Elder Welcome
Notes
Transcript
Good morning LWC. We are glad you’re able watch this service in your homes as we worship our God through singing and hearing the word preached. Before we begin singing, let me share an experience that I had this last week.
This last Sunday, I enjoyed a great meal with my family. Ham, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and dinner rolls... And as often is the case, wonderful meals that are enjoyed especially on special occasions causes me to come back for seconds. A second helping of ham, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and dinner rolls. And next thing I knew, I had overdone it. I was full. But we hadn’t even had dessert yet... Strawberry short cake... one of my favorites! And so, even though I was full, I ate some dessert. But the problem was I did enjoy it the way I normally do. Rather I actually felt sick by the time I was done and I not only found myself regretting taking dessert at all.
This is an experience that many of us likely have had at one point or another, and this is the experience that is described in Proverbs 27:
Prov 27:7
One who is full loathes honey,
Honey, that which is sweet, that which is desirable, what which is a delicacy... is loathed, that is to be hated or despised, by the one who’s stomach is already full. This is an intriguing image that is being described in this proverb and is worth some meditation. Honey especially in the biblical world, is a symbol of blessing, prosperity, and the goodness of God. Consider the language that was used to describe the Promised Land.... it was the land flowing with milk and honey. This isn’t an description of something to be loathed, this image that was and is to be desired! And yet, to the one who is full... honey is disgusting. This reality is unfortunate for the one who will miss out on a delicious treat. But when we loath that which is better than honey, it is not only unfortunate, it is truly tragic.
You see, the image of honey goes far deeper than simply a sweet treat to the tongue. Every good thing in creation is given to us so that we can know God better. And Psalm 19 gives us an image that describes how sweet God and his word truly is. Psalm 19 describes the Law of the Lord… that is God’s written word… to be sweeter than honey. The reason the word of God is better than honey, is because it is by the word that we know Jesus, the living water who is able to fully satisfy us.
And yet, to the one who is already full… honey is loathed and so is Jesus, our Living Water who alone is able to satisfy…
It’s easy for us to fill ourselves up in this day and age. With the news, social media, or even things that we need to do around the house… we are a people that are susceptible to being filled by many things that will only leave us wanting. So if you find yourself easily distracted by these lesser thing… do this, put down dishes, they can be washed later. Shut off your phones or anything that might distract you. Turn off the news, you can always catch up on it later. And during this time, let us devote ourselves to worshiping our God.
As we begin to set our minds on the things above… let us recite what we believe together as it is summarized in the the Apostle’s Creed .
I believe in God the Father Almighty
Maker of Heaven and Earth
And in Jesus Christ
His only Son out Lord
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the Virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
Was crucified, dead, and buried,
The third day he arose again from the dead
He ascended into Heaven
And is seated on the right hand of God the Father Almighty
From there He shall come to judge
The living and the dead
I believe in the Holy Spirit
The holy universal church
The communion of saints
The forgiveness of sins
The resurrection of the body
And the life everlasting
Amen
Let’s pray