Bulletin for Sunday, June 13, 2021

The Father’s House

Sometimes on this journey
I get lost in my mistakes
What looks to me like weakness
Is a canvas for your strength

And my story isn’t over
My story’s just begun
And failure won’t define me
‘Cause that’s what my Father does
Yeah, failure won’t define me
‘Cause that’s what my Father does

Ooh, just lay your burdens down
Ooh, here in the Father’s house
Check your shame at the door
‘Cause it ain’t welcome anymore
Ooh, you’re in the Father’s house

An arrival’s not the end game
The journey’s where you are
You never wanted perfect
You just wanted my heart

And the story isn’t over
If the story isn’t good
And failure’s never final
When the Father’s in the room
And failure’s never final
When the Father’s in the room

Ooh, lay your burdens down
Ooh, here in the Father’s house
Check your shame at the door
‘Cause it ain’t welcome anymore
Ooh, you’re in the Father’s house

Prodigals come home
The helpless find hope
Love is on the move
When the Father’s in the room

Prison doors fling wide
The dead come to life
Love is on the move
When the Father’s in the room

Miracles take place
The cynical find faith
And love is breaking through
When the Father’s in the room

The Jericho walls are quaking
Strongholds now are shaking
Love is breaking through
When the Father’s in the room
I said, love is breaking through
When the Father’s in the room

Ooh, lay your burdens down
Ooh, here in the Father’s house
Check your shame at the door
‘Cause it ain’t welcome anymore
Ooh, you’re in the Father’s house

Ooh, lay your burdens down
Ooh, here in the Father’s house
Check your shame at the door
‘Cause it ain’t welcome anymore
Ooh, you’re in the Father’s house

Nothing Holding Me Back

Thank You for the cross
that You have carried
Thank You for Your blood that was shed
You took the weight of sin
upon Your shoulders
And Sacrificed Your life so I could live

Thank You for the cross
that You have carried
Thank You for Your blood that was shed
You took the weight of sin
upon Your shoulders
And Sacrificed Your life so I could live

Now nothing is holding me back from You
Redeemer of my soul
Now nothing can hold me back from You
Your Love will never let me go

Thank You for Your death and resurrection
Thank You for the power of Your blood
I am overwhelmed by Your affection
The Kindness and the Greatness of Your Love
The Kindness and the Greatness of Your Love

Now nothing is holding me back from You
Redeemer of my soul
Now nothing can hold me back from You
Your Love will never let me go

Oh Jesus You make all things new
Oh Jesus You make all things new
Oh Jesus You make all things new
Oh Jesus You make all things new

Thank You that we’re living in Your Kingdom
Jesus You’re the King upon the throne
Thank You for the way You always love me
Now I get to love You in return
Now I get to love You in return

Reckless Love

Before I spoke a word
You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath
You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming
Neverending reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down
fights ’til I’m found
leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn’t earn it
and I don’t deserve it
still You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming
Neverending, reckless love of God

When I was Your foe
still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so good to me
When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me
You have been so, so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming
Neverending reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down
fights ’til I’m found
leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn’t earn it
and I don’t deserve it
still You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming
Neverending, reckless love of God

There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me

There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me

There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me

There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me

Oh, the overwhelming
Neverending reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down
fights ’til I’m found
leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn’t earn it
and I don’t deserve it
still You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming
Neverending, reckless love of God

Jesus Loves Me

Jesus loves me this I know
For the bible tells me so
Little ones to him belong
They are weak but he is strong

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The bible tells me so

Jesus loves me He who died
heaven’s gate to open wide
He will wash away my sin
Let His little child come in

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The bible tells me so

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The bible tells me so

Matthew 6:1-6

1 “Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they will be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

5 “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

– – – – – – – – – –

Reader: The word of the Lord.
Ekklesia: Thanks be to God.

