Video Sermons
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near,
Join me in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yes, so gently sustaineth!
Has thou not seen how all thy longings have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee!
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee;
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do
If with His love He befriend thee.
Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the amen sound from His people again;
Gladly for aye we adore Him.
Responsive reading: Psalm 126
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
A Mighty Fortress is our God
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow’r are great, and armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
The Lord of Hosts his Name, from age to age the same,
And he must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us;
The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
A mighty fortress
A rock unfailing
The King of glory
Forever. Amen.
For endless ages
Enthroned in praises
The King of glory
Forever. Amen.
That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
A mighty fortress
A rock unfailing
The King of glory
Forever. Amen.
For endless ages
Enthroned in praises
The King of glory
Forever. Amen.
Lord From Sorrows Deep I Call (Psalm 42)
Lord, from sorrows deep I call
When my hope is shaken
Torn and ruined from the fall
Hear my desperation
For so long I’ve pled and prayed
God, come to my rescue
Even so the thorn remains
Still my heart will praise You
Storms within my troubled soul
Questions without answers
On my faith these billows roll
God, be now my shelter
Why are you cast down, my soul?
Hope in Him who saves you
When the fires have all grown cold
Cause this heart to praise You
Should my life be torn from me
Every worldly pleasure
When all I possess is grief
God, be then my treasure
Be my vision in the night
Be my hope and refuge
Till my faith is turned to sight
Lord, my heart will praise You
And, oh, my soul, put your hope in God
My help, my rock, I will praise Him
Sing, oh, sing through the raging storm
You’re still my God, my salvation
And, oh, my soul, put your hope in God
My help, my rock, I will praise Him
Sing, oh, sing through the raging storm
You’re still my God, my salvation.
The Day of the Lord (Psalm 37)
It’s not long till the boastful are silenced and shamed.
It’s not long till the wealth of the wicked’s reclaimed.
And the ones who have waited with eyes on the Lord
will shine like the sun forevermore.
It’s not long till the Day of the Lord!
Just be still and be faithful and dwell in the land.
Put your trust in the Savior and cling to his hand.
When your heart burns with anger for all that is wrong,
do not let the dark steal your song.
It’s not long till the Day of the Lord!
It’s not long till the Day of the Lord,
It’s not long till the Day of the Lord!
Everything that is broken will soon be restored.
It’s not long till the Day of the Lord!
Do not fear for the wicked with weapons of war,
for the Lord is the shelter and strength of the poor.
And our God comes with laughter, let him be your joy.
The power of the sword, he’ll destroy.
It’s not long till the Day of the Lord!
At certain points during the videos, I’ll ask you to pause the video and to click on the following songs, and, if you can, to sing along with them. I know this may be challenging and perhaps a bit awkward, but let’s do our best to worship the Lord joyfully with song.
1) Psalm 67
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QtP48vDl9g
2) How Firm a Foundation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x-U3VMYf4g
3) Psalm 23
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN4tPkX0MG0
4) What E’re My God Ordains is Right
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0LeOlSkyQI
After the service, the following questions can be used for reflection and discussion, perhaps over lunch:
1) Can you think of plans that you made earlier in your life that (now, in hindsight) you are glad didn’t work out? What happened?
2) Have you or a loved one ever had a health scare, where the possibility of death was (or appeared to be) very real?
3) Imagine a family in which the children always got their way: their will was always done. What would happen in such a family? How well would the children do after leaving home? Would it really be wisest for us to have our own way in the world?
4) How does coming to terms with the brevity of life help us to live it differently, more wisely? If you only had a month to live, what would you want to do before you died?
And the following suggestions are meant to help you in prayer this coming week.
- Worship Jesus, who said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will, my God.” (Heb. 10:7)
- Worship our Heavenly Father, who is all-wise, whose will is perfect, if at times mysterious.
- Confess the extent to which God and his kingdom have been of little consequence in your life.
- Pray: “God, I do not need to understand what you are doing before I will obey you.”
- Pray that God would unite and mobilize PCC during this time to serve and love boldly.
- Pray: “Father, by the power of your Holy Spirit, imprint your word on our hearts, that we may love and serve you faithfully all our days. Amen.”