Sunday, January 9, 2011
Psalm 96; Philippians 4:4-7
THIS IS THE DAY THAT GOD HAS MADE
Eleanor Epp-Stobbe, preaching

This is the day that God has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Time is a given, and time is a gift. Our challenge with time can be a spiritual problem. We come to believe that we, not God, are the masters of time. How might our experience of time change if we could learn to receive time as a gift from God? How might this open us to live more fully?
Time is our meeting place with God.
The practice of embracing this day is in our rhythm of worship. It is part of our faithful practice as a gathered community, most often it is how we approach and begin worship. We gather and praise. It is our response to God's gracious love for us. It is in our prayers and hymns and in God's Word. The practice of embracing this day spills over from our rhythm of worship on Sunday morning into the other activities and worship in our daily life Monday to Saturday.
All of life is worship. This is the day that God has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

New Revised Standard Version