Sunday's Hymn

We Are God’s People

We are God’s people, the chosen of the Lord,
Born of His Spirit, established by His Word;
Our cornerstone is Christ alone,
And strong in Him we stand:
O let us live transparently
And walk heart to heart and hand in hand.

We are God’s loved ones, the Bride of Christ our Lord,
For we have known it, the love of God outpoured;
Now let us learn how to return
The gift of love once given:
O let us share each joy and care,
And live with a zeal that pleases Heaven.

We are the Body of which the Lord is Head,
Called to obey Him, now risen from the dead;
He wills us be a family,
Diverse yet truly one:
O let us give our gifts to God,
And so shall his work on earth be done.

We are a temple, the Spirit’s dwelling place,
Formed in great weakness, a cup to hold God’s grace;
We die alone, for on its own
Each ember loses fire:
Yet joined in one the flame burns on
To give warmth and light, and to inspire.

—Bryan Leech
Text and Tune (c) 1976, Fred Bock Music Co.

Listen at The Center for Church Music.

Other hymns, worship songs, sermons etc. posted today:

• O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus at The Happy Wonderer
• Lord’s Day 7, 2010 at The Thirsty Theologian
• Our God Is Love at Whatever Is Good
• Break Thou the Bread of Life at Hiraeth
• Heart Aflame - February 14, 2010 at The Upward Call
• Alas! And Did My Saviour Bleed at Field Stone Cottage
• Thy Work Alone, O Christ at Whatever Things

Have you posted a hymn (or sermon, sermon notes, prayer, etc.) today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by emailing me at the address in the sidebar and I’ll add your post to the list.

Saturday's Old Photo

Here’s an old photo post originally written right before Valentine’s Day 2007. It was missing its photo—many of the old Blogger posts are—so I’ve uploaded it again and I’m reposting everything for this Valentine’s Day.

This picture of my husband and me was taken about four months after we started dating. By this time I knew that we’d get married, but I wouldn’t have admitted it to you. I was only 18, after all, and just starting my first year of Bible school.

He was 23 and ready to settle down. He’d asked God to send him someone and the next day I started work at the truck stop where he was already working. He thought I was cute; then he found out I was a pastor’s daughter and that was all the confirmation he needed. He was wise not to tell me this until much later because I’d have sent him packing.

I married him in the end because he was a worthy Scrabble opponent. When you meet your match at Scrabble, it is foolish to let him go.

We played Scrabble for blood, no mercy. My strength was inventing words and convincing him they were real by making up bogus but plausible definitions. His talent was using all seven of his letters at once on a triple word score. In one game, he did that three times in a row. How could I come back after that?

That last winter we played 22 games and each won 11. That last winter was when I learned that sometimes you must let your perfect Scrabble match go.

My Desktop Photo 90

Photo by Andrew Stark
(click on photo for larger view)Reminding us that spring is just around the corner … maybe.