  WELCOME TO THE ROCKBURN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH .... IT SO GREAT TO GATHER TOGETHER EACH SUNDAY .... TO SING, TO PRAY, TO LISTEN. TO LOVE. Opening Prayer God, we do not always find it easy to be open before you. Often our thoughts and minds are elsewhere. We allow too many things to become obstacles between ourselves and your presence. Touch our lives with your love flight f grace f healing (optional) and fill our worship with your holy spirit that we may offer our lives and praise to you. Amen Lord ... We dedicate this money, Lord, for the work of the church, and we ask you to use all that we have and are in your service. Amen." PASTORAL PRAYER Holy God, God over all the earth, we are in your house to praise you this day. We are grateful for the ways you guide us, you work with us, you call us to be your faithful people to work in this world for the goodness of all your creation, from great to small.. We remember today that you lead us to be voices for you, to work for life as you have given us new life. Empower us to be children of light, who speak love above all. You are a God who calls lovingly, not forcing us to be what we are not. Help us, in turn, to show all whom we meet your love, how to bear one another's burdens, how to take up the cross. Let us be in ministry as we remember all those near and far, who have been hurt by an unfaithful telling of your story, who do not validate people for who they are .... but force them into doing and acting exactly as they wish. This is not your plan. We pray and act as your loving people to be a light to all the world, damaged by human or natural calamity. Let us take a moment for silent prayer to pray for help for the people involved in disasters of our world .... such as the damage & death caused by the devasting tornadoes to the people of Colorado, to pray for the family of Tim Bosma, to pray for 2S yr. old soldier Lee Rigby, to pray for peace, understanding and forgiveness. Please also hear our own personal prayers ... only you know our true concerns .... Let us. TAKE A MOMENT For the goodness of all that you give us, may we respond in love and light, all in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray ...  Why the CrossThe Cross is a peculiar symbol to the Christian Faith. It has been worn around our necks, put above our doors, placed on Mountain tops, tattooed on arms. It has been found in schools, Hospitals all around the world. Symbols hold a lo of meaning in society, yet I feel we, that is westerners have lost the significance of the Cross and what it means personally. We must cling to the Old Rugged Cross, indeed. But I want first for us to get rid of any preconceived ideas we hold toward the Cross and imagine the year BC not 2013, but 1 BC, a year or so before the Crucifixion of our Lord. Now imagine that we live in any part of the Roman Empire. Now when you think of the Cross, it is one thing and one thing only. It is the apparatus whereby criminals are executed! It is torture / it is punishment / it is like into yet the hangman's noose, or the electric chair. It is an horrible atrocity. It is truly grotesque. Yet to those who have been saved by the blood of Christ, it is the most beautiful, most precious images ever to behold. 1. Why? A) First and foremost it is where the Son of God was condemned to die for my sin, your sin, indeed the sins of the Whole World! Isaiah 53 he was wounded for our transgressions B) Second All our sins were atoned for , paid in full. We now have forgiveness through the blood of the Cross. Colossians 2:14 New International Version (NIV) 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 1 Corinthians 1:18 New International Version (NIV) Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. C) It was Paul's ministry and it is ours as well. 1 Corinthians 1:23 King James Version (KJV) 23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; (Jews were waiting for the Messiah, they knew all the passages etc. Their expected messiah would be a super man, kicking butts . They looked at their messiah as being their King again. Even though it was written in the scripture ...they despised him because of his suffering and his death on the Cross. To the Greek, wise philosophers, it was all foolishness) The Cross, is the Gospel in a nutshell. The Gospel is translated, " The Good News" Death, burial, resurrection of Christ, without it : no Gospel, no Good News. Let's be perfectly clear on this point. Galatians 1:9-10 New International Version (NIV) 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people?If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. D) Christ on the Cross Reconciling us to God. Colossians 1:20 New International Version (NIV) 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. John 3:16-17 New International Version (NIV) 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 2. Maybe we haven't taken hold of one truth concerning our heavenly Father, and our fallen state, that we are all separated from God. We are all born into sin. Romans 3:23 New International Version (NIV) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, All have sinned. None righteous. We are all in the same sinking boat if you will. All in need of not a new or old Religion. We are all in need of a saviour! And there is only one. The Lord Jesus. Acts 4:12 New International Version (NIV) 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” 3. Another expression, we often repeat is :" We all have our Cross to carry." While it is a comforting expression or thought, it doesn't convey the truth about what " Pick up your own Cross and follow me" means. Let's look at the context. Matthew 16:21-26 New International Version (NIV) Jesus Predicts His Death 21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? Matthew 10:34-39 New International Version (NIV) 34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- 36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’[a] 37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. Luke 9:18-26 New International Version (NIV) Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah 18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” 19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” 20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” Jesus Predicts His Death 21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” 23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:23 adds "daily". The "pick up you Cross" always has to do with, a disciple of Christ, following Christ, daily living the life regardless of persecution, suffering for you Faith, never denying Christ even into death, even death on the Cross. Ouch! 4. We must identify ourselves with Christ and the Crucifixion. Galatians 2:20 New International Version (NIV) 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Christ had to die, blood had to be shed, it had to be our Lord's blood, for there to be forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22 New International Version (NIV) 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Have you embraced the Cross? Have you put your Faith in Christ who willingly hung there between heaven and earth. He loves you more than you can ever know. Hold fast to the (message) of the Cross. And we invite you, if you have resisted giving yourself in Faith for whatever reason, be it fear, doubt, pride or stubbornness. Or like I did, take it for granted. Surrender to Him today. Repentance is nothing short of changing your mind towards God's revealed plan of redemption: THE CROSS!      
0 Comments
 Psalm 78:1-7 [Accompanying scriptures: Lev. 26:9-12; Acts 2:17-21(Joel 2:28-32)] (Please note scriptures have been copied below) How does one understand Pentecost? We have such a limited understanding of how God has orchestrated His plans. The ritual offering to God for success of their food crop is so intimately intertwined with divine prophecy of God's gift for the success of His perfect plan for us. The old covenants were renewed yearly but this year there was a new covenant. Jesus had made this new covenant with His body and His blood and the prophecies concerning it were to be fulfilled. From Moses, (Num. 11:26-29) through Joel 2:28-32, God had a plan and this May 29, 30 AD it was to come into being. Why? So that a birth could take place. Not a conventional birth but the culmination of Jesus' work and the mandate of the church to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God throughout the world. This birth, like all births, was very small, but that day 120 grew into 3120 and today we sit here, small as church gatherings are counted, but woven in our spiritual fabric into the whole of Christ's church. Permit me to tell a story, disjointed perhaps but so connected, that the feast of First Fruits to the feast of Pentecost will evermore be connected and I pray understood. The dates I use are fixed only for reference, the actual dates are written by God and are His to determine. It is Sunday the first day of this week in April in the year 30 AD. It is the day after Passover, the sun hasn't yet risen and the priest leaves the temple to go to the fields nearby to look at the freshly planted ground. He arrives just as the dawn peeks over the horizon and the blush of light gently rains down on the field. He looks, stoops down and studies the earth and there it is the first shoot has broken the surface and the sprout appears, the first fruit of this year's crop. The priest carefully enfolds the sprout in his hands, at exactly this moment he feels the earth shake and he realizes that there has been a violent earthquake nearby. Instantly the sun breaks over the horizon. The priest quickly lifts the sprout from the ground and hurries back to the temple and there enacts the ritual of First Fruits (Lev.23:9-14). He holds the sprout in his uplifted hands and before the altar waves it back and forth before God. This age old ritual steeped in the mist of tradition and history is celebrated right after Passover. This day was different however, because there was a wild rumor that a young girt Mary Magdelene, went to the tomb and found it empty and that Jesus had come up out of the earth