Sermon Tone Analysis

ORGAN PRELUDE    Ps 100:4   "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him, bless his name."

ANNOUNCEMENTS                        Next Sunday bring bells to call one another to a time of Advent waiting that is filled with anticipation.

These bells will help us to remember to wait with confident hope in Christ, even when it is difficult.

CALL TO WORSHIP

~* HYMN # 542                                   We Plow the Fields and Scatter

~*INVOCATION AND LORD'S PRAYER                 O God, You alone are the creator and sustainer of the universe, and we are so grateful You sent us Christ to lead us and deliver us from evil.

We praise Your holy name, Lord.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And, forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever.

~*GLORIA PATRI

SCRIPTURE READING                     II Samuel 23: 1-7        

In our Reading David is referred to as the "anointed of God," a term generally applied to the prophets, priests and kings of Israel.

When those holding these positions were set apart for their service, they were anointed with holy oil, which conferred God's Spirit.

Also, when people would prepare for a banquet or special occasion, they would anoint their faces with oil, much like we use make-up and other cosmetics.

The oil would make their face shine and cast a healthy glow.

Anointing was also symbolic of gladness and celebration.

~/ As I look at the lives of many Christians, they don't appear very anointed.

We are the anointed ones of God.

Does the Spirit speak through us (v.

2)?

Is there a glow on our face and a song in our hearts?

~/~/

OFFERING     (1 Chr 16:29 NLT)  "Give to the LORD the glory he deserves!

Bring your offering and come to worship him.

Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor."

~*DOXOLOGY

~*PRAYER OF DEDICATION            Almighty and everlasting God, free us from all false allegiances, so that we might fall to our knees and confess that Jesus is our Lord, to the glory of God.

In the precious and powerful name of Jesus, our crucified and risen king.

PRAYER         O God, in Your divine wisdom You have always known we really are like sheep, each prone to going one's own way without the guidance of those You have sent to shepherd us.

We thank You, Lord, for those shepherds and praise you, Lord, for all those called to lead God's people!

Lord, often we have been reluctant to accept and follow those You have called into the role of leadership.

Too often, our reluctance has resulted in our encountering snares and stumbling blocks You had intended to lead us around had we listened.

Forgive us, Lord, and send us anew those You would have us follow into the work of Your kingdom ~/ your wisdom and guidance are blessings to keep us out of trouble.

And your presence brings courage and strength to face today's world.

Without you, Lord, we would easily be led astray into the traps of evil.

Let us rejoice in God's blessing as those who willingly serve.

~* HYMN         # 319   Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us        

SCRIPTURE TEXT                             Revelations 1:4-8 NRSV  "John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, {5} and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, {6} and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen.

{7} Look!

He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.

So it is to be.

Amen.

{8} "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

SERMON                                            The Attitude Of Gratitude

     Loving God and others may be the most important decision one will make in life, but cultivating an attitude of gratitude is the best magnet for other worthy qualities one needs in one's earthly life.

Let me explain.

I've learned that one cannot have an lasting attitude in one's life and have it in isolation.

Why?

Because attitudes love to flock together in families.

It is true that, in any given week or month, one experiences a kaleidoscope of feelings, emotions, and attitudes, it is also true that one chooses a key attitude to remain in one's life.

Once that decision is made, and an attitude takes residence in your life, its kissin' cousins will come to roost with it.

Of that, you can be certain.

You can have an /attitude was resentment.

What comes with it are other unhealthy qualities~/stances: 1) a basic mistrust of life; 2) a desire to get even with others; and 3) a commitment to make things work in my favor, for fear they wouldn't otherwise.

Once Jesus Christ moves from being an idea to being our personal Lord and Savior, he brings with him into our heart and life the spiritual antonym of resentment, the attitude of gratitude.

Gratitude's kissin' cousins include: 1) a basic trust of life, because of one's growing trust in God; 2) death to the desire to get even and its replacement with a desire to understand, in a Christian way, people's behavior and beliefs; and 3) a new and lasting commitment to move from being manipulative of people and events to seeking and discerning God's hidden purpose and gracious will in and through such matters.