Law (marked by rules and structures)
↓
Prophet (marked by questions and critical thinking)
↓
Wisdom (transcends & includes the previous stages)

I might need to learn that God loves me (law)
before learning that he also loves them (prophet)
before learning that there is no “them” and never has been (wisdom)

1) SELECTING A PIECE OF WOOD

2) CUTTING IT DOWN TO SIZE

3) CREATING ROUTERED EDGES

4) ASSEMBLING THE FRAME

5) CREATING SPLINE JOINTS #1

6) CREATING SPLINE JOINTS #2

7) THE FINAL PRODUCT #1

8) THE FINAL PRODUCT #2

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people.”

Jesus says, “when you give” and “when you pray.” Not “if you give” and “if you pray.”

“The stage of faith that is most difficult to value is the stage of faith we just left.”

“I just can’t read scripture anymore. I can’t even remember the last time I opened my bible. I’ve seen it weaponized and abused so badly and so consistently and so often, that I can’t even open it without getting PTSD.”

A PRAYER PRACTICE: MOVING TOWARD FORGIVENESS
1) In God’s presence, name to God all the things that bother you about that person.
— Pause and listen.
2) In God’s presence, name to God all the things that you imagine bother that person about you.
— Pause and listen.
3) In God’s presence, ask God to bless that person—his or her life, family, marriage, vocation, health, and so forth.
— Pause and listen.
4) In God’s presence, ask God to truly bless you.
— Pause and listen.

Ah, Lord, let that best love
which shapes my life
be evident even in my accountings.

Let that which I most treasure
be revealed in long columns of expenditures,
that month to month and year to year
accrue like the clues of a treasure map,
revealing where my heart
and my hope are hidden.

Let me learn to love you
by this glad practice of giving,
taking joy in every opportunity
to invest in that heavenly economy
whose scale of return
will prove to be so out of proportion
to all earthly paradigms
as to render them at last trivial
and absurd.

Let me give — neither as begrudging-duty
nor from some blasphemous belief
that you might be manipulated —
but let me give in sincerity and cheerfulness,
as a means of making evident
the infinite implications of the Gospel.

Let me give to that which moves your heart.
Let me give
   to give food to the hungry,
   water to the Thirsty,
   shelter to the homeless,
   relief to the refugee,
   aide to the orphan,
   freedom to the captives,
   Justice to the oppressed,
   Mercy to the broken,
   good news to the poor,
   healing to the sick,
   Comfort to the distressed,
   consolation to the lonely,
   sight to the blind,
   hope to the Hopeless,
   peace to the war-weary,
   reconciliation to those in conflict,
   and the liberating story of your love to those who hunger for it.

Ah Lord, let that best love which shapes my life
be evident in this and in all my small acts of giving.

Come As You Are

Come out of sadness
From wherever you’ve been
Come broken hearted
Let rescue begin

Come find your mercy
Oh sinner come kneel
Earth has no sorrow that heaven can’t heal
Earth has no sorrow that heaven can’t heal

So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home
You’re not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are

There’s hope for the hopeless
And all those who’ve strayed
Come sit at the table
Come taste the grace

There’s rest for the weary
Rest that endures
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t cure

So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home
You’re not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are

Come as you are
Fall in his arms
Come as you are

There’s joy for the morning
Oh sinner be still
Earth has no sorrow that heaven can’t heal
Earth has no sorrow that heaven can’t heal

So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home
You’re not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are

Come as you are
Come as you are
Come as you are

Everything and Nothing Less

Humbly I stand, an offering
With open hands, Lord I bring

Everything and nothing less
My best, my all
You deserve my every breath
My life, my song

I surrender, I surrender all
Oh, I surrender, I surrender all

Lord take control, I trust You
I’m letting go, to give You

Everything and nothing less
My best, my all
You deserve my every breath
My life, my song

I surrender, I surrender all
Oh, I surrender, I surrender all

I surrender, I surrender all
Oh, I surrender, I surrender all

Everything and nothing less, I give You
Everything and nothing less forever
Everything and nothing less
Oh, my life is Yours, completely Yours

I surrender, I surrender all
Oh, I surrender, I surrender all

I surrender, I surrender all
Oh, I surrender, I surrender all

Everything and nothing less
My best, my all
You deserve my every breath
My life, my song