Yes and No
Worship
Bright Intervals
40 Brief Worship Services and Meditations for Any Occasion
Object:
Greeting and Call To Worship
Stand, therefore, having your loins girded with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness!
Opening Prayer
O God of compassion, we turn to you in the midst of a world that often wants its own will done instead of your will. Daily we are challenged in our walk of faith with the Living Christ. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, that we may act with boldness in serving Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus"
The author of this hymn, George Duffield, was inspired to write these stirring words in response to the death of a close friend, Dudley Tyng. Tyng had been a young pastor in Philadelphia in 1858. He was such an effective preacher that at a revival in Philadelphia, he once had 1,000 people give their hearts to Christ. A few weeks after this revival, Tyng was watching a cornshelling machine when his arm caught in the machinery and was terribly mangled. Friends gathered around Tyng's bed as he lay dying. Someone asked, "Dudley, do you have any last message for your friends?" "Tell them to stand up for Jesus!" George Duffield was so touched by this message that he wrote the words we will now sing.
Scripture Reading
Matthew 4:1-11
Meditation
Consider the importance of two little words we use every day of our lives -- "yes" and "no." Those two words, more than any others we speak, define our lives and what is of true importance to us. The season of Lent is a good time to take a fresh look at the things to which we say "yes" and the things to which we say "no."
Sometimes it is a lot harder to say "no," because we want to get along with those around us or to please our friends. Think of the courage of those who said "no" to the Nazis and Adolf Hitler in Germany in the 1930s, or those with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in this country who said "no" to racial segregation in the 1960s. Saying "no" is very hard for many of our young athletes as they sacrifice education for big bucks. Saying "no" to drugs and alcohol has become one of the most serious problems our teenagers face. Today one out of every twelve teenagers will have a problem with alcohol! In the business world, it is often very hard to say "no" to insider trading, crooked dealing, and unethical practices.
But when we turn to the Bible, we discover that saying "no" has never been easy for God's people. Way back in Genesis, Adam and Eve could have said "no" to the temptation to eat the forbidden fruit, and human history might be a very different story. The book of Genesis also tells the story of Joseph, who as a handsome young Hebrew man caught the eye of Potiphar's wife. Joseph was a slave in Potiphar's house, but when the Master of the House was away, his wife did everything she could to lure the handsome young Hebrew slave to her bedroom. But Joseph said "no" because "my God will see us!"
Moses said an emphatic "no" when he came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments and found the people worshipping a golden calf instead of the Living God. His hurling the two tablets at the idol was his way of saying for God, "You shall have no other gods before me!" And then here is Jesus in the wilderness just before beginning his public ministry. He is tempted to become the kind of Messiah that uses spectacular tricks to get public attention. But summoning the power of heaven to help him, Jesus says "no" to Satan and to doing things according to his will instead of God's will.
Saying "no" in the Christian life is never easy. However, saying "yes" is also very important. Traditionally, we have thought of Lent as a time to say "no" to chocolate or to ice cream -- a time to deny ourselves some pleasure. Let me suggest, however, that Lent could be a wonderful time to say "yes."
Let us say "no" to grumbling and complaining, and "yes" to giving thanks to God in all circumstances. Let us say "no" to worries and fears, and "yes" to trusting God more every day. Let us say "no" to some television program, and "yes" to spending the time with someone who is lonely. Let us say "no" to that ugly bit of gossip we have heard, and "yes" to praying for those who have hurt us. God give us the courage to say "no" to the things of this world, and "yes" to the things of Jesus Christ!
Closing Prayer
An old hymn offers a wonderful prayer for each believer:
I would be true, for there are those who trust me.
I would be pure, for there are those who care.
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer.
I would be brave, for there is much to dare.
Benediction
May God bless you and keep you. May God's face shine on you and be gracious to you. May God look upon you with favor and give you peace.
Stand, therefore, having your loins girded with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness!
Opening Prayer
O God of compassion, we turn to you in the midst of a world that often wants its own will done instead of your will. Daily we are challenged in our walk of faith with the Living Christ. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, that we may act with boldness in serving Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus"
The author of this hymn, George Duffield, was inspired to write these stirring words in response to the death of a close friend, Dudley Tyng. Tyng had been a young pastor in Philadelphia in 1858. He was such an effective preacher that at a revival in Philadelphia, he once had 1,000 people give their hearts to Christ. A few weeks after this revival, Tyng was watching a cornshelling machine when his arm caught in the machinery and was terribly mangled. Friends gathered around Tyng's bed as he lay dying. Someone asked, "Dudley, do you have any last message for your friends?" "Tell them to stand up for Jesus!" George Duffield was so touched by this message that he wrote the words we will now sing.
Scripture Reading
Matthew 4:1-11
Meditation
Consider the importance of two little words we use every day of our lives -- "yes" and "no." Those two words, more than any others we speak, define our lives and what is of true importance to us. The season of Lent is a good time to take a fresh look at the things to which we say "yes" and the things to which we say "no."
Sometimes it is a lot harder to say "no," because we want to get along with those around us or to please our friends. Think of the courage of those who said "no" to the Nazis and Adolf Hitler in Germany in the 1930s, or those with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in this country who said "no" to racial segregation in the 1960s. Saying "no" is very hard for many of our young athletes as they sacrifice education for big bucks. Saying "no" to drugs and alcohol has become one of the most serious problems our teenagers face. Today one out of every twelve teenagers will have a problem with alcohol! In the business world, it is often very hard to say "no" to insider trading, crooked dealing, and unethical practices.
But when we turn to the Bible, we discover that saying "no" has never been easy for God's people. Way back in Genesis, Adam and Eve could have said "no" to the temptation to eat the forbidden fruit, and human history might be a very different story. The book of Genesis also tells the story of Joseph, who as a handsome young Hebrew man caught the eye of Potiphar's wife. Joseph was a slave in Potiphar's house, but when the Master of the House was away, his wife did everything she could to lure the handsome young Hebrew slave to her bedroom. But Joseph said "no" because "my God will see us!"
Moses said an emphatic "no" when he came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments and found the people worshipping a golden calf instead of the Living God. His hurling the two tablets at the idol was his way of saying for God, "You shall have no other gods before me!" And then here is Jesus in the wilderness just before beginning his public ministry. He is tempted to become the kind of Messiah that uses spectacular tricks to get public attention. But summoning the power of heaven to help him, Jesus says "no" to Satan and to doing things according to his will instead of God's will.
Saying "no" in the Christian life is never easy. However, saying "yes" is also very important. Traditionally, we have thought of Lent as a time to say "no" to chocolate or to ice cream -- a time to deny ourselves some pleasure. Let me suggest, however, that Lent could be a wonderful time to say "yes."
Let us say "no" to grumbling and complaining, and "yes" to giving thanks to God in all circumstances. Let us say "no" to worries and fears, and "yes" to trusting God more every day. Let us say "no" to some television program, and "yes" to spending the time with someone who is lonely. Let us say "no" to that ugly bit of gossip we have heard, and "yes" to praying for those who have hurt us. God give us the courage to say "no" to the things of this world, and "yes" to the things of Jesus Christ!
Closing Prayer
An old hymn offers a wonderful prayer for each believer:
I would be true, for there are those who trust me.
I would be pure, for there are those who care.
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer.
I would be brave, for there is much to dare.
Benediction
May God bless you and keep you. May God's face shine on you and be gracious to you. May God look upon you with favor and give you peace.
