Scripture for Today

By Aliso Creek ChurchReligion & Spirituality Christianity

Scripture for Today episodes

April 05, 2023 Psalm | Psalm 22:1-11 (with Bryan Zuetel)
Opening Song:
Psalm 22 by Greg LaFollette
Lyrics:
My God my God why have you forsaken me
My God my God why have you forsaken me
You promised me that you would never leave
I'm crying out but you are not listening
I'm crying out but you withhold your peace from me
You promised me that you would never leave
He trusts in the Lord all the mockers say
So let God deliver him since he loves him
My God my God why have you forsaken me
My God my God why have you forsaken me
You promised me that you would never leave
You promised me that you would never leave
You promised me that you would never leave
Let God deliver him since he loves him
Passage:
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8 “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
10 On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.
(Psalm 22:1–11 ESV)
Musical Reflection:
Bless the Lord, My Soul by Jacques Berthier
Reflection Notes:
A contribution to the Taizé tradition, this tune by Berthier provides a reverent foundation for the text: “Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless God’s holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me into life.”
Prayer:
O, make your Word a swift Word, passing from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip and conversation; that, as the rain returns not empty, so neither may your Word, but accomplish that for which it is given. Amen.
-George Herbert
10 min
March 31, 2023 Old Testament | Isaiah 1:10-20 (with Nick Locke)
Opening Song:
Tend by Emmy Rose, Jessie Early, and Michaela Gentile
Lyrics:
In the landscape of my life
You don't rush through any season
You always take Your time
A careful hand a gentle guide
You take what's dead away
And You prune what's running wild
(So) be the gardener of my heart
Tend the soil of my soul
Break up the fallow ground
Cut back the overgrown
I won't shy away
I will let the branches fall
So what You want can stay
And what You love can grow
Through the winter I'm still alive
What You've planted in the dirt
Is ever reaching to the light
You prepare me for darkened times
You'll sustain what You have started
And You'll teach me to abide
I'll remain in You You'll remain in me
And I will trust Your timing
I'll remain in You You'll remain in me
From the start until the ending
'Cause You will know better
Passage:
Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching[a] of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.
12 “When you come to appear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow's cause.
18 “Come now, let us reason[b] together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Musical Reflection:
Prelude in C Major, BWV 846 by J.S. Bach
Prayer:
Father, what we know not, teach us; what we have not, give us; what we are not, make us; for the sake of your Son our Savior. Amen.
-Old Anglican Prayer
11 min
March 30, 2023 Psalm | Psalm 84 (with Nick Locke)
Opening Song:
Psalm 84 (I’m Home) by Shane & Shane
Lyrics:
How lovely are Your dwelling places
Your Holy Spirit here in us
Oh how I love to sing Your praises
One day with You would be enough
When I bow down before You
I am richer than all kings
When I stand in Your presence
I am free
When I sit at Your table
I am right where I belong
In the doorway of my Father's house
I'm home
If all this world was for the taking
And every treasure known was mine
Not one of them would ever sway me
I'd choose my Savior every time
When I bow down before You
I am richer than all kings
When I stand in Your presence
I am free
When I sit at Your table
I am right where I belong
In the doorway of my Father's house
I'm home
Passage:
To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!
(Psalm 84:1–12 ESV)
Musical Reflection:
I Need Thee Every Hour (NEED) by Robert Lowry
Reflection Notes:
Each stanza of this familiar hymn was written by Annie Hawks as part of a poem. When she showed the composition to her pastor, Robert Lowry, he added the refrain and set the text to music for their congregation to enjoy. The musical lines always tend upward before falling back down, an apt parallel to the textual pleas reaching up to God.
Prayer:
Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
11 min
March 29, 2023 New Testament | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 (with Nick Locke)
Opening Song:
Simple Kingdom by Bryan Torwalt, Cody Carnes, Katie Torwalt, and Paul Duncan
Lyrics:
Your kingdom is simple
As simple as love
You welcomed the children
You stopped for the one
We want to see people
The way Jesus does
Your kingdom is simple
Lord teach it to us
Your kingdom is humble
As humble as death
His King is a savior
Who gave His last breath
So may we die daily
Our pride laid to rest
His kingdom is humble
And the broken are blessed
Hallelujah
Hallowed be Your name
May we live and breathe Your praise
Hallelujah
Let all creation say
Oh The King of heaven reigns
(Yes he does yes he does)
Your kingdom is coming
Your kingdom is here
Alive in our waiting
At work in our tears
So come to us quickly
Forever our prayer
Your kingdom is coming
Lord Jesus come near (hallelujah)
Your kingdom is backwards
It flows in reverse
What You call a treasure
This world calls a curse
The small become great and
The last become first
Your kingdom is backwards
Lord teach us to serve
As it is with Your kingdom
Let it be with Your church
He reigns forever
He reigns forever
Passage:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom[a] you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[b] may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Preach the Word
4 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound[c] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Musical Reflection:
“Amazing Grace,” Appalachian folk tune
