This is from the stations of the cross presentation from http://www.worshiphousemedia.com. I saw this picture at the National Worship Leader conference at the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. They used the stations of the cross during communion. I received Christ body and blood like never before. I literally fell to my knees and wept at the thought that I was someone worth dying for.
Renew the whole world in the image of your love. Give us what we need for today, and a hunger to see the whole world fed. Strengthen us for what lies ahead; heal us from the hurts of the past; help us to forgive those that have hurt us and we also ask that You forgive us for our mistakes. Give us courage to follow your call in this moment. For Your love is the only power, the only home, the only honor we need, in this world and in the world to come.
If we sing and don’t have love in our hearts then we’ve wasted our breath with every song. If we speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love then we’re nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If we speak God’s word with power, revealing all of His mysteries and making everything as plain as day, or if we have faith to say to a mountain jump and it jumps but we don’t love then we’re nothing. If we give all we earn to the poor or even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but we don’t love then we’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what we say, no matter what we believe, no matter what we do, we are bankrupt without love. So let our life be the proof…the proof of Your love. Let our love look like You and what You’re made of. How You lived, how You died. Love is sacrifice not convenience. So if we give to the needy but don’t have love then who is poor? When it’s all said and done, Only love remains. Only Your Love remains. The love of the heavenly Father who sent His only Son to die so that we could witness the true sacrificial and selfless love of the one true God. Guide us in our faith so that our actions match the words that we say today.
Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it. Worship is more than one hour of one day. Help us to do more than just listen to the good news of salvation but instead guide us to live the good news and to share it in our words and actions every moment of this life. Do we love or do we hate? Do we forgive or do we condemn? These are the choices that we have. So enlighten us so that we can choose the right path based on our faith in the father, son and holy spirit. One God now and forever. Amen.
The greatest truth that God gives us is that there is nothing that we have to do to earn His love. He just does and we just need to accept it. God we thank you so much for the love that you have given us. Thank you for loving us in spite of our mistakes and our shame. God you choose to love us anyways. Lord thank you for taking in an imperfect person like myself, God. For giving me a second chance. For giving me something to hope and believe in and wake up every morning knowing that You are a good God. That you love me no matter what I’ve done or said or thought. You love me anyway. Lord and I know that is the same for everyone in this room…You have extended that same love so freely and greatly God. Thank You so much for loving us. Help us to love like You. To love beyond those that are like us. To extend the love of God to everyone in our lives. We all need a friend. We all need comfort. We all need to know that we are not alone in this world. So Father, just be in our hearts so that we can share Your good news to the people in our lives. Let there be the light of Christ in all that we do.
Why is it so hard to say goodbye to those that we love. The thought of not seeing them again is scary and difficult. Life is hard enough. Give us the strength to make it through somehow. Open our eyes so that we can see the way that You do: that this life is not the end. Two thousand years have passed since Your resurrection and yet Your life still touches our hearts everyday. In Christ there are no good byes or end and because of You we can be strong and face this world knowing that You will not forsake us or leave us in our time of need. We are never alone. We are never abandoned. So let’s hold on to Jesus with all that we have. Jesus is the truth, the way, and the light. All who believe in Him, even in death, will live forever beyond this life. So Lord thank You for that promise, for your love and for you grace.
The world around us is dark and it is so easy to doubt what we can’t see. The world constantly challenges Your existence in it’s chaos. Why is it so easy to believe in You during the good times and so hard in the bad? Why are our human eyes limited to what we can see and not what we should see? You, who began a good work in all of us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. See, faith not doubt is the gift of God to all of his children. It is through faith that we can see beyond the limitations of this world and understand that God has a bigger plan. This life is not the end. The battle has been won at the price of the risen Lamb. We are never alone with God on our side. Help us to remember that each day is a gift. Each person is a treasure. And each moment is another opportunity for us to grow in our relationship with You and Your Son and Your Holy Spirit. Be with us now and always. Amen.
This is an awesome song by Andy Cherry that we did for Easter 2012 at New Song. Thanks to Cade for recommending this tune!!!
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