Tag: Message

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday December 18TH 2022, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

It’s the 3RD Sunday of December, and it’s the 4TH Sunday of Advent. Next Sunday is Christmas Day.

On this 4TH Sunday of Advent we are reminded of our God’s peace. The Apostle Paul ends his 2ND letter to the Thessalonians with this Benediction:

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you His peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all. (2 Thessalonians 3:16 NLT)

I was originally scheduled to preach what would have been a traditional Christmas message to my brothers and sisters of my church family this morning. I’ve always wanted to do that in my 6 years of preaching. Maybe next year. I get another year to prepare for it.

An opportunity arose, and instead I will be welcoming a local minister / musician and his band to our church later this morning. They will be presenting a Christmas concert for us, and I am looking forward to it. It’ll be a change-of-pace Sunday morning worship service for us.

Many modern contemporary churches host a “Night Of Worship” a few times per year. The way we did it (at least originally) at my previous church was a 90-minute concert where we invited local church musicians to perform a 3 or 4 song set on our stage. I hosted a few of those nights. They were a lot of fun. There was a lot of singing and dancing for God at those events.

Our Sunday morning service today is our first attempt at that type of all-music service, and I’m calling it a “Morning Of Worship”. Our God will be glorified today in music and lyrics.

He has given me a new song to sing – a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD. (Psalm 40:3 NLT)

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday December 11TH 2022, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

It’s the 2ND Sunday of December, and it’s the 3RD Sunday of Advent. Next Sunday is the 4TH and final Sunday of Advent – the last Sunday before Christmas.

Some of you reading this have a Catholic background (including me when I was a little kid almost 50 years ago). The 4 Sundays of Advent are not unique or restricted to just the Catholic church. Protestant and non-denominational churches also observe and celebrate Advent with ceremonies, and prayers, and Scripture, and teaching moments.

Today is Gaudete (GOW-day-tay) Sunday – the day when we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath (if we have one). Gaudete means “rejoice”. This day reminds us of the joy that is to come. We recall the hope we have because of the coming of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ – our King of Kings.

As the Bible says in Paul’s Letter to the Philippian church:

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice ! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember – the Lord is coming soon. (4:4-5)

(And those 2 verses come right before these 2 memory verses. You know them.)

Don’t worry about anything. Instead – pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace – which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (4:6-7)

So Happy Gaudete (GOW-day-tay) Sunday. It’s Rejoice Sunday ! Rejoice today ! Rejoice every day ! Everyone say “rejoice” ! You are not guaranteed the next day, so if you wake up tomorrow – REJOICE !

This is the day that our LORD has made. Let us – do what ? – rejoice. Let us be glad in it.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday December 04TH 2022, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

It’s the 2ND Sunday of Advent, and a common reading on this Sunday is the start of Isaiah 40:

“Comfort – comfort my people” – says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone, and her sins are pardoned. Yes – the LORD has punished her twice over for all her sins.”

Listen ! It’s the voice of someone shouting – “Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD ! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God ! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken !”

Our God’s Glory came in Jesus Christ, and He will come again !

Today on #SundayScripture it’s the conclusion of my September 18TH 2022 sermon – “Good & Evil” – in its original written form. It’s based on 1 Peter 3:8-4:8, and it effectively wraps-up my First Peter message series which I began in 2021. Here’s Part 8 of 8:

Peter closes this part of his letter with some words of wisdom, and this is where I’ll close my message for you today:

The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore – be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all – continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:7-8)

The “last days” are here. Christ will return. We must be ready for Him. We must be patient as we eagerly await His return. We don’t know the day or hour of judgment. Only the Father knows.

In red letters:

“Look – I am coming soon – bringing My reward with Me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega – the First and the Last – the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:12-13)

Each of us will be judged on that final day. Is our faith in God for real, or is our faith in God for show. We will be judged on faith and deeds – not just on faith alone – and not just on deeds alone. Faith will show itself in actions. Faith without works is dead and useless. If our faith is for real based on our good deeds – then we will receive His reward. If our faith is for show based on our evil deeds – or no deeds at all – then we will receive His punishment.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people. (Revelation 22:21)

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and God’s holy people said – AMEN.

Go forth. Go in love. Go with peace in your heart.

(The End)

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday November 27TH 2022, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

It’s the first Sunday of Advent, and a common reading on this Sunday is the 122ND Psalm. I occasionally greet my church family with the first verse of that Psalm – I was glad when they said to me – “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” It’s an appropriate verse for me this morning especially, as I return to my church family after a week away. I’m looking forward to celebrating these next 6 Sundays with my church family – the 4 Sundays of Advent, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.

You know my church family also includes you. Some of you are loyal readers of #SundayScripture, and I appreciate you. I am honored to bring you God’s Good News each Sunday morning, and I hope that it is an inspiration for you to open the Bible and read it for yourself. In this 17TH year of salvation for me I am reading and studying the Bible more now than ever before. It goes where I go (via iPhone app).

After a one-week break last #SundayScripture I continue presenting my September 18TH 2022 sermon – “Good & Evil” – in its original written form. It’s based on 1 Peter 3:8-4:8, and it effectively wraps-up my First Peter message series which I began in 2021. Here’s Part 7:

You can’t repent your sins after your natural life here on earth is done. Those who didn’t know God – those who didn’t accept Him while they were still living and breathing in this world – that’s the end of it all for them. It’s too late for them.

But those who repented to Him, and those who were born again while they were still living and breathing – they will live forever with God in the Spirit.

My Dad passed on 12 years ago in 2010. He was never close to God. He didn’t really know God. He wasn’t really sure if He was real. But in his final days – on his death bed – in the hospital – consumed by the slow but deadly effects of Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) – he finally acknowledged our God. He accepted our God into his heart. He repented to our God. He was born again – shortly before he passed on. It was not too late for my Dad. Now he’s living forever with God in the Spirit. I believe that he’s cheering me on today.

There you go again Chris – talking about repentance and salvation. Yeah – guilty. Eternity is at stake here. I want to live forever with God in the Spirit. I want you to live forever with God in the Spirit. I want everyone out there to live forever with God in the Spirit.

I’m reminded of Christ’s words – in red letters – as told by the Apostle John – when He predicted His death. He said “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to be My disciple must follow Me – because My servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves Me.” (John 12:25-26)

(End of Part 7)

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp