2023 September

Rise Up and Praise the Lord

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/1/23

 

Rise up and praise the Lord,

For all that God has done.

God's love has blessed us every day,

Praise the Lord everyone.

 

Rise up and praise the Lord,

No matter, come what may.

Through thick and thin, God is with us.

To the Lord sing and pray.

 

Rise up and praise the Lord,

Who’s worthy of our praise.

Sing to the Lord with all your heart,

Forever and always.

 

Rise up and praise the Lord,

Who has made everything.

Now we rehearse just what we'll do,

In heaven we will sing.

 

We Sing to God Above

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/2/23

 

We sing to God above,

With joy we offer praise.

For all God's done for everyone,

Praise God now and always.

 

We pray to God above,

Who always hears our prayers.

We lay before God all our needs,

For we know that God cares.

 

Listen to God above,

Allow God's time to speak.

We ask and receive the word of God,

When God's wisdom we seek.

 

We Praise the Name of God

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/4/23

 

We praise the name of God,

Who has created us,

And entered in, to forgive sin,

When God gave us Jesus.

 

We praise the name of God,

For all God is and does.

God reigns supreme. God will redeem,

Creation as it was.

 

We praise the name of God.

God's praises we will sing.

We have been blessed. God is the best.

Thank God for everything.

 

Throughout Our Life Journey

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/6/23

 

Throughout our life journey,

God guides us on the way.

No matter what happens we see,

God is with us each day.

 

When things do not go well,

When we are in the dark,

Remember Emmanuel,

And just get back to work.

 

With each person we meet,

Out there along the way,

Like a dear neighbor may we treat,

Them by the kind words we say.

 

Pray to the Lord Each Day

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/8/23

 

Pray to the Lord each day,

Lift up your hurts and needs.

To the Lord in honesty pray,

With faith like mustard seeds.

 

And with each prayer you pray,

But those tiny seeds grow.

They'll reach in a heavenly way,

From here on earth below.

 

Give thanks with all your soul,

For each answered prayer.

Give thanks that God is so faithful.

God hears our every prayer.

 

In Faith We Are Called

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/9/23

 

In faith we are called to stay the course,

Yield not to temptation.

The strength of God - a mighty force,

Leads us to salvation.

 

In faith we are to love our neighbors,

Just as we ourselves love.

For upon us God richly pours,

God's love down from above.

 

In faith we are called to believe,

In God who has called us.

That faithfully we will receive,

The peace of Christ Jesus.

 

God of Strength and God of Power

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/10/23

 

God of strength and God of power,

Before you we come in prayer.

Give us strength for this and every hour.

Bless us with your loving care.

Grant us wisdom and discernment,

For this day which you have made,

For this day which you have made.

 

God of love and of creation,

We praise you for all you've made.

Inspire your congregation,

Strengthen us when we’re afraid.

Grant us purpose, grant us vision,

As we live this day for you,

As we live this day for you.

 

God of peace and God of justice,

On your people pour your grace.

May we see you in each of us.

May we see you in each face.

Grant us faith to share your mercy,

To everyone that we meet,

To everyone that we meet.

 

In This World of Desperation

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/11/23

 

In this world of desperation,

When things go from bad to worst,

Remember it's our umbilication,

To always put the Lord first.

May we always be so faithful,

Putting faith in God alone,

Putting faith in God alone.

 

In times that are overwhelming,

When we're challenged to our core.

Raise your voice, triumphantly sing,

“God is God forevermore.”

God is with us. God is with us.

We are never all alone.

We are never all alone.

 

Learn to Save All You Can

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/13/23

 

Learn to save all you can,

Using God's saving plan.

Learn to choose that you might use,

It to help your fellow man.

 

The Lord owns everything.

In prayer everything bring.

What do we need to fully succeed,

Two men hence our giving.

 

That our souls not be lost,

Every time we weigh the cost,

And as we pray the Lord obey.

That bridge we will have crossed.

 

As Good Stewards of God’s Bounty

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/14/23

 

As good stewards of God's bounty,

We'll develop a plan.

To give to God generously,

We will earn all we can.

 

As we strive to live faithfully,

We will follow God's plan.

We will live our lives frugally.

We will save all we can.

 

As we grow spiritually,

We will fulfill God's plan.

We will give most generously.

We will give all we can.

 

In This Sacred Holy Place

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/15/23

 

In this sacred holy place,

Lord, we come to seek your face.

We pray to you up above.

Send to us your divine love.

 

We confess to you our sin,

Knowing we’ll be forgiven.

Your word, the scriptures, are read.

By your guidance we are led.

 

With a blessing we're sent out,

To share your love all about.

Out among the human race,

We look for you in each face.

 

Holy God, We Come Today

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/16/23

 

Please God, we come today,

To worship you and to pray.

We your people gather here,

That your message we can hear.

Refrain:

Holy God, we come today,

To hear what you have to say.

 

We bring you our pain and grief.

Grant us compassion and relief.

We come and confess our sin.

Let your healing grace begin.

Refrain:

 

Now that we've your message heard,

Help us go to spread the word.

We are the people that you choose,

To go share the Good News.

Refrain:

 

Holy God, to You We Pray

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/17/23

 

Holy God, to you we pray,

Raising prayers to you each day.

