august 2nd, 2020 – psalm 104

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hey Connection, Happy Summer!  I trust you’ve been enjoying the warmth and beauty of this gorgeous time of year.  
 
I’d like to give you a heads up about an upcoming milestone in the history of Emmanuel.  The second Sunday in September will mark our 90th Anniversary as a church, and the Connection has been an integral part of Emmanuel’s story for the past twenty-one years.  We are planning to put together a video to mark the occasion and would like to ask you to contribute short video or audio clips with a one-sentence response to the question, “What do you appreciate about Emmanuel?”  Your response could be one word, a phrase, or a complete sentence, but just one, as we are hoping for at least ninety responses.  We’ve created a special email address for that purpose. It’s 90years@ebap.ca.  
 
It would be really helpful for us if you could do this in the next few weeks so we can get working on it early.  Rob tells me that putting together so many video clips will take some time so please send them in early so we have lots of time to work on it. Thanks and Blessings!
Hi everyone.  It sure has been hot outside this week.  I hope you all have been able to stay comfortable.  I want to say a big howdy to the boys and girls who are listening to this.  I miss you all so much.  I am praying for you too!
 
This week I was in a parking lot and thought I saw Larson and Evelyn and Murray and Rosalie and Emmett’s grandpa.  He was putting on his motorcycle helmet but i ran over to him anyway.  I said hello and started talking excitedly …. and then he took off his helmet.  Guess what?  It wasn’t him at all.  This stranger and I shared a good laugh as I explained I thought he was a friend from church.  Isn’t that funny?  
 
Last year, I went back to Swift Current where I taught kindergarten for many years.  I loved teaching young children.  It was fun to see the ‘lights go on’ as we explored and discovered things together.  Like how to be a good friend.  
 
I always repeated part of a verse from the Bible to help my students understand what a good friend should be like.  I said it then, and you may have heard me say it here at church too.   The verse is from Ephesians 4:32.  It says, “Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
 
When I’d see two children fighting over a toy, or excluding someone, I’d say quietly,”Hey – let’s remember to be kind and tenderhearted toward others…”
 
In Swift Current, a young man came up to me in a parking lot and introduced himself.  I don’t know how a 6 year old turns into a 21 year old, but apparently it happens quickly.  Anyway, after we visited for a few minutes and he turned to leave, he smiled.  “I’m still learning to be kind and tenderhearted toward others.” 
 
I have thought about that conversation many times since.  I’m still learning to be kind and tenderhearted toward others too.  Maybe you are too.  And that’s a good thing.  Because we all love good friends.  Have a great week everybody. 
What A Friend We Have In Jesus 
 
What a friend we have in Jesus
  all our sins and griefs to bear
What a privilege to carry
    everything to God in prayer
O what peace we often forfeit
    O what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
    everything to God in prayer
 
Have we trials and temptations
    is there trouble anywhere
We should never be discouraged
    take it to the Lord in prayer
Can we find a friend so faithful
    who will all our sorrows share
Jesus knows our every weakness
    take it to the Lord in prayer
 
Are we weak and heavy laden
    cumbered with a load of care
Precious Saviour still our refuge
    take it to the Lord in prayer
Do thy friends despise forsake thee
    take it to the Lord in prayer
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee
    thou wilt find a solace there
 
                                                                      Charles Crozat Converse 

                                                                      Joseph Medlicott Scriven
Almighty God,
     whose Spirit hovered over the waters
   bringing order out of chaos,
     and whose love for all living things

       is everlasting:

 
Help us to live in a way which
     cares for your creation,
   marvels at its beauty,
     and shares its resources;
To the glory of your Son Jesus Christ
     through whom and for whom all things  
   were created.
Amen
Sarah Butler
O my soul, bless God!
 