Reflection Notes:
This beloved tune, formally known as NEW BRITAIN, originates from the folk music of Appalachia. The melody is simple and outlines triads, making it memorable; the ascending line creates a triumphant climax.
Prayer:
Most loving Father, whose will it is for us to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on you who care for us: Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested to us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
14 min
March 28, 2023 Gospel | John 4:5-26 (with Tom Gastil)
Opening Song:
Living Water by Ben Bannister and Ellie Holcomb
Lyrics:
We have wandered through the desert
Chasing after what's behind
But You're doing a new thing
You're making new streams
So we open up our lives
Spirit fill us with living water
We know Your well will not run dry
So come revive us come wash over
In Your presence we’ll find our life
(In Your presence we’ll find our life)
We were thirsty always drinking
What could never satisfy
But You say it’s a new day
You’re making a new way
You’re filling up what once was dry
Spring up a well spring up a well
Spring up a well within our souls
Spring up a well, spring up a well
Come fill us up till we overflow
Fill us up will we overflow
Spring up a well spring up a well
Spring up a well spring up a well
Passage:
So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.[a]
7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.[b] The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
Musical Reflection:
Harp Meditation No. 3 by Gretchen Kirby
Reflection Notes:
Inspired by today’s Proverbs 31 passage, this harp reflection features rich, full chords with a strong melody. The tension between major and minor chords reflects the challenges and triumphs of life.
Prayer:
This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.
11 min
March 23, 2023 Gospel | Luke 16:1-13 (with Nick Locke)
Opening Song:
Faithful by Camaryn Avers and Erik Nieder
Lyrics:
Lord you search me how you know me
You perceive my every thought from afar
In all my wandering still you love me
King of glory you pursue my anxious heart
Even when I’m not you're faithful
Even when I doubt your truth holds
Even when I’m lost you won’t let me go
When my heart is dry your grace flows
No matter where I run I’m not far from home
Yea I may be weak but you’re able
Even when I’m not you’re faithful
Even when I’m not you’re faithful
Lord you search me how you know me
You perceive my every thought from afar
In all my wandering still you love me
King of glory you pursue my anxious heart
Where can I go from your spirit
Where can I hide from your face
Where can I flee from your presence
Where would I go where would I go
If I rise to the heavens you’re with me
If I fall to the depths of the sea
Even there it’s your hand that will lead me
Wherever I go wherever I go
Passage:
He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures[a] of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures[b] of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world[c] are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth,[d] so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Musical Reflection:
Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major, K. 545: II. Andante by W. A. Mozart
Reflection Notes:
In true fashion for Mozart’s middle movements, this Andante blooms slowly with gentle and delicate notes; the melody ascends in joyful fashion at the most climactic points before settling back down with the satisfying left hand harmonies.
Prayer:
O God, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee, mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. -The Gelasian Sacramentary
11 min
March 22, 2023 Psalm | Psalm 25:1-14 (with Nick Locke)
Opening Song:
25 by Red Rocks Worship
Lyrics:
To You Lord, I lift my soul
I will trust the One who steadies me
I will wait, and have no shame
As You make me to know Your ways
All my days are Yours
Take me by the hand and lead me in Your truth
Teach my soul to rest only in You
For You are the One who saves all the length of my days
My hope rests only in You
Ever I will fix my eyes
On the rock who stands much higher
You defend, You call me friend
You have marked me with Your righteousness
Your presence is my home
Take me by the hand and lead me in Your truth
Teach my soul to rest only in You
For You are the One who saves all the length of my days
My hope rests only in You
You are good Lord
Steadfast is Your love
You are good Lord
Steadfast is Your love
You are good Lord
Steadfast is Your love
You are good Lord
Steadfast is Your love
Take me by the hand and lead me in Your truth
Teach my soul to rest only in You
For You are the One who saves all the length of my days
My hope rests only in You
Only in You
Passage:
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
6 Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For your name’s sake, O LORD,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who is the man who fears the LORD?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
13 His soul shall abide in well-being,
and his offspring shall inherit the land.
14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them his covenant.
(Psalm 25:1–14 ESV)
Musical Reflection:
“Air on the G String” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major by J.S. Bach
Reflection Notes:
The slow, descending bass line creates musical “steps” in an elegant fashion while a suspended melody several octaves above creates a satisfying combination of sound registers.
Prayer:
I am spent, O my Christ, breath of my life. Perpetual stress and surge, in league together, make long, O long, this life, this business of living. Grappling with foes within and foes without, my soul has lost its beauty, blurred your image. Did ever oak such buffeting from winds or ship receive from waves as I do now? Labor to labor, task succeeds to task. . . . Friendship has bowed and illness wasted me. . . . Do not forsake me, my Strength, I beseech you. When the storms beat hard I may have betrayed you, but let me return to you now.
