Hearts On Fire

Have you ever experienced a Sunday morning when worship felt lifeless, empty, routine, "same-old-same-old", "heard it all before", dare I say, even boring?  Here's the question I would like to have you think about between now and Sunday.  How does someone reignite a burning desire in their heart for worshiping Jesus?

This idea of "hearts on fire for Jesus" is not just Christianese.  It's biblical.  Join us on Sunday at 9:30am, as we continue our series, Encounters with Jesus.  This week, we will dive into Luke 24, which recounts one of the most powerful post-resurrection moments.  It was on the road to Emmaus, where two despondent disciples are transformed by an encounter with the risen Christ.  Near the end of the story, after Jesus disappeared from their sight, the two disciples talked about what they learned and how it affected them.  They asked each other, "Were our hearts not burning within us while he (Jesus) talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?". What set their hearts ablaze was an interpretation of Scripture that put Jesus front and center.

If our Sunday worship experience is going to set our hearts on fire, it must put Jesus front and center, through the Scriptures.  Protestant Reformer, Thomas Cramer, in his short manifesto on worship claimed that the purpose of worship, centered on Christ and filled with the Scriptures, was to cause worshipers to "be the more inflamed with the love of God.".  In short, Cramer believed that making much of Jesus through our worship was a key ingredient for igniting hearts that were passionate for following and proclaiming the message of Jesus.  I believe the same is still true today.

Connecting with one another authentically is one of the core values of Calvary Parkside, and one of the best ways to connect with others is through our Sunday Adult Discipleship class.  This class meets every Sunday at 11:00am.  This Sunday is a perfect time to join this class, as they will begin a study in the book of John, focusing on the last days of Jesus.  I hope you will consider checking out this opportunity to further your relationships at Parkside.

See you Sunday.

Doug