We Shout Our Priase!


    * Aroostook Cluster Children's Handbells Choir
at Aldersgate Day Service (5.24.25)
       
(Washburn, Gray Memorial, Patten, Mars Hill, Hodgdon & Houlton UMC)



May 25, 2025 — Mars Hill UMC




<Celebration>

What stirs profound joy in your heart these days? What compels you to share it with others? Just last week, our churches—Mars Hill, Houlton, and Hodgdon—and our entire Aroostook Cluster were overflowing with reasons to rejoice. God’s presence was tangible in every moment of worship, fellowship, and service.

At Mars Hill Church, our small group recently celebrated Diane’s 85th birthday. The atmosphere was full of love and laughter, nourished both spiritually through our study of Jonah and physically with food shared in joy. I am deeply grateful for the tireless care of Bonnie and Andy, whose faithful hearts bless us continuously.




At Hodgdon Church, the annual yard sale was once again a resounding success. I marvel at the energy of our elders, many over 80, working with incredible dedication. Their passion and resilience are a beautiful testament to their faith.



Over at Houlton Church, we celebrated a wonderful gift—a grand piano generously donated by Angell, Chet Husted’s sister in Virginia. The moment it entered the sanctuary, it transformed the space with the promise of music and worship. We also celebrated the birthdays of Bob and Angela, and today we look forward to the Handbell Choir’s uplifting performance.



* 7 Church members came from Patten





Beyond our local congregations, we experienced something truly powerful: a joint service with nine churches in our Aroostook Cluster to commemorate John Wesley’s Aldersgate experience. Together, we read scripture, sang hymns, enjoyed a children’s handbell performance, and joyful worship dance. Each church also presented Discipleship Awards to members who model Christlike commitment. The service concluded with a moving farewell to Pastors Rich and Tracy, whose ministry has deeply blessed us. This unity among churches fills me with gratitude and awe—it is something worth shouting our praise about. Victor and I have been praying that this service would become another Aldersgate experience for us, especially for the children. Yesterday, I heard that two unchurched children from Patten came to the service. On the way home, they sang hymns and read Bible verses! Praise the Lord!

 


<Praise God!>

Today's scripture, from Romans 5:1-11, holds a significant message about rejoicing. It's striking that the word for "rejoice" appears three times (in verses 2, 3, and 11). While the New Living Translation (NLT) uses "rejoice," and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) uses "boast," The Message Bible offers an even more vivid translation: "We Shout our praise" or "Sing." When I reflect upon Mars Hill Church, I simply cannot imagine our community without the vibrant expression of song and praise. For this reason, The Message Bible's rendering of these verses profoundly resonated with me, capturing the very essence of our collective spirit. Paul reminds us that we praise God first for who He is, then praise God even in our suffering, and finally praise God through Jesus Christ.

Romans is rich in theology—so rich that it changed lives throughout history. Saint Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Wesley all experienced profound conversions through it. Today’s passage is particularly linked to Wesley’s Aldersgate Day, when his heart was “strangely warmed.”

Romans 5:1-2 declares:
“Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… and we boast (shout our praise) in our hope of sharing the glory of God.”

Four themes emerge: faith, Jesus, grace, and glory in this scripture, echoing the five Solas of the Reformation:

  • Sola Scriptura – Scripture alone
  • Sola Fide – Faith alone
  • Sola Gratia – Grace alone
  • Solus Christus – Christ alone
  • Soli Deo Gloria – To the glory of God alone




Just last week, I completed my Master of Divinity (M.Div.) spring semester. One of the courses I had the privilege of taking was Church History, with a particular focus on the Reformation era. As I concluded that study, I simply could not help but burst forth in praise to God. I vividly observed how church history and world history continuously repeat themselves, revealing recurring patterns of human brokenness and divine intervention. I saw, with profound clarity, the repeated interplay between human weakness and God's awe-inspiring greatness, continuously working to establish God's eternal kingdom. What was truly wondrous was realizing that when Protestants initiated the Reformation due to the Catholic Church's widespread sale of indulgences, a significant reformation simultaneously unfolded within the Catholic Church itself. Pope Paul III, a visionary leader, bravely undertook reforms within the papacy and among the clergy, emphasizing a renewed focus on spirituality. He actively supported figures like Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits and a renowned master of spiritual exercises