/

     All this serves as a healthy and helpful backdrop to the American theme of Thanksgiving.

/Historically, we know that our "Thanksgiving" roots go back to the year of 1621 when the surviving Pilgrims, in //Plymouth//, //Massachusetts//, gave heartfelt thanks to God for a very helpful harvest.

They were very convinced that without God's help and the Indians' partnership, they would never have survived.

I think this event, unlike other historic American events, speaks of a special kind of victory, not a military one, but an attitudinal one, one of gratitude over bitterness.

And, it attributes the victory, not to a heroic human person, but to the living God and His Son Jesus Christ.

~/~/  The scripture passage on Jesus' healing of the ten lepers reveals that for at least one former leper, the healing event was more than just skin-deep; his heart and life were converted, the chief evidence being his attitude of gratitude expressed to Jesus.

/

/     Which do Americans as a whole abound with the most: gratitude or entitlement?

I've discovered over the years that genuine, abiding gratitude inspires a spirit and practice of generosity in a person toward others.

Americans tend to be generous to themselves and to their immediate families, but they assume they should be on the receiving, not the giving, end of everything and everybody else.

We have very little tithing in churches; people give with great calculation more than they give out of great gratitude.

~/~/~/ This scriptural, as well as our historic American, theme of thanksgiving is one we should cherish with a renewed depth of commitment./

The Revelation is a letter, written to the seven churches in Asia (not the continent but the Roman province) these churches are named in verse 11--Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.

Letters delivered to these seven could easily circulate in the surrounding areas and since every letter had to be hand-written, each letter would need to be sent where it would reach the greatest number of people.

Another/ /possibility is John's preference for the number seven.

It occurs 54 times in Revelation.

Seven candle sticks(1:12), seven stars (1:16), seven lamps (4:5), seven seals (5:1), seven horns and seven eyes (5:6), seven thunders (10:3) seven angels, plagues and bowls (15:6,7,8).

Seven was regarded as the perfect number because in Jewish thought it stands for completeness.

It has been suggested that when John wrote to seven churches, he wrote to the whole church.

/It is also/ possible that John chose these seven churches because he had special authority in them.

These may have been "HIS" churches, and by speaking to them he sent a message first to those who knew and loved him best, and then through them to every church in every generation.

These seven churches contained typical or representative qualities of both obedience and disobedience that are a constant reminder throughout every age to all churches.

As John writes to the whole church through these seven churches he sends God's grace and peace.

Even this greeting is inclusive: using the Greek word (charis)for grace, and the Hebrew word (shalom) for peace.

Many hesitate to witness about their faith in Christ because they don’t feel the change in their lives has been spectacular enough.

But you qualify as a witness for Jesus because of what he has done for you, not because of what you have done for him.

Christ demonstrated his great love by setting us free from our sins through his death on the cross (“freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us”), guaranteeing us a place in his Kingdom, and making us priests to administer God’s love to others.

The fact that the all-powerful God has offered eternal life to you is nothing short of spectacular.

Revelation 1:5-7

Jesus is portrayed as the all-powerful King, victorious in battle, glorious in peace.

He is not just a humble earthly teacher, he is the glorious God.

When you read John’s description of the vision, keep in mind that his words are not just good advice; they are truth from the King of kings.

Don’t just read his words for their interesting and amazing portrayal of the future.

Let the truth about Christ penetrate your life, deepen your faith in him, and strengthen your commitment to follow him no matter what the cost.

Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.

The Lord God is the beginning and the end.

God the Father is the eternal Lord and Ruler of the past, present, and future (see also 4:8; Isaiah 44:6; 48:12-15).

Without him you have nothing that is eternal, nothing that can change your life, nothing that can save you from sin.

Is the Lord your reason for living, “the Alpha and the Omega” of your life?