Hymn of Promise

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Sunday - 9:15 AM Sunday School, 10:30 AM Worship Service

by: Denise Robinson

04/09/2024

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Is your faith something that God alone can see? So many of us who call ourselves Christians do an excellent job of "hiding" our faith. We live so perfectly and seamlessly in this world that no one would suspect. Paul says this about faith in Ephesians 2:8-10: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
We are saved from our sins and for an eternity with God by faith and faith only. We, no matter how hard we try, can't earn our way into the kind of close relationship with God that God wants for each of us. However, while we are not saved by what we do, we are saved for a purpose, that is, to do something. We are saved to do good works ... we are called to be different and make a difference.
James 2:14-17 (The Message) says: "Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?"
Talking about and sharing our faith is important, but living our faith is even more important. There's a simple hymn that summarizes how we can keep our faith alive and thriving when the world around us seems dark and angry. It is also a reminder of what happens in the springtime ... And remember, we are an Easter people meaning that we should always live as though it were spring!
In the bulb there is a flower;
In the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise:
Butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter
There’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season,
Something God alone can see.
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Is your faith something that God alone can see? So many of us who call ourselves Christians do an excellent job of "hiding" our faith. We live so perfectly and seamlessly in this world that no one would suspect. Paul says this about faith in Ephesians 2:8-10: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
We are saved from our sins and for an eternity with God by faith and faith only. We, no matter how hard we try, can't earn our way into the kind of close relationship with God that God wants for each of us. However, while we are not saved by what we do, we are saved for a purpose, that is, to do something. We are saved to do good works ... we are called to be different and make a difference.
James 2:14-17 (The Message) says: "Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?"
Talking about and sharing our faith is important, but living our faith is even more important. There's a simple hymn that summarizes how we can keep our faith alive and thriving when the world around us seems dark and angry. It is also a reminder of what happens in the springtime ... And remember, we are an Easter people meaning that we should always live as though it were spring!
In the bulb there is a flower;
In the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise:
Butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter
There’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season,
Something God alone can see.
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