Rev. Green continues a Sermon Series entitled, Understanding Yourself to Love God. During this series, personality types will be explored to shed light on how to get to know yourself. In turn, this helps us to know and understand God’s divine love. Sermons have focused on the personality traits of those who need for things to be perfect, those who need to be needed by others, those who need success, and those who need to feel special. Within the sermons, Rev. Green gives advice on how to tackle negative qualities of each personality type while uplifting positive qualities.
Sunday, April 24, 2022
9:00 AM Contemporary Worship
Rev. Dr. P. Shane Green
Sermon: Understanding Yourself to Love God: Sampson – The Need to Be Against
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:6-7
Featuring The Praise Band
The Chiming of the Hour
The Welcome & Announcements – Rev. John Fugh, Jr.
The Choral Call to Worship: “Christ Is Risen”
The Prelude: “Air” by George Handel
The Cross and Flame Come to the Altar
The Processional Hymn: “Crown Him with Many Crowns”
The Affirmation of Faith
The Gloria Patri
The Confirmation Introduction by Rev. Dr. Shane Green
The Service of Confirmation
The Pastoral Prayer with The Lord’s Prayer by Rev. John Fugh, Jr.
The Offertory Prayer
The Offertory: “Now the Green Blade Riseth” by James Southbridge
The Doxology
The Scripture Lesson: 1 Corinthians 13:6-7
The Passing of the Peace
The Registration of Attendance
The Welcome to St. Paul and Recognition of our Guests
The Anthem: “The Gift of Love” by H. Hopson
The Sermon: “Understanding Yourself to Love God: Samson – The Need to be Against” by Rev. Dr. Shane Green
The Recessional Hymn: “How Firm a Foundation”
The Cross and Flame Go Before Us into the World
The Benediction and Choral Response: “Dresden Amen”
The Postlude: “Christ ist Erstanden” by A. Fedak
Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize, said, “If I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good, I am satisfied.” I wonder how many people believe this to be true. Does the same approach apply to the spreading of the gospel? If you asked a thousand people to believe, join you for worship, participate in a Bible study, serve in a mission, and only one person responded, would you be satisfied? On one hand, the answer would be no.
However, what if that one person who responded experienced conversion which led to a changed life. Thinking of the Nobel quote, I am reminded of a parable Jesus told in Luke 15:3-7:
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Perhaps this should be our response and maybe one person is enough to be satisfied. The real issue is will you reach out with the gospel until one lost sheep is found?
Prayer Requests: *An immediate end to the crisis in Ukraine. *Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not. *Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. *Give our leaders extra wisdom as they navigate this pandemic and economic uncertainty. *Help for those seeking to find their way. *Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6
In 2003, the San Francisco Zoo had forty-six penguins that spent most of their lives inside the zoo. They were well-fed, lived free from predators, and lived in a controlled environment. As one could imagine, they became very lazy. They spent most of their days lying around and would seldom engage others or swim. However, in that same year, six new penguins were introduced to the sanctuary. These new birds spent all their time swimming only quitting at dusk due to exhaustion.
The new birds didn’t let the inactivity of the older birds determine their behavior. They wanted to swim. Eventually, the persistence of the new birds affected the older birds. Little by little the older birds started to join in and swim.
I think this is a modern-day parable. There will always be resistance to change. There will always be those who desire the path of least resistance. However, it doesn’t have to be you. Because God has called you to live a certain way, be a certain person, then live into what God desires. Eventually, it will affect others. Transformation is a daily process, little by little, bit by bit. The more you stay the course, the more it will influence another.
Prayer Requests: *An immediate end to the crisis in Ukraine. *Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not. *Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. *Give our leaders extra wisdom as they navigate this pandemic and economic uncertainty. *Help for those seeking to find their way. *Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6
