Pastoral Prayer
God of glory, we celebrate your victory over the power of
sin and death. The empty cross and the promise of the resurrection are tangible
signs of hope in our broken world. I
pray that as we move forward in the hope of the resurrection that we will be
inspired to fulfill your last command to us to preach the gospel and to make
disciples. I pray that the officers of
the Empire State Division will be blessed by the moving of the Holy Spirit in
their ministry. Lord, we pray for
revival; prepare our hearts and minds that we may be used as instruments for
you and not stumbling blocks or obstacles.
Father, above all, let our lives be signs of your unending love. In the
name of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.Scripture
Mark 16
14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Sing aloud or follow in your heart the song "In Christ Alone" led by the band. The words are below the video.
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my
strength, my song;
this Cornerstone,
this solid Ground,
firm through the
fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of
love, what depths of peace,
when fears are
stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my
All in All,
here in the love
of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in
helpless babe!
This gift of love
and righteousness
Scorned by the
ones he came to save:
Till on that cross
as Jesus died,
The wrath of God
was satisfied -
For every sin on
Him was laid;
Here in the death
of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world
by darkness slain:
Then bursting
forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave
he rose again!
And as He stands
in victory
Sin's curse has
lost its grip on me,
For I am His and
He is mine -
Bought with the
precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power
of Christ in me;
From life's first
cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my
destiny.
No power of hell,
no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me
from His hand;
Till He returns or
calls me home,
Here in the power
of Christ I'll stand.
Meditate on the following written by John Bakewell:
Hail, O Once Despised Jesus
Hail, O once despised Jesus! Hail, O Galilean King! You suffered to release us; Free salvation did you bring:
Hail, O agonizing Savior, Bearer of our sin and shame!
By Your merits we find favor; Life is given through Your Name.
Paschal Lamb, by God appointed, All our sins on You were laid;
By almighty love anointed, You have full atonement made:
All Your people are forgiven, Through the virtue of Your blood;
Opened is the gate of heaven, Made is peace ’tween man and God.
Worship, honor, power, and blessing, You are worthy to receive;
Loudest praises, without ceasing, Right it is for us to give:
Help, you bright angelic spirits, Bring your sweetest, noblest ways;
Help to sing our Savior’s merits, Help to chant Immanuel’s praise.
Be blessed by The New York Staff Band Male Chorus a beautiful arrangment of "Rock of Ages."
Preach
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:14
God called me to do 'my preaching' through The Salvation Army as an officer. I was fearful of this call for so many reasons but the greatest worry for me was that I was terrified to speak in front of people. (I was so painfully shy that as a child I would skip school on the days when oral reports were to be given.) Nevertheless, with the intent to obey Christ’s command I answered God’s call to officership.
I will never forget the first sermon I ever preached. It was as a cadet during my field training assignment at the Times Square Corps. It was bad enough that I had to stand at a pulpit and preach to a group of people in the chapel, but I also had to contend with the fact that it was broadcast outside. While the message (and the meeting in general) was going on inside, there were cadets outside handing out tracts, talking to people (about the message, etc.), and inviting folks to come inside. This assignment to preach became a powerful turning point for me.
As I stood to read the scripture I was so scared that I was shaking all over and could barely speak—I could even see out of the corner of my eye that the bow on my bonnet was shaking! I sat down in great fear and near panic. As the next item on the program was taking place I began imploring God. I prayed this simple prayer: “God you have called me and I want to be here but I can’t do this without your help. Please, help me!” At that moment I felt the peace of God envelop me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. No more shaking, no more fear. The band finished playing and I stood and delivered that sermon with confidence. I even remember the opening line: “Have you ever stood in the midst of a crowd and felt completely alone?” Now I don’t know how effective that sermon was for anyone else (or the grade I received) but it was a game changer for me. God showed me very clearly that He had indeed called me and that He would equip me and help me to do the work and ministry involved in that calling.
Jesus command is to all, not just to those who have been called to be officers. We are all called to preach.
What to preach? "The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
We must preach that Christ died and
that Christ was resurrected, which means that the old person in us must die so
that the new person can be born again. We must therefore preach repentance and
forgiveness. For it is a gospel of reconciliation. This reconciliation is
extended to the poor and the oppressed.
He commanded us to preach the
gospel of love. What the world needs today is unselfish, agape love. What the
world needs today is caring and redemptive love. We too often hear a gospel of hate
touted by a plethera of hate groups. We hear language of contempt hurled about - menacing
words, excoriating words, words that maul and hurt, afflict and convict. We must preach the gospel of love using both words and our daily behaviors.
Love is still the most powerful
force in the world. The gospel is a message of love for all people; preached and taught with unwavering fire and enthusiasm.
Why preach? There is a physical war being waged for people's
lives. There is a spiritual war being waged for people's souls. Everywhere we
look in society we see this awful specter of warfare. Young people carry guns to
schools and murder their classmates in cold blood and then kill themselves.
There is the war on poverty and the war on drugs. There is a cultural war being
waged for the hearts and souls for the people of this nation. We see this through the
music and the movies as they desensitize individuals to the need for
self-respect and respect for others. Where moral values have become relative and unimportant. Everywhere we look we see the devastation
and fallout of this spiritual and physical warfare.
When to we preach? Jesus commanded us to preach the word in
season and out of season. No matter our circumstances, we must preach. We must
preach the word with power, authority, joy, and goodness. God gives us the
strength to preach the gospel unfettered and unfazed by the constraints and impediments
that would hinder the word from reaching the hearer! God gives us strength to
preach the word with fire, compassion, joy, and praise. By the way, preaching is also giving testimony to your relationship with God; preaching is living in a way that brings honor and glory to God--living the Word so that your life can be an example and you can say with Paul, "follow me as I follow Christ."God commanded us to preach a gospel of truth, love, reconciliation and forgiveness, freedom and liberation; a task that we should cherish. After demonstrating his love for us by dying a horrific death on a cross and rising from the dead, Christ commanded us to preach! So preach, and do it in ways that will bring honor and glory to the Risen Christ!
In closing I share with you a song that is very precious to me.
Behold Him now on yonder tree,
The Prince of Peace, the heavenly King;
O what can his transgression be
Such shameful punishment to bring?
And lo, a thief hangs on each side;
Who justly suffers for his crime,
But why should Christ be crucified,
The one so holy, so divine?
O sinner, see, for you and me
He freely suffers in our stead;
And lo, he dies upon the tree;
Behold, he bows his sacred head!
So pure, yet he has born our guilt,
By death our ransom he has paid;
It was for us his blood was spilt;
Our every sin on him was laid.
O loving Saviour, take my heart,
No longer can I live from thee!With all unlike thee now I part;
Thy wondrous love has conquered me.
I yield to thee my little all;
Accept me now, Lord, as thine own;
I’ll be obedient to thy call
And spend my life for thee alone.
It was for me, yes, even me,
That Jesus died on Calvary;
My soul to cleanse from all its guilt,
His precious blood my Savior spilt.
(Song 108. George Samuel Smith)
Benediction
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! (Colossians 3:1-4)
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