Covenant of Hope Ministries Sunday Sermon_3_23_2014
Message
from Rev. Laura http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTaC-a3PfSA&feature=youtu.be
Good
afternoon, and welcome to this Sunday Sermon for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I
am Rev. Laura A. Neff. The ministry knows me as the Rainbow Minister. Find us
posted on Sundays and studies on Wednesday. Our locations are online only:
Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope
We
have email (instant messenger if you need me) through Facebook every day. These
are now extremely variable. We’re still working this out between the two of us
as to what will happen, our Elder, Cal Jennings and I. I will inform you
further regarding changes. These changes were made due to health reasons. The
sermon length has shortened dramatically. We are unsure as to when there might
be video presentations.
I have a single confession to make. I can write sermons, form
letters, poetry, and other snippets, but a common, ordinary letter has always
seemed like I want to speak only of my self. This isn’t true, but, it always
looks like it when I reflect back.
So, this week, I will request that, should you receive
notifications from the ministry, would you do me a favor? Please send me a note
that says one word. You don’t have to say more. One word. That word is hello.
For that I will share these. Thank you, God bless you.
There are reasons for this. One of those would be in the fact
that God blessed me from the beginning by sharing His love, through words given
to me, to all who would willingly share time, no matter how fleeting, together.
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.
- Please keep Elder Cal Jennings in your prayers as his health
doesn’t know where it wants to be. He has had many bad days over the past many
weeks and months tested over his faith.
- Please pray for the relief of trials and tribulations suffered
by our member Brother Wayne Bartosh. He has suffered many griefs in the past year
or more, and is losing the sight in at least one eye. Let us pray that the
family issues and more would find resolution soon.
- Please keep a friend, Debby, in your prayers for a swift and
continued recovery after major cancer surgery.
- Continue your prayers for Phoebe Fair’s family as they
continue to grieve her loss.
- Please pray for my friend Teresa’s sister who is in stage four
cancer. Keep Teresa and her daughter in prayer for many other things that have
been weighing down on their hearts, minds, and spirits.
- Please keep others known by any of us up in prayer for
whatever they might need.
- Please keep my friend Heather in prayer for patience and safe
haven.
- Let us keep those who have suffered from the weather in
prayer, as they continue to weather the storms, the cold, and the dangers that
can be found within them.
- Please keep my whole family in prayer for the pain, suffering,
and chaos we are going through. Pray that answers and remedies might be found
for as many as are meanto to have them.
- Pray that the adversity and the pain we have seen around the
world would be relieved, and swept away. May we find common ground in many
ways, even if we start with just one step.
- Remember those who have been lost either violently or
peacefully this week.
- Keep the ministry in your thoughts, each member, no matter
their location, their circumstances, because a group of friends, a ministry,
should support one another.
- There are many in our ministry who are searching for more in
regard to our presence with my health, and with the health of others. We pray
that there would be health found once more, and that we have answers to all and
for all.
Prayer:
Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for these who
are here to share it with us. We praise Your great gifts as they are set before
us. We pray that You help us realize just how precious life and these gifts of
life would be. We pray that those brought to our thoughts are given solace,
hope, peace, and more for their pains and sorrows. We pray that truth will be
seen not just with the eyes, but with the heart. We pray that trust can be
found in Your love as it surrounds us all. We pray all this in thanksgiving for
the gifts You brought us through Your Holy Name, in the gifts of Jesus Christ
through the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.
Opening
Song: Through
My Father’s Eyes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldiEOAtlTKU
Sermon:
We’ve
heard songs of all sorts, occasions, and more, bridging the valleys and oceans
of faith, creed, and more, all speaking of GRACE. There are songs sharing the
benfits, the beauties there could, would, and should be. Yet, there is ONE way
that this gift should be seen. The gift of grace does one thing alone. It
brings us, as Christians, into a new point of view, a new being, spiritually,
soulfully. That is why grace, His grace, is so amazing. Jesus can, and, in
fact, has, brought together men, women, and children descended from the sons of
Abraham, without regard to their skin, hair, or anything else. Love by His
Grace is something that we should all see, EQUALLY. Let’s start with a very
familiar gospel, the Gospel of John 1:14-17 KJV – And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom
I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ.
What
does it mean to be in the presence of grace? What does it mean to be received
in, for, and by grace? It means that, yes, He knows we aren’t perfect. We are,
however, perfect through His grace. We just have to remember to see through the
spiritual eyes He gives those who are willing to believe. Sometimes it takes
life altering events to see what that would be all about. Many of us take
things for granted, whether it’s one of the five senses, or family or other
considerations, or even those of society and it’s normal progression. Grace is
a gift, much like the gift of patience. If we are patient in our faith, grace
will be found. That’s why He gave us eyes to see, ears to hear, a heart to
feel, and hands to heal, with a spirit and soul to keep it real.
Colossians 1:6 KJV – Which is come unto you, as it
is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since
the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
Upon
reflecting on younger years, we can remember, most likely, what we feel or felt
were the most fruitful of times. Then there are times when we’ll look back and
say we’re blessed to see those times as being worthy of struggle. It means
those efforts weren’t in vain. The work was worthwhile, because we are here to
tell people these things, I saw, explored, found solutions for, suffered, and
survived to find tomorrow. How do we do this? His grace is always good, because
His grace is God’s truth, the best, most amazing view of grace there could be.
We see how that would be found in more words from the Beloved John as he was
known here in II John 1:3 KJV – Grace be with you, mercy and peace, from God the Father,
and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
It
is amazing, you see. Grace and love are shared with hearts filled with
patience, and mercy. How can you know this? Well, you have to open the eyes,
not just those that view what’s in front of you physically, but the ones in
your heart, your mind, spirit, and soul. When you can open them you’ll see what
it means to not just open up the eyes of the heart, but to do the same for the
soul. There’s a reason for that. The spirit, His spirit, will find you there. Now
that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us
saying: After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father
which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in 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, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV)
Closing
Song: Hope
Is Just Ahead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNR5Kj4XP-U
~Shalom~
Covenant
of Hope Ministries
Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope
Scripture
Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition:Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, Inc.
Scripture
Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture
Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible
Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Sermon
or Study Copyright © 2012 http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and
Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all
that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.
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