Testimony Sunday
Today is a very special day for at least 3 reasons. Firstly, it’s the last Sunday of 2019. We each have a lot to be thankful for. No matter what kind of year you or I have had, I’m sure we could think of many, many blessings that God has poured out on us this past year. Secondly, today is the 5th Sunday of the month, which means it’s a family style service, and we’re overjoyed to have all ages with us today, from preschool to ninety-something. So we’re going to do something a little different during this portion of the service. Thirdly, we are just a little over 60 hours away from ringing in the New Year, 2020! I don’t know about you, but for me this is a lot of excitement for one day! I love Christmas so much that I tend to go into a bit of a slump right afterwards because the end of Christmas Day usually coincides with saying goodbye for a season to people I love. So today we have lots of reasons to celebrate, and celebrate we will! You know, I’ll let you in on a little secret. We don’t have to have special events in order to celebrate the best gifts of all – Jesus is with us, we are alive, we are fully alive in Him, so if we remember those simple things, we can celebrate on the inside any time, any place.
OK, so what we’re going to do is this. I’m going to need 18 volunteers to help me read some Bible verses today. After each group of 6 Bible verses is read, there will be an opportunity for you to share a short testimony about something God did this past year. “Testimony” sounds a bit like we’re going to check if some coins or bills are real, but we’re not testing any money here today. Testimony is a fancy word that means telling someone a story about something God did. Now I’m just going to give a couple of guidelines before we get started. I asked Zac how long we should take and he said we should probably finish off before midnight. Sounds good, yes? OK, let’s get started . . . oh yes, guidelines – so that everyone can hear what’s being shared, I would like for you to make your way up here to share your testimony, unless you have mobility issues, in which case, you are welcome to raise your hand and then I might ask Bart to carry a microphone over to you.
A brief Scriptural basis for why it’s good to give testimonies is that we are told in Revelation 12 that “they [that’s us] have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Also, chances are that whenever we share with someone something that God has done, it will encourage those who hear it. In the early church, Paul told them to “encourage one another daily, as long as it’s called Today.” What day is it today? That’s right – Today! Are we ready? Raise your hand if you’d like to be one of my 18 volunteers. The Scriptures to be read are on these pieces of paper and will also be displayed on the screen.
1 – Isaiah 40:31 – “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
2 – Psalm 90:12 – “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
3 – Philippians 3:13-14 – “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
4 – Psalm 65:11 – “You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.”
5 – 1 Peter 1:3 – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
6 – Zephaniah 3:17 – “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
7 – Habakkuk 1:5 – “Look at the nations and watch — and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
8 – James 1:17 – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
9 – Philippians 4:19 – “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
10 – Psalm 1:1-3 – “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”
11 – 2 Corinthians 9:8 – “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
12 – Jeremiah 17:7 – “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”
13 – Lamentations 3:22-24 – “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
14 – Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
15 – 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 – “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
16 – Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
17 – Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
18 – Malachi 3:6 – “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”