alive. It was on this note that the celebration of "The Feast of First Fruits" ended. The next great feast and celebration would be in exactly forty-nine days - seven weeks - but this time this celebration, called Pentecost, would be not observed but fulfilled. It is Sunday, May 29, 30 AD. Seven weeks have passed. The doors of the temple swing open and the priest exits to head for the same field he approached 49 days ago. It is early and still dark. He passes through the city noticing the masses of slumbering people packed into the city for the celebration of the next great Pentecost. The priest is not the only one who is up as a few of the Lord's disciples are wending their way to the second floor of a two story building no one knows why these disciples are up so early. Let us go back to the Passover and the ensuing 49 days. Christ was crucified during Passover and just about everyone meeting upstairs was an eye-witness to his execution. The bleakness of that time rested on them for two days and then on the third day Mary had found the tomb empty and she insisted that the Lord was alive. During the next five weeks He had appeared to all of these people. On the 40th day after Passover had met with a small group on the Mount of Olives and singling out twelve He looked them straight in the eye and said, "You are going to receive power." Then He said to all with them, go into Jerusalem and wait. These instructions so vague in content and yet so direct they decided that alarge room for them to stay in would be ideal and they met together to fast and pray. They had no idea what was coming but they went in obedience to Jesus. The days blended into prayer, questions, reminiscences, anxiety, and excitement sprinkled with perhaps a touch of frustration and boredom. The priest arrived at the field just as the sun's first rays were spreading across the land before him. Seven weeks ago he had sought a sprout, today before him flowed a rich, full very ripe crop of grain, ready for harvest. The priest stepped into the field and began cutting stalks, carefully he gathered two bundles and started back to Jerusalem, to the temple. The darkness waned and the day truly dawned as the priest entered the temple. The next important step of the Pentecost ritual was about to begin. The priest beat the seeds from the stalks, he took a smooth stone and carefully ground the seeds until They were crushed into a very fine flour. The flour was heaped up and water added in an exact amount and then the dough was fashioned into two loaves and which were gently thrust into the very hot over prepared, as always, for this ritual. The oven being very hot the bread would soon be finished, taken out of the oven it would be presented At the altar before the Lord. The offering would be the high hour of Pentecost - and that hour was at hand. The prayers in the upper room were totally authentic and very bold and the presence of the Lord permeated the whole room. The tension and anticipation were as a covering like warm oil flowing over the whole room and all those in it. Suddenly there was a loud sound, it seemed to be coming from the heavens. It was a mighty, deafening roar that grew louder and closer. Then it happened right there among them, the sound of the wind from heaven entered that room on earth. The reality of Jesus' words, the reality of the closeness of Jesus' presence, that which they had experienced only when they sat with Him here on earth, that glorious presence filled the room. The awesome sense of his divine authority was there. Suddenly everyone knew! The priest pulled the loaf from the oven. He took it to the altar and lifted it to God. The high hour of Pentecost had come. The loaf was complete. The divine seed had come up. That divine life that had dwelt in only one man now dwelt in many. Those in whom it now dwelt were more, not greater just more, as they now became one body. The Holy Spirit had come. The priest lifted the bread before the Lord. The day of Pentecost had come. No! This day, the day of Pentecost had been fulfilled. The scriptures were real. They were true. What God had decreed had happened. What was it that had just happened? As of that day, that moment, in the city of Jerusalem, the rule and the kingdom that until then only heaven had known - at last - had invaded the earth. The kingdom of heaven touched earth. What had happened? The most awesome event in human history. A seed had become a loaf. What does this day mean? Why do we celebrate this event? The monumental birth that took place was the birth of the church. We today, here, now, have the same awesome presence in our midst. We here, now, are the recipients of that same power and majesty. Here as in every Christian church where this service is being recognized the church is born from the seed, a loaf is made, Jesus the Bread of life. The Spirit of God rests in each believer and we are formed into one body, the church, prophecy has been fulfilled and Christ's Church, the Kingdom of God is here May we praise and thank almighty God for His sacrifice, His love and His blessings. Amen!  