-Gregory of Nazianzus
13 min
March 17, 2023 New Testament | Colossians 1:1-14 (with Nick Locke)
Opening Song:
I Don’t Have Much by Taylor Leonhardt, sung by Mission House
Lyrics:
How can I respond
To the love that You have lavished on me
How can I respond
To the love that You have lavished on me
I don't have much I don't have much
But I have a heart that beats for You
I have a heart that beats for You
Ev'ry part of me
Wants to love You like You've loved me Lord
Ev'ry part of me
Wants to love You like You've loved me my Lord
I have a heart that beats for You
I have a heart that beats for You
I have a heart that beats for You
I have a heart that beats for You
I have a life I'll give to You
I have a life I'll give to You
I have a life I'll give to You
I have a life I'll give to You
Passage:
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
(Colossians 1:1–14 ESV)
Musical Reflection:
All to Jesus I Surrender (SURRENDER) by Winfield S. Weeden
Reflection Notes:
This tune was originally intended to have two-part harmonies on the verse and four-part harmonies of the refrain; the additional harmonic fullness adds to the repeated emphasis of the words “I surrender all.”
Prayer:
Almighty God, who resists the proud and gives grace to the humble: send thy Holy Spirit and let that mind be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus, that we may be meek and lowly of heart and never by our foolish pride provoke thine indignation, but, receiving into humble and thankful hearts the gifts of thy providence and of thy grace, may thereby be continually refreshed. Teach us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think; to be modest in speech, just and merciful in action and benevolent to all. Let us prefer nothing to him, who preferred nothing to our salvation; but grant us that adhering inseparably to his kingdom and standing bravely by his cross, we may be found faithful to death, and at the end may be admitted into the joy of his most blessed presence. Amen.
-Cyprian
13 min
March 16, 2023 Gospel | John 3:1-16 (with Tom Gastil)
Opening Song:
God So Loved by Andrew Bergthold, Ed Cash, Franni Cash, Martin Cash, and Scott Cash
Lyrics:
Come all you weary
Come all you thirsty
Come to the well that never runs dry
Drink of the water
Come and thirst no more
Come all you sinners
Come find His mercy
Come to the table He will satisfy
Taste of His goodness
Find what you're looking for
For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save us
Whoever believes in Him will live forever
Bring all your failures
Bring your addictions
Come lay them down at the foot of the cross
Jesus is waiting there
With open arms
For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save us
Whoever believes in Him will live forever
The power of hell forever defeated
Now it is well I'm walking in freedom
For God so loved God so loved the world
Praise God praise God
From whom all blessings flow
Praise Him praise Him
For the wonders of His love
For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save
Bring all your failures
Bring your addictions
Come lay them down at the foot of the cross
Jesus is waiting
God so loved the world
Passage:
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus[a] by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again[b] he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.[c] 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You[d] must be born again.’ 8 The wind[e] blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you[f] do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.[g] 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.[h]
16 “For God so loved the world,[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Musical Reflection:
Jesus Loves Me by Anna Bartlett Warner and William Bradbury
Reflection Notes:
The text for this simple, beloved children’s song was originally published in Anna Bartlett Warner’s 1860 novel Say and Seal. In the book’s context, a church Sunday school teacher sings the words to a dying little boy. The tune was written shortly after by Bradbury and became popular with missionaries in the nineteenth century as an evangelistic tool due to its simplicity.
Prayer:
O Lord, we ask you mercifully to receive the prayers of your people who call upon you; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-The Gregorian Sacramentary
12 min
March 09, 2023 New Testament | Romans 10:9–17 (with Jeff Sholar)
Opening Song:
Call Upon Him by Rachael Lampa, Sandra McCracken, and Trillia Newbell
Lyrics:
Call upon Him call upon Him
There is power in the Name
Call upon Him call upon Him
There is power in the Name

When I don’t have the words
When the spirit hurts
When my sorrow’s too deep to understand
Will You hear my voice saying speak oh Lord
Mighty God Healing King take my hand

And in the night I pray
When I feel afraid
When there is no friend that I can see
Can You hold me safe
Can You break these chains
Prince of Peace Father please set me free
Passage:
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
(Romans 10:9–17 ESV)
Musical Reflection:
All to Jesus I Surrender (SURRENDER) by Winfield S. Weeden
Reflection Notes:
This tune was originally intended to have two-part harmonies on the verse and four-part harmonies of the refrain; the additional harmonic fullness adds to the repeated emphasis of the words “I surrender all.”
Prayer:
Almighty God, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you revealed the way of eternal life to every race and nation: Pour out this gift anew, that by the preaching of the Gospel your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
11 min

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