The R I V E R…GET IN…
“Oh come, let us WORSHIP and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!” Psalm 95:6
(#1 of 5 Vision-exploring messages)
R – Resounding celebration of God’s Presence
Come on in, the water is fine! We know about water here in the New Braunfels community. We’ve got two rivers running through it; the nation’s #1 water park; much of our economy—and in some aspects life itself—is enhanced by the presence of water.
Not much effort is needed to apply the importance of water to our relationship to God. In fact, God Himself does that! He is the one who connects His Word to water and calls it Baptism—that which saves us! So, my encouragement to you and us to GET IN to The River is not an invitation to grab a tube and hit the Comal…it is an excited exhortation to grab the promises God has made us in Word and Sacraments and get deeper into the flow of following the Water of Life—our Lord Jesus!
And first of all, we do that in Worship…WORSHIP! It is the center of all that God is doing here! Divine Service is God coming to us through His Word to give us grace: Forgiveness, Life, Salvation. As the hymn goes, “God Himself is present…”
That is why I—and everyone involved in the planning and conducting of them—strive to make each Worship Service a resounding celebration of God’s presence. And I encourage you to do the same.
How? With your presence, certainly! The Worship Service is where we respond to the love of God by telling Him He is worthy of all we are and have—in response to His love in Christ! For the Church, the people of God, Worship is not an option—don’t let anyone tell you that it is!
MY VISION: We continue the rich liturgical tradition and expression that we always have! We grow in how we engage all in the resounding celebration. I would love to have a Director of Parish Music—a Called Staff position—in the not too distant future. He/she would provide leadership in all things musical here at Cross. Exciting!
Continue to pray for God’s guidance and blessing! Join me in The River…and see you in church!
Pastor Don Fraker
