Calvary McAllen

NEW SERMON SERIES

In a few weeks I'll be starting a new series of sermons on the family. It seems like many families today are in a state of desperation. They want, desperately, to find happiness and healing and health -- But as hard as they try, all those things seem out of reach.

There is a sense of desperation when you want something so much, but always seem to be just shy of getting it. There is, over time, a desperation that begins to set in when you try everything you know to try, and your family still slips away. Happiness is always around the corner, but you can't ever seem to turn THAT corner!

We want to help, if we can. We don't have all the answers. But we know where to turn for answers. We will be looking at God's Word for answers to the desperation.

We will experience four sermons in four weeks that will address the issues of Marriage both from the perpective of husbands and wives. We will also take a look at God's plan for building strong relationships with your children.

Buidling a great family is hard, time-consuming work. We want to give you some of the tools you need to GET TO WORK!

This SERMON SERIES entitled, DESPERATE HOUSEHOLDS will begin, Sunday, October 22nd and will run for the following four Sundays.

Don't miss it ...

blessings,

pastor ellis

LET IT RAIN

It rained like crazy on Sunday and the streets flooded. I almost lost my car to the waters on my way to church. I sprinted (o.k., I can't sprint anymore, I admit it ... I trotted ...) from my car to the worship center, and was drenched by the time I reached cover. I got the word that most of the band was not going to make it due to the flooding. Nancy (our pianist) was there because she lives a few streets down from the church. Tom (our worship pastor) was there because he, like me, was crazy enough to cross the river at Nolana. I got word that Chuck Olsen (our solist for the morning) was stalled on Pecan (which had become the new Rio Grande) and was working just to save his car. When I entered the sanctuary at five minutes till eight, there were only two people there (we usually have about 180). At the start of worship we had more people in the choir than in the sanctuary, and we didn't have very many in the choir. And to make matters worse (as if that were possible) we had a church-wide picnic planned for the afternoon! It was shaping up to be a terrible day.

And then we started worshipping. We sang. All ten of us. And as we sang more people came into the sanctuary to drip-dry ... and to worship. And the heart cries of God's people were lifted up and God heard them and came down. God was in that place. God was in that worship. And it was beautiful.

It reminded me that where two or more are gathered ... even if they're soaking wet ... God will be there. The effectiveness or worth of our praises is not in us (or in how many of us) ... it's in God! And I thank God for that!

blessings,

pastor ellis

WHAT GOD MAKES OF IT

My good friend, Doug Jackson, expressed my feelings on worship in a way that is hard to beat. I give it to you here unedited ... enjoy ...

"I attended Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church here in Corpus Christi yesterday.  Of course, the whole thing was a bit much for a trailor trash Baptist like myself.  Huge slabs of ikonography stared across the nave, gilt and jewels flashed from the altar like the glowing coals of Revelation 8, and the priest swept gracefully about in brocaded panoply.  I was impressed.

(Note:  I intend no theological snobbery.  Evangelical sanctuaries tend to be just as ornate.  Our elaborate ikons, however, are internal - complex wiring weaving a tapestry of power point and WiFi shooting unseen about the ether like the angels of Mahanaim.  Orthodox architecture intends to reproduce the throneroom of heaven.  It’s Evangelical nemesis attempts to mimic a multiplex.)

But if I was impressed at this shekinah of praise, the natives knew better.  At one point, the script contained a prayer which included the line, ”We also thank You for this liturgy which You are pleased to accept from our hands, even though You are surrounded by thousands of Archangels and tens of thousands of Angels, by the Cherubim and Seraphim, six-winged, many-eyed, soaring with their wings.”  The humility of that struck me:  acknowledging God’s goodness in turning away from perfect praise to pay attention to proceedings which must seem like pretty small beer to the One who inhabits the center of Isaiah 6.

I heard once that the great R. G. Lee, after a magnificent choir had thundered forth the anthem, lept to the pulpit amidst a cannonade of applause and barked, “When we get to Heaven, that will sound like a bumblebee in a fruit jar!”  Such language contains less stained glass than the Orthodox version but says substantially the same thing:  God is not impressed.

Yet he is blessed.  He is “pleased to accept from our hands” our hymns or praise choruses or sermons or prayers or, for all I know, announcements.  We bring clumsy water colors to the heavenly Father who hastens to post them on his refrigerator and point out with pride to the circling angels, “My child gave me that!”

So calm down:  our worship at its worst, if given as our best, blesses the heart of Him whom we praise.  And come down:  our worship at its best, though a technotriumphant tour de force of electronics and eloquence, requires that our Lord put flaming cherubim on hold.  The glory of our worship is not how good we are at it, but how good God is to receive it.  And he is always good."

All I can say is, "Amen."

blessings,

pastor ellis