Leviticus 26:9-12 New International Version (NIV) 9 “‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. 11 I will put my dwelling place[a] among you, and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. Psalm 78:1-7 New International Version (NIV) Psalm 78 A maskil of Asaph. 1 My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old-- 3 things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. 5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, 6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. 7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. Acts 2:17-21 New International Version (NIV) 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Joel 2:28-32 New International Version (NIV) The Day of the Lord 28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. 30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.  "For me, Thomas was the most interesting of the disciples as he was a skeptic"
Norm "I Am The Man Thomas" I am the Man, Thomas I am the Man Look at these nail scars Here in my hand They drove me up the hill, Thomas I am the Man They made me carry the cross, Thomas I am the Man I am the Man, Thomas I am the Man Look at these nail scars Here in my hand They crowned my head with thorns, Thomas I am the Man They nailed me to the cross, Thomas I am the Man I am the Man, Thomas I am the Man Look at these nail scars Here in my hand They pierced me in the side I am the Man I died on the cross, Thomas I am the Man I am the Man, Thomas I am the Man Look at these nails scars Here in my hand They buried me in the tomb, Thomas I am the Man In three days I rose, Thomas I am the Man I am the Man, Thomas I am the Man Look at these nails scars Here in my hand http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics *************************************************************** "By The Mark" When I cross over I will shout and sing I will know my Savior By the mark where the nails have been By the mark where the nails have been By the sign upon His precious skin I will know my Savior when I come to Him By the mark where the nails have been A man of riches May claim a crown of jewels But the King of Heaven Can be told from the prince or fools By the mark where the nails have been By the sign upon His precious skin I will know my Savior when I come to Him By the mark where the nails have been On Calvary's Mountain Where they made Him suffer so All my sin was paid for A long, long time ago By the mark where the nails have been By the sign upon His precious skin I will know my Savior when I come to Him By the mark where the nails have been I will know my Savior when I come to Him By the mark where the nails have been http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics  Mother’s Day Message: Mother’s are Extra Special We have come together this morning for two primary reasons, First, and foremost is to honor the Lord Jesus Christ with our worship. The other, is to honor our mothers, grandmothers and the mothers of our children. These are lifetime tasks, neither of which can be confined to a one hour worship service. Telephone companies tells us that Mother’s Day is by far their busiest day of the year. It is a day for greetings and expressions of love. It is also a day for remembering. I do not believe that anything has ever been said or ever will be said that is eloquent enough, or expressive enough to articulate the true value of a mother…. One mother says, “The joy of motherhood is what a woman experiences when all the children are finally in bed. A mother talking to an old collage friend said, “Remember, before I was married I had 3 theories about raising children? Well, now I have 3 children and no theories.” A mother has the fascinating ability to be almost everywhere at once and she alone can somehow squeeze an enormous amount of living into a 24 hour day. A man was walking along a California beach and stumbled across an old lamp. He picked it up, rubbed it – and out popped a genie. The genie said, OK. Four People have released me from the lamp this month and I’m getting a little sick of these wishes, so can you forget about three. You only get one wish.” The man thought about it for a while and said, “I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I am afraid to fly and I get sea sick. Could you build me a bridge to Hawaii so I can drive over there for a vacation?” The genie laughed and said, “That’s impossible. Think of the logistics of that feat! How would the supports ever reach the bottom of the Pacific Ocean? The Answer is NO….think of another wish.” The man thought about it and said, “I have been dating for years and the women I date always say that I do not care and that I am insensitive. So, I wish I could fully understand women…to know exactly how they feel and know exactly what they are thinking..” The genie paused than said, “Do you want that bridge with 2 lanes or 4 lanes?” A mother has the angelic voice of a member in the celestial choir as she sings a lullaby to a babe help lovingly in her arms. Yet, this same voice can dwarf the sound of an amplifier when she calls the children for supper or cheers them on at a game. And a mom can be tough when she needs to be. A drill sergeant was frustrated in his efforts to make a soldier out of a certain recruit. The trainee lagged behind on marches, used any excuse to go on sick call, grumbled constantly about the food and never made his bunk properly. But one day, a noticeable change took place in the young man’s attitude. When asked to what he attributed the solder’s change in attitude, the drill sergeant explained, “Threats and punishment didn’t work, so I had to resort to the ultimate weapon: I called his mother!” A mother is considered “old fashioned” to her teenager; just “MOM” to her third-grader; and simple “Mama” to the little two-year old It is hard to find free time as a mom. There was a Cartoon that portrayed a three-year old, freckled-faced boy in the hallway. His pajamas are unsnapped, his diaper is bagging, and he has a little teddy bear dangling in this hand. He is standing in front of his mother and father’s bedroom