Because of the length of the service, this is in two parts:
Ryan Prudhomme Celebration Service 1/2 from Grace Adventures on Vimeo.
Ryan Prudhomme Celebration Service 2/2 from Grace Adventures on Vimeo.
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Friday, April 19, 2013
Sunday, March 31, 2013
What the resurrection means to me.
Lamentations 3:21-33
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28 Let him sit alone in silence,
for the Lord has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.
31 For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.
This week, my pastor asked me to share what the resurrection means to me. He shared this at our church's Sunday morning service.
So, what does the resurrection mean to me? The resurrection changed everything; there is no going back. However, I can not think about the resurrection without connecting it to salvation.
The resurrection happened because of God's great love. It is an all-consuming process. The resurrection completely transformed the world and salvation should completely change your world. Jesus did not die for a select group of people, he died for everyone. When we accept the gift of salvation it too must affect every part of our hearts and our person.
The resurrection is what God did for the world. Salvation is our opportunity to partake in the resurrection and enter back into a pure relationship with our Father. As sinners, part of salvation requires we acknowledge our personal sin. We have to experience the depth of our depravity before we can fully experience the gift we gave been given through his compassion and his lovingkindness. Therefore, just as God allowed Jesus to suffer and die, we too must go through this purification fire in order to die to our sinful selves.
Part of the resurrection was that Jesus had to bear alone and in silence the weight of the world. God promises us no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.
So just as Jesus placed his faith that God would not abandon him forever and willingly surrendered his death, we too must recognize in the middle of our trials that we will not be cast off forever. Experiencing this regeneration of the soul is how we enter into the most intimate relationship with our Father.
For me, knowing how undeserved of this gift I am - and yet God still bestowed his lovingkindness on me - has transformed everything from the inside out. Now my only aim is to please God with every fiber of my body. I can willingly sacrifice comforts and pleasures, dreams, and my life - knowing that every moment I get that to honor God has eternal value.
I am compelled to share this with any one I get a chance. I am no longer worried about others' impressions or my failure, but rather I am focused on fulfilling my purpose.
The resurrection was the ultimate expression of God's love. If we accept it through salvation, we must love God and those around us as He has modeled for us.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28 Let him sit alone in silence,
for the Lord has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.
31 For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.
This week, my pastor asked me to share what the resurrection means to me. He shared this at our church's Sunday morning service.
So, what does the resurrection mean to me? The resurrection changed everything; there is no going back. However, I can not think about the resurrection without connecting it to salvation.
The resurrection happened because of God's great love. It is an all-consuming process. The resurrection completely transformed the world and salvation should completely change your world. Jesus did not die for a select group of people, he died for everyone. When we accept the gift of salvation it too must affect every part of our hearts and our person.
The resurrection is what God did for the world. Salvation is our opportunity to partake in the resurrection and enter back into a pure relationship with our Father. As sinners, part of salvation requires we acknowledge our personal sin. We have to experience the depth of our depravity before we can fully experience the gift we gave been given through his compassion and his lovingkindness. Therefore, just as God allowed Jesus to suffer and die, we too must go through this purification fire in order to die to our sinful selves.
Part of the resurrection was that Jesus had to bear alone and in silence the weight of the world. God promises us no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.
So just as Jesus placed his faith that God would not abandon him forever and willingly surrendered his death, we too must recognize in the middle of our trials that we will not be cast off forever. Experiencing this regeneration of the soul is how we enter into the most intimate relationship with our Father.
For me, knowing how undeserved of this gift I am - and yet God still bestowed his lovingkindness on me - has transformed everything from the inside out. Now my only aim is to please God with every fiber of my body. I can willingly sacrifice comforts and pleasures, dreams, and my life - knowing that every moment I get that to honor God has eternal value.
I am compelled to share this with any one I get a chance. I am no longer worried about others' impressions or my failure, but rather I am focused on fulfilling my purpose.
The resurrection was the ultimate expression of God's love. If we accept it through salvation, we must love God and those around us as He has modeled for us.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas from the Prudhomme family!
Merry Christmas from the Prudhomme family! The older two of us are very tanned...we just got back from a relaxing vacation in Mexico. The youngest is contentedly playing with the new toys he got from Santa (books, letters for the bathtub, and a holster with two cap guns). I am sipping coffee and wondering how I got to be this blessed. I have a job that I love, I have a beautiful family, and the best friends imaginable. As I thought this morning, it occurred to me that I would have none of this if I did not have Jesus. I have experienced blessings and peace and joy almost constantly for the past eleven years. If you have not the same hope that I have, I suggest that you give your life to Christ. It is incredible to walk in his presence.
Because a little baby was born in Bethlehem many years ago and grew up to give his life for my sins, I am able to live in complete confidence of my salvation. That is the greatest blessing I can have.
Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art:
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child, and yet a king,
born to reign in us for ever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all-sufficient merit
raise us to thy glorious throne.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)