Friday - best day of the week

Can you tell we love Redeemer Church of Dubai?  It's one of the best things about being in Dubai.  We are challenged, encouraged, enriched and drawn into God's presence as we worship.  And we are grateful.  The staff at the church is thoughtful and discerning as they plan.  They are intentional about presenting the Gospel through prayer, in the sermon, in the music...it's just woven in,  so natural week after week. Prayer is an intregual part of the service as we pray  multiple times about the various needs and responses (confession, pardon, petition, giving). We are given time to respond to what we have heard and experienced.  You can tell they have spent time thinking, praying, planning, hearing from God.  The songs, prayers, and worship through the word are all in sync and interwoven.  Somehow that all speaks to us.

Today we sang several favorites of mine.  We started out singing two Christmas songs.  It struck me as amazing that we are in a place where they allow us to sing about the newborn king, the everlasting Lord, Jesus our Immanuel.  And Israel's strength and consolation, dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.  Both songs by Charles Wesley.

Then we sang about the Man of sorrows, God's own Son.  My debt is paid by the precious blood that my Jesus spilled....and then how deep the Fathers Love for us, His wounds have paid my ransom.  My very favorite song writers are Stuart Townsend, Keith and Kristyn Getty.  During communion we sang Behold the Lamb.

So we share in this bread of life

And we drink of His sacrifice

As a sign of our bonds of peace

Around the table of the king

The Lamb, the body, the bread, the blood, the suffering

Around the table of the King

Then closing with Oh How Good It Is...

And I haven't even mentioned the sermon

The Humility of the Incarnation

Two portraits of Jesus

SEE the humble Christ and Give

SEE the risen Christ and Bow

Taken from Philippians 2 and Isaiah 45

Kind of scattered thoughts right now but ideas I need to consider deeper and respond..,