighty love.Your love was enough, and so we give.

Leader: For unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given. (Isa. 9:6)

Congregation: Father, You gave us hope in the midst of despair. When we were lost, You gave us Your most valued possession. Your hope was enough, and so we give.

Leader: My peace I give unto you. I do not give to you as the world gives. (John 14:27)

Congregation: When the clouds darken and storms come, You give us shelter. A place to run to when we are afraid. And when war rages through the battlefields of our lives, You give us peace. Your peace is enough, and so we give.

Leader: This is My body which is given for you. (Luke 22:19)

Congregation: Lord Jesus, You gave us Your very life. More valuable than the riches of a million universes! Your sacrifice was enough, and so we give.

Leader: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Congregation: We love You, Father! Thank You for Your Spirit that teaches us to give. You gave us life, hope, peace, shelter, and eternal life. And so, as an act of worship, we give.

All: Amen.

The Father’s Love (An Acrostic Sermon)

 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”  Luke 11:11-13

This Father’s love never fails. It is astounding, resounding, and completely confounding . It never finds the end of itself. It redeems, restores, and repairs. Higher than all the works of man. His opus grand, his open hand. It crashes through the gates of hell. No sweeter story tongue may tell. It is before time and space. a continuum of grace. It fears no devil, no king, or foe. It sees us- every part of us- the brokenness in the heart of us and it will not depart from us. It resolves the mystery. It absolves my history. It never, ever lets go. It is simple, good and steadfast. Nothing can outlast this love because it is stubborn in it’s intent. It doesn’t change and will not relent. It is not capricious, whimsical or flighty. It is the love of God almighty. It is a real as rocks, as right as rain. It is satisfies, clarifies, and sanctifies. It is not earned. There is nothing in the universe like the mighty love of God.

God’s love is Lavished

See what manner of love the Father  has lavished on us,  that we should be  called children of God! 1 John 3:1

There is nothing too big for God. Nothing!  Nothing catches Him off guard.  A recession doesn’t.  Cancer doesn’t. Unemployment doesn’t.  There isn’t a time in the history of the universe when God said: Light and there wasn’t light. Victory and there wasn’t victory. Forgiveness and there wasn’t forgiveness.  He never once uttered the phrase, “I didn’t see that coming.” He is all-powerful, all knowing, all loving, all right and all ready. And this amazing God filled with furious love and absolute power is asking, Do YOU TRUST ME?  That’s it.   That’s his one question to you today.  Do you trust me. He has set you apart.  He is calling you. He has chosen you.  You have been made perfectly sufficient for the role he has given you. You don’t have to freak out, give in, look back, give up or shut down. He only whispers to you, come with me.

 God’s love is overcoming

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

God’s love is victorious

He canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Colossians 3:15

God’s love is everlasting

Brennan Manning’s Story

“Ironically, it was April Fool’s Day 1965 that I woke up at 6:30 in the morning in a doorway on a commercial boulevard in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I woke up in an alcoholic fog, smelling vomit all over my sweater, staring down at my bare feet. And coming along a sidewalk was a woman, maybe 25, blonde hair, attractive lady. She had a 4-year-old son on her hand. The boy broke loose from his mother’s grip right at the doorway and stared at me. The mother came up quickly behind him, cupped her hand to cover his eyes and said, “Don’t look at that filth. All that is, is pure filth.” And 29 years ago, that filth was Brennan Manning. The Abba I’ve come to know through experience, the Abba I’ve come to know by faith loves me as much if I’m born in the state of grace as He does this “born again” state of grace. For His love is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER based on our performance, never conditioned by our moods of manipulation or oppression. It knows no shadow of alteration or change. The love of Abba in Christ Jesus is reliable.”

The story of the Gospel is Romance!

You may fear tomorrow- You may ask why, when, what, how, and where.  God doesn’t have to ask those questions.  He is Lord of the past, the King of the present and the ruler of the future.

He is not expecting you to save the day.  The day is his and he is enough.  When you don’t know the solution, he will guide your steps.  When you can’t see the reason, he will supply resolution. When you run out of answers, He will step into the question. When you face rejection and affliction, He is righteous and available. When everything seems to go sideways, he moves forward with surprises.

His word to you this morning is fear not, trust me, I’ll be right beside you no matter what happens.  Why?  You know the answer.  You know but if you’re like me you sometimes forget it.  Why will he stay with you no matter what?  It’s because that’s what a good father does. And you can dance in the eye of the hurricane. You can run ahead of the circumstance.