Praise God from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
Amen.
The Doxology erupts from my lips this morning as I reflect on our time together as a church family over the weekend. The Spirit moved in our hearts and minds as we gathered in the presence of our Lord to reflect on His death and celebrate His resurrection. We give thanks for the Father's plan of redemption.
Good Friday was a contemplative service as we reflected on the fourth cry of our Lord from the cross. I was moved by the spirit of humility in the sanctuary as our church family gathered to sing, pray, look at God’s Word, and take communion. The sixty chairs wrapped around the small platform were about half of what we needed as we eventually had to spread out across the sanctuary.
We truly gave thanks for the grace of God carried out by Jesus in the plan of redemption. His sacrifice satisfied the wrath of God and paid the penalty for our sin. The realization of what our sin cost Jesus was sobering. Prayer stations allowed us to do activities that became object lessons leading us to reflect on the sacrificial death of Christ for us.
Easter Sunday was a glorious gathering of God’s people with family and friends. Energized by the Spirit, we started with a song celebrating God’s amazing grace. Our songs allowed us to pour out our hearts to our Savior. Our liturgy was visceral, our Kids Ensemble was delightful, and God’s Word reminded us of our daily, living hope because we serve a risen Savior! The gospel went out with all its power. A fellowship time in the hallway set the table for our worship gathering by allowing the Lord to fill our hearts with His love through our brothers and sisters in Christ.
After thanking the Father and our Lord Jesus for this past weekend of worship, I am moved with gratitude for all the people who served to make all the events happen. We, as a church family, were served behind the scenes by dozens of unseen people so that we could fully enjoy and reflect on the presence of our Savior at each gathering.
I am thankful for all the extra rehearsals by the worship team in prepping to lead us in song. I am thankful for the décor work in brightening our building with flowers. I am thankful for all the people who came on Saturday and early Sunday to prepare our hallway for fellowship. I am thankful for the hours that went into arranging the Sanctuary for Friday’s service and the longer hours that went into preparing the Prayer Stations. I am thankful for all the adults who celebrated Jesus with our children in Kids Worship from birth to elementary age. Going back to the workday, our building and landscape was prepped for beauty.
Overall, dozens and dozens of people served to prepare us in every way possible that we might be free to focus our hearts and minds on our Lord Jesus. My heart bursts with joy for such volunteer, sacrificial service on behalf of our church family.
The Doxology is a beautiful Trinitarian hymn that has been sung by followers of Jesus for centuries. My soul finds it appropriate to sing as I reflect on the joy of this weekend with our church family. Every gathering was Christocentric. We celebrated our Lord and magnified His name.
Threads of Scripture are seen throughout the Doxology. We are reminded that every good and every perfect gift comes from our Father. As we give heartfelt praise, we are reminded of the Psalmists calling out heaven’s angels and earthly creatures to give God the glory He is due.
Our hearts pour out “Hallelujah” as we consider all that Jesus is and all that He has done on our behalf. May you offer a doxology of thanks today by humming this hymn or praising with your own words. We serve a great and glorious, risen Savior!
Love and blessings,
Dave