text : Philippians 3:4b – 14
theme verse : “Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” (Phil 3:13)
Do you ever find yourself living a life of “what could have been”? It is easy to get caught up in the one that got away: the promotion, the relationship, the house, the sale, the game. It is hard to give your best to the life in front of you if you’re always looking back at what could have been. Sitting in a jail cell, Paul had every reason to wonder what could have been. Some twenty years earlier, he left a life of success to pursue the work of the Way of Jesus. That current work was under attack by competitors and after two decade of hard traveling in the service of Jesus, he was tired and surely would have welcomed some relief. And yet, in what many consider to be his happiest letter, Paul says, “I strain forward to what lies ahead” for that’s where the prize is he seeks. That prize? Simply stated: the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. For what are you willing to strain forward?
anthem : ‘The Spirit Sings’ (M.Hayes) :: Chancel Choir – Kelly Ford, director; Susie Monger Daugherty & Billie Kaye Sawyer, duo piano
reader : Giselle Chebny
preaching : Rev Mark Briley
closing : ‘A Little More’ (J.Knapp) :: The Rising Band – Andi Gross & Katie Herbert, vocals
VIDEO : children’s quartet, Traditional Worship Offetory : ‘Instruments of Your Peace’ (K.Dearman) :: Morgan Briley, Macy Gerkin, Regan Nixon, Quinn Daniel