God, my God, how great you are!
    beautifully, gloriously robed,
Dressed up in sunshine,
    and all heaven stretched out for your tent.
You built your palace on the ocean deeps,
    made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.
You commandeered winds as messengers,
    appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.
You set earth on a firm foundation
    so that nothing can shake it, ever.
You blanketed earth with ocean,
    covered the mountains with deep waters;
Then you roared and the water ran away—
    your thunder crash put it to flight.
Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out
    in the places you assigned them.
You set boundaries between earth and sea;
    never again will earth be flooded.
You started the springs and rivers,
    sent them flowing among the hills.
All the wild animals now drink their fill,
    wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Along the riverbanks the birds build nests,
    ravens make their voices heard.
You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns;
    earth is supplied with plenty of water.
You make grass grow for the livestock,
    hay for the animals that plow the ground.
 
Oh yes, God brings grain from the land,
    wine to make people happy,
Their faces glowing with health,
    a people well-fed and hearty.
God’s trees are well-watered—
    the Lebanon cedars he planted.
Birds build their nests in those trees;
    look—the stork at home in the treetop.
Mountain goats climb about the cliffs;
    badgers burrow among the rocks.
The moon keeps track of the seasons,
    the sun is in charge of each day.
When it’s dark and night takes over,
    all the forest creatures come out.
The young lions roar for their prey,
    clamoring to God for their supper.
When the sun comes up, they vanish,
    lazily stretched out in their dens.
Meanwhile, men and women go out to work,
    busy at their jobs until evening.
 
What a wildly wonderful world, God!
    You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
    made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.
Oh, look—the deep, wide sea,
    brimming with fish past counting,
    sardines and sharks and salmon.
Ships plow those waters,
    and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them.
All the creatures look expectantly to you
    to give them their meals on time.
You come, and they gather around;
    you open your hand and they eat from it.
If you turned your back,
    they’d die in a minute—
Take back your Spirit and they die,
    revert to original mud;
Send out your Spirit and they spring to life—
    the whole countryside in bloom and blossom.
 
The glory of God—let it last forever!
    Let God enjoy his creation!
He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake,
    points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt.
 
Oh, let me sing to God all my life long,
    sing hymns to my God as long as I live!
Oh, let my song please him;
    I’m so pleased to be singing to God.
But clear the ground of sinners—
    no more godless men and women!
 
O my soul, bless God!
 
Our God Alone 
Who formed the mountains and filled the oceans
our God alone, our God alone
Who took the dust, breathed life in us
our God alone, our God alone
 
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
     alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
 
Who came from heaven, for our redemption
     our God alone, our God alone
Who died for sin, that we may live
     our God alone, our God alone
 
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
     alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
 
Who rose again, death could not win
     our God alone, our God alone
Who is returning, building a Kingdom
     our God alone, our God alone
We will worship, we will worship
     our God alone, our God alone
 
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
     alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
David Gungor
Praise the Lord, my soul.
 
Lord my God, you are very great;
    you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
 
The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
    he stretches out the heavens like a tent
     and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
    and rides on the wings of the wind.
He makes winds his messengers,
    flames of fire his servants.
 
He set the earth on its foundations;
    it can never be moved.
You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
they flowed over the mountains,
    they went down into the valleys,
    to the place you assigned for them.
You set a boundary they cannot cross;
    never again will they cover the earth.
 
He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
    it flows between the mountains.
They give water to all the beasts of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
    they sing among the branches.
He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
    the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
He makes grass grow for the cattle,
    and plants for people to cultivate—
    bringing forth food from the earth:
wine that gladdens human hearts,
    oil to make their faces shine,
    and bread that sustains their hearts.
The trees of the Lord are well watered,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
There the birds make their nests;
    the stork has its home in the junipers.
The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
    the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.
 
He made the moon to mark the seasons,
     and the sun knows when to go down.
You bring darkness, it becomes night,
    and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
The lions roar for their prey
    and seek their food from God.
The sun rises, and they steal away;
    they return and lie down in their dens.
Then people go out to their work,
    to their labor until evening.
 
How many are your works, Lord!
    In wisdom you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.
There the ships go to and fro,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
 
All creatures look to you
    to give them their food at the proper time.
When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your face,
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.
When you send your Spirit,
    they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.
 
