Draw Near to God
Worship
Bright Intervals
40 Brief Worship Services and Meditations for Any Occasion
Object:
Greeting and Call To Worship
Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Opening Prayer
O God, we long to hear your voice speaking to us, and yearn to feel your presence with us. In these moments of worship and praise, draw near to us in the power of your Living Spirit. Forgive us when we have allowed the voices of this world to drown out your voice in our hearts. Assure us now that you are with us always as we pray in the name and for the sake of Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"In The Garden"
The writer of this much-loved hymn was C. Austin Miles. In March of 1912, he sat down in his home and opened his Bible to the twentieth chapter of John's Gospel and the story of Mary Magdalene's encounter on Easter with the Risen Christ in the garden where he was buried. He said, "As I read that story, I seemed to be a part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment in Mary's life, when she knelt before her Lord, and cried, 'Rabboni!' Under the inspiration of this vision, I wrote as quickly as the words could be formed in my mind, and that same evening I wrote the music." Perhaps more than any other, this hymn reminds us of God's presence with us when we submit our hearts to the Living Christ.
Scripture Reading
James 4:1-10
Meditation
An older couple was driving down the highway in their car one Sunday afternoon. He was behind the wheel, and she was leaning against the door on the passenger side. They were eager to get to their destination, but the car ahead of them was in no hurry at all! In it were a young man who was driving, and a young woman who was cuddled next to the driver. Occasionally, she would rest her head on the man's shoulder, and then reach up and give him a kiss. The older woman in the rear car took all this in, and then she said to her husband, "Why don't we sit together like that anymore?" Quick as a flash the husband replied, "I haven't moved!"
Now that story probably stimulates many thoughts in our minds, but the fact is, human relationships do grow cold and distant. Most of us can think of someone with whom we were very close but now we hardly communicate at all. The same thing often happens in our relationship with the Living God. We lose our enthusiasm for prayer. God seems far away. We feel out of touch, and the radiance and vitality we once had in our faith are missing. That is exactly the condition that James is speaking to when he writes, "Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you."
James knew that when our relationship with God has grown cold and distant, the problem is that we have let other loyalties and other desires get in the way. You and I are what we desire with a passion. Martin Luther once wrote: "Whatever your heart clings to and relies on is your God!" So if God seems far away, we need to ask ourselves what it is that has replaced God at the center of our lives? Is it concern over money or self or family? Is it a resentment against someone who hurt us long ago? Is it something we feel guilty about, and fear that God cannot forgive us?
Whatever has gotten in the way of our relationship with God, James' grace-filled promise is that if we draw near to God, God will surely draw near to us! He even tells us how to draw near to God: "Submit yourselves therefore to God ... Resist the devil, cleanse your hands, and purify your hearts." Now the problem for most of us is that word "submit." No matter what our age, it is hard to surrender our stubborn wills to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Erma Bombeck in one of her books says, "Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died!" A lot of us are still trying to live life on our own terms instead of God's. We still want to trust doctors whose office plants are deader than a doornail rather than submit our wills to the Lord of all life.
In a hotel in Norway there was a little girl who loved to play the piano in the lobby, but she knew only one song and she did not play it very well. In fact, the guests were upset with her for waking them up each morning with her terrible music. Then a famous pianist spent a night in the hotel. He, too, was awakened by the terrible sounds of the piano and the little girl's attempt to make music. So he put on his robe and went downstairs to where the child was playing. He said, "I know that song. May I play it along with you?" Together they began to play, but this time the music was so lovely everyone in the hotel gathered to hear it. The difference was that the master pianist was in control! Is it too much to think that the music of our lives might take on a new lilt and luster if we gave our hearts to the Master?
Closing Prayer and Benediction
O God, take our hearts, our minds, and our bodies as we submit them to the Lordship of your Son, Jesus the Christ. To your name be all glory and praise both now and forevermore. Amen.
Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Opening Prayer
O God, we long to hear your voice speaking to us, and yearn to feel your presence with us. In these moments of worship and praise, draw near to us in the power of your Living Spirit. Forgive us when we have allowed the voices of this world to drown out your voice in our hearts. Assure us now that you are with us always as we pray in the name and for the sake of Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"In The Garden"
The writer of this much-loved hymn was C. Austin Miles. In March of 1912, he sat down in his home and opened his Bible to the twentieth chapter of John's Gospel and the story of Mary Magdalene's encounter on Easter with the Risen Christ in the garden where he was buried. He said, "As I read that story, I seemed to be a part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment in Mary's life, when she knelt before her Lord, and cried, 'Rabboni!' Under the inspiration of this vision, I wrote as quickly as the words could be formed in my mind, and that same evening I wrote the music." Perhaps more than any other, this hymn reminds us of God's presence with us when we submit our hearts to the Living Christ.
Scripture Reading
James 4:1-10
Meditation
An older couple was driving down the highway in their car one Sunday afternoon. He was behind the wheel, and she was leaning against the door on the passenger side. They were eager to get to their destination, but the car ahead of them was in no hurry at all! In it were a young man who was driving, and a young woman who was cuddled next to the driver. Occasionally, she would rest her head on the man's shoulder, and then reach up and give him a kiss. The older woman in the rear car took all this in, and then she said to her husband, "Why don't we sit together like that anymore?" Quick as a flash the husband replied, "I haven't moved!"
Now that story probably stimulates many thoughts in our minds, but the fact is, human relationships do grow cold and distant. Most of us can think of someone with whom we were very close but now we hardly communicate at all. The same thing often happens in our relationship with the Living God. We lose our enthusiasm for prayer. God seems far away. We feel out of touch, and the radiance and vitality we once had in our faith are missing. That is exactly the condition that James is speaking to when he writes, "Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you."
James knew that when our relationship with God has grown cold and distant, the problem is that we have let other loyalties and other desires get in the way. You and I are what we desire with a passion. Martin Luther once wrote: "Whatever your heart clings to and relies on is your God!" So if God seems far away, we need to ask ourselves what it is that has replaced God at the center of our lives? Is it concern over money or self or family? Is it a resentment against someone who hurt us long ago? Is it something we feel guilty about, and fear that God cannot forgive us?
Whatever has gotten in the way of our relationship with God, James' grace-filled promise is that if we draw near to God, God will surely draw near to us! He even tells us how to draw near to God: "Submit yourselves therefore to God ... Resist the devil, cleanse your hands, and purify your hearts." Now the problem for most of us is that word "submit." No matter what our age, it is hard to surrender our stubborn wills to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Erma Bombeck in one of her books says, "Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died!" A lot of us are still trying to live life on our own terms instead of God's. We still want to trust doctors whose office plants are deader than a doornail rather than submit our wills to the Lord of all life.
In a hotel in Norway there was a little girl who loved to play the piano in the lobby, but she knew only one song and she did not play it very well. In fact, the guests were upset with her for waking them up each morning with her terrible music. Then a famous pianist spent a night in the hotel. He, too, was awakened by the terrible sounds of the piano and the little girl's attempt to make music. So he put on his robe and went downstairs to where the child was playing. He said, "I know that song. May I play it along with you?" Together they began to play, but this time the music was so lovely everyone in the hotel gathered to hear it. The difference was that the master pianist was in control! Is it too much to think that the music of our lives might take on a new lilt and luster if we gave our hearts to the Master?
Closing Prayer and Benediction
O God, take our hearts, our minds, and our bodies as we submit them to the Lordship of your Son, Jesus the Christ. To your name be all glory and praise both now and forevermore. Amen.