Overcome with guilt and sin,

With confession we begin.

Refrain:

Holy God, to you we pray.

Help us here all that you say.

 

We confess to you our sins,

Thus your forgiveness begins.

We’re forgiven in your name.

Your mercy we will proclaim.

Refrain:

 

As we ask what we might do,

And how we might best serve you,

Show us what is on your heart,

And how we might play our part.

Refrain:

 

Holy God, to you we pray,

Listening to each word you say.

Through your word guide and teach us,

How we might follow Jesus.

Refrain:

 

We Can Learn from Zaccheus

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/18/23

 

You can learn from Zaccheus,

When he encountered Jesus.

Jesus saw him in the tree,

And the rest is history.

Refrain:

As he gave money away,

Zacchaeus was changed that day.

 

When by grace our hearts are warmed,

Then our lives will be transformed.

At that point we'll change our ways,

Living for Christ all our days.

Refrain:

 

When we give to God each day,

And begin to live that way.

Upon us God's mercy pours,

Opening help to us new doors.

Refrain:

 

Lord, You Have Given All to Us

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/19/23

 

Lord, you have given all to us,

In the name of Jesus.

In his name we give all to you.

Alleluia. Allelu.

 

Like Zacchaeus so long ago,

May we be changed also,

Sharing with others and with you.

Alleluia. Allelu.

 

Below our means, help us to live,

That to you we might give,

The offering which to you is due.

Alleluia. Allelu.

 

We have been transformed by Jesus.

New life he's given us.

Our sacrifice we give to you.

Alleluia. Allelu.

 

We Come before You, Jesus

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/21/23

 

We come before you, Jesus,

To praise your holy name,

And hear your sacred message,

For that is why we came.

Into your sanctuary,

We come seeking the way,

That we might humbly follow,

You each and every day.

 

We listen to the scripture,

As it is read to us,

Of God's great love and mercy,

Sent to us in Jesus.

For God so loved the world,

God gave to us Jesus,

That we would be forgiven,

Because the Lord loves us.

 

We come to offer our prayers,

From deep down in our hearts,

To seek God's divine mercy,

That only God imparts.

Filled with the Spirit's power,

We go forth from this place.

We’re sent out with a blessing.

To go and share God's grace.

 

We Come to God with Singing

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/22/23

 

We come to God with singing.

We come to God in prayer.

We come to God in worship,

And the Lord meets us there.

We listen to the scriptures.

Inspired by the word,

Our hearts are strangely warmed when,

God's holy word is heard.

 

We go out with a purpose,

With Holy Spirit power,

Filled with a divine vision,

From this inspired hour.

We go to meet our neighbor,

God's love with all to share.

That people might be touched by,

God's tender loving care.

 

Throughout the Day Talk with God

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/23/23

 

Throughout the day talk with God.

Take time with God today.

When you have a few moments,

That's a good time to pray.

It need not to take hours.

It may just be a word.

For the Lord always hears us.

Know your prayer has been heard.

 

Prayer goes in both directions.

Let God speak when you pray.

As you take time to listen,

Hear what God has to say.

Maybe a word of scripture,

Or a line from a song,

Through it God might speak to you.

So, listen all day long.

 

When the day is all over,

There is yet time to pray.

Give thanks for the day that’s past.

Say all you need to say.

As your head hits the pillow,

Ask the Lord to bless you,

With a restful good night's sleep.

God bless you all night through.

 

It’s Found People Who Find People

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/25/23

 

It's found people who find people,

And bring them to the Lord,

That those who are lost might be found,

And their lives be restored.

 

For in this world of sin and death,

A world of pain and strife,

To us as people who have been lost,

Christ brings to us new life.

 

Long ago Christ called disciples,

And now Jesus calls us.

We’re now sent out and called to go,

To bring others to Jesus.

 

Come to Worship God with Praises

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/27/23

 

Come to worship God with praises.

Come bring the children in.

We remember what Jesus did.

He welcomed the children.

 

Teach the children of God's mercy,

That they come to believe.

As they're surrounded by God's love,

God's blessing they'll receive.

 

Sing songs that the children can learn,

To sing all of their days,

That they might truly worship God,

And give to God their praise.

The Cost of Discipleship (Luke 14)

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/29/23

 

The cost of discipleship is quite steep.

The commitment is quite profound to keep.

Disciples were called to leave everything.

Complete commitment to Christ they would bring.

 

People were called to leave all else behind,

Then the Kingdom of heaven they would find.

It was through the practice of letting go,

A foretaste of heaven’s found here below.

 

What do you need to let go of today,

To fully follow Jesus on the way?

May God grant the strength for you to let go,

That now in Christ Jesus your faith might grow.

 

We Celebrate the Love of Christ

                        Rev. Jeffrey B. Childs 9/30/23

 

We celebrate the love of Christ,

Who lived and died for all.

He shared his faith and gave his life,

That we'd answer his call.

That we'd answer his call.

 

Christ calls us all to follow him,

And true disciples be,

That we might serve him all our lives,

Now and eternally.

Now and eternally.

 

Thanks be to God who sent us Christ,

Because God first loved us.

We love because God loved us first,

And sent to us Jesus.

And sent to us Jesus.