door, which is shut. On the door is a little sign written by a weary mother: “Closed for Business. Motherhood Out of Order.” One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several stands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. “Why are some of your hairs white, MOM?” she asks. Her mother replied, “Well, every time you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turn white”. The little girl pondered about that for awhile, then asked, “So how come all of Grandma’s hairs are white?” Grandmothers can be extra special. A third grader expressed some like this….Grandmothers don’t have to do anything except be there. They are old so they shouldn’t have to play hard and they shouldn’t run. It is enough if they drive us to the market where the pretend horse is and have a lot of quarters. They take us for walks, they should slow down past things, like pretty leaves, butterflies and caterpillars. They should never say “Hurry up!” Usually grandmother’s are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take their teeth out. When they read to us, they don’t skip parts of the story or mind reading the same story over again. Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don’t have television, because they are the only grown-ups who…have time. Almost all of us have fond memories of our families mothers, grandmothers and of home. And although my mother has been gone for 10 years now, I have so many precious memories of her. Mother & Home when you mention one you just automatically think of the other. And when most of us think of home we forget the trouble that may surround us and remember the sounds and sights and smells of home. Of screen doors banging in the summer time, the aroma of cookies just out of the over, or the smell of our favorite meal baking in the oven. Home – we enjoy a sense of acceptance there, of being loved. Few things are more tender that a mother’s hug or compassionate touch. Someone pointed out that of the 69 kings of France only 3 were really loved by their subjects. And these 3 were the only ones reared by their mothers, and not by tutors or guardians. It just may be true - what Napoleon said, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” The writer of Hebrews reminds us to, “…encourage one another daily….” And again, the Scriptures in 1st Thessalonians commands us: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. One day 5 prisoners sat looking at a magazine in the prison library. One said, “I wish my mother has a house like the one in that ad.” Another took the magazine & flipping through the pages, remarked, “That’s what I wish my ma had….a car like that so she could come and see me once in awhile..” They passed it around until it came to a prisoner named {Bill.” Bill just sat there. Finally, he spoke, “I wish,” his voice sounded as if it were going to break, “that my mother had a good son.” I would like to close with this poem entitled….. Happy Mother’s Day Today’s your day So listen up! Just sit right there And don’t get up! You’ve earned the right To stay in bed And not get dressed, Or comb your head! Just take it easy Don’t feel bad. If you need anything… Just holler “DAD”!! Author: Jill Neugebauer Tribute to George Beverly Shea. I am going to place these artifacts from an earlier era. Now here you can take a look at them later on. I am just going to put them up here because there are relevant to what I am going to have to speak off in the next few minutes. This is the Billy Graham crusade. These are LP's of course, and Billy Graham crusade and this is Billy Graham's right hand man, George Beverly Shea. Now, I was asked to say a few things about this because, we thought it would be appropriate to do a tribute to George Beverly Shea today. Three weeks ago Nancy brought in a new song for us to work on with some band flute. It is called the "The wonder of it all" and I looked at the title and it said George Beverly Shea and the name brought up a ballad in my head and I said: He is an evangelist isn't he or something? And they said “ yea he was”. The next week, we came in and between the time that Nancy had found the song and the following practice, up on Google came that George Beverly Shea had died at the age of 104 and it was basically that week. So I started looking a little bit at that guy George Beverly Shea and found out a little bit about him, and my curiosity was aroused right away when I saw he was a Canadian. He was born in Winchester, Ontario which is just a little bit north of Upper Canada Village. We all know where that is. So that aroused my appetite even more. So I decided to look into him and find out a bit more history about him. I found out that he was a two time Grammy award winner. He won the Grammy back in the mid 50's I think for an LP that he did, but more significantly the... whoever issued Grammy awards deemed it appropriate to award him a life time achievement award at the age of 102, in the year 2011; the oldest person to achieve a Grammy award. So when he was 102 years old, he picked up another award. And that led me to look into his music as well, and start listening to his music and I found out that he is widely regarded as being America’s most beloved Gospel Singer. Now usually, when I think of Gospel Singing, I think of Mahalia Jackson and all black groups standing up singing but this was a bleu eyed, white Gospel singer who was recognized as being North America's most beloved Gospel singer. So I figure I should know more about this guy and I went to You Tube and I listened to a few tunes that he had done. He was a composer as well as a singer. And they sounded..., they struck a real auditory memory cord in my head and I thought I have heard this before. Then it came to me that this guy was..... When Billy Graham was running his crusades in the 50's, the 60’s, the 70’s, the 80's and the 90's...George Beverly Shea was his right hand man. Billy Graham preached, George Beverly Shea sang, and every time that Billy Graham was up there preaching, George Beverly Shea was up there singing. He was Billy Graham's favourite singer and he sold. He