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works—
he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
 
I will sing to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice in the Lord.
But may sinners vanish from the earth
    and the wicked be no more.
 
Praise the Lord, my soul.
 
Praise the Lord.
 
This Is My Father’s World
This is my father’s world
     and to my listening ears
All nature sings and round me rings
     the music of the spheres
 
This is my father’s world
     I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas,
     His hand the wonders wrought
 
This is my father’s world
     oh, let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong
     God is the ruler yet
 
This is my father’s world
     Why should my heart be sad
The Lord is King, let the heavens ring
     God reigns, let the earth be glad.
Franklin Lawrence Sheppard
Maltbie Davenport Babcock 
 
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
 
O Lord my God, how great you are!
    You are robed with honor and majesty.
     You are dressed in a robe of light.
You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;
     you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot;
    you ride upon the wings of the wind.
The winds are your messengers;
    flames of fire are your servants.
 
You placed the world on its foundation
    so it would never be moved.
You clothed the earth with floods of water,
    water that covered even the mountains.
At your command, the water fled;
    at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.
Mountains rose and valleys sank
    to the levels you decreed.
Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,
    so they would never again cover the earth.

 

You make springs pour water into the ravines,
    so streams gush down from the mountains.
They provide water for all the animals,
    and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
The birds nest beside the streams
    and sing among the branches of the trees.
You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,
    and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
You cause grass to grow for the livestock
    and plants for people to use.
You allow them to produce food from the earth—
    wine to make them glad,
olive oil to soothe their skin,
    and bread to give them strength.
The trees of the Lord are well cared for—
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
There the birds make their nests,
    and the storks make their homes in the cypresses.
High in the mountains live the wild goats,
    and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes.
 
You made the moon to mark the seasons,
    and the sun knows when to set.
You send the darkness, and it becomes night,
    when all the forest animals prowl about.
Then the young lions roar for their prey,
    stalking the food provided by God.
At dawn they slink back
    into their dens to rest.
Then people go off to their work,
    where they labor until evening.
 
O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
    In wisdom you have made them all.
    The earth is full of your creatures.
Here is the ocean, vast and wide,
    teeming with life of every kind,
    both large and small.
See the ships sailing along,
    and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.

 

They all depend on you
    to give them food as they need it.
When you supply it, they gather it.
    You open your hand to feed them,
    and they are richly satisfied.
But if you turn away from them, they panic.
    When you take away their breath,
    they die and turn again to dust.
When you give them your breath, life is created,
    and you renew the face of the earth.

 

May the glory of the Lord continue forever!
    The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!
The earth trembles at his glance;
    the mountains smoke at his touch.
 
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
    I will praise my God to my last breath!
May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.
Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;
    let the wicked disappear forever.
 
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
 
Praise the Lord!
 
Vapor
Oh the vapor of it all
     it’s a chasing of the wind
   the powers of the earth so pale and thin
We will set our hearts on you again

Holy, you oh God are holy
     trees clap their hands for you
   oceans they dance for you
You are holy

Oh the mystery of it all
     I can never peer within
   could never find the words or understand
The fullness of a God become a man

Holy, you oh God are holy
     trees clap their hands for you
   oceans they dance for you
You are holy
     infinite and holy
A billion suns rise for you
     clouds paint the skies for you
   mountains stand tall for you
     valleys bow down to you
Everything rising
     to sing all our song for you
 
Alleluia

Holy, the impossible and holy
     kings become fools for you
   kingdoms to ruins for you
     vapor finds ground in you
   music finds sound for you
Everything rising, everything rising

Come like dawn
     like waves
   like sunlight
Bring this world to life

Come like rain
     like breath
   like springtime
Bring us back to life
Lisa Gungor
Michael Gungor
 
May the Lord who established
   the dance of creation,
      who marvelled at the lilies of the field,
   who transforms chaos to order,
lead us to transform our lives, and the Church,
     to reflect God’s glory in creation.
Amen
Sylvia Walker

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