was a baritone and had a very very recognized deep deep voice. It came to be that this voice was in my head because when I was growing up in the 50's, I was born in 47. Incidentally 1947 was when George Beverly Shea joined the Billy Graham's organization and started working with Billy Graham, just the year I was born. Well growing through the 50’s, TV was a pretty rare thing you know. We did not have one in our house until the 60's, but you could always see a TV when you went to Grandma's because Grandma had a TV. Grandma was in Toronto. My grand-parents, my Father's parents were deeply religious people. He was a sextant (Sexton) at Prospect Community Church in Toronto. And my grand-mother was an hardened Billy Graham fan, and she followed him right up until she died. So I watched a lot of TV, you know, as well as watching Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger or whatever else was on, I got to see Red Skelton and I got to see a lot of Billy Graham as well. So this George Beverly Shea being his main man, all this auditory memory stuff came from those days hearing him sing for these crusades. He was a composer as well as a singer. He has got 7 songs to his merit that we know of; two of them are quite popular and they are the ones we were able to find music for. So the band has worked at two of his songs. We are going to play them both. One of them we are going to sing on, and then after that there is one more segment of this tribute that I will invite you to join us in as well. Right now we are going to do two songs: the first one is “I’d rather have Jesus" This is one that George Beverly Shea wrote in 1932. This is even before he joined Billy Graham. And the second one is his more, most popular one probably, which he wrote in 1955 I think it is, and it is called the “The wonder of it all". I'D RATHER HAVE JESUS I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I'd rather be His than have riches untold; I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands; I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand Refrain: Than to be the king of a vast domain, Or be held in sin's dread sway; I'd rather have Jesus than anything This world affords today. I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause; I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause; I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame; I'd rather be true to His holy name He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom; He's sweeter than honey from out the comb; He's all that my hungering spirit needs; I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead WONDER OF IT ALL There's the wonder of sunset at evening, The wonder as sunrise I see; But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul Is the wonder that God loves me. Refrain O, the wonder of it all! The wonder of it all! Just to think that God loves me. O, the wonder of it all! The wonder of it all! Just to think that God loves me. Verse 2 There's the wonder of springtime and harvest, The sky, the stars, the sun; But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul Is a wonder that's only begun. Now the last part of this involves you. George Beverly Shea, he had several signature songs, that were associated with him as a singer. They weren’t his own compositions. They were compositions of other people. “The old rugged cross" was one , "He’s got the whole world in his hand" was another, but probably the most famous of it all is "Oh Lord my God How Great Thou art" We are going to invite you to sing that but …freeze!!! before we do that, I want to mention a few things about this hymn. The hymn is a Swedish hymn , was translated by somebody named Hine, into English. But George Beverly Shea did not like some of the words in the first verse I do not know why but he decided to change them. Take a look at that hymn Verse 1: O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder Consider all the works Thy hand hath made. The original translation was not world, it was works. George Beverly Shea did not like that. He discarded singing “works" And the second one is I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed; The original translation of that was the mighty thunder. He decided to change that to “rolling” thunder. His renditions became so popular in the culture that the original words were forgotten even in our hymn books and George Beverly Shea's version is the one we adopted. The other thing to say about that is that when George Beverly Shea was at his height, I guess in the 1950's, he did a stint in one of his crusades in New York City in the Madison Square Gardens, the old Madison square gardens by the train station, and they did 3 months of crusades at the old Madison Square Gardens and George Beverly Shea opened each one of these crusades and on 100 consecutive nights, one hundred consecutive nights opened it with his rousing rendition of "Oh Lord my God How Great Thou art" So if you will join us in singing . How Great Thou Art Lyrics by George Beverly Shea O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made; I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art! When through the woods, and forest glades I wander, And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees. When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art! And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing; Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art! When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart. Then I shall bow, in humble adoration, And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!" Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art!  George Beverly Shea, left, is shown with his wife, Karlene, in his North Carolina home on Jan. 13, 2009. He died Tuesday at age 104. (Chuck Burton/Associated Press) http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2013/04/17/george-beverly-shea.html   Awaithing text from Mr Weippert.....
|
Please respect the work of all those who generously prepare texts and services for our Church.
Do not copy without their authorization. 
Previously:
June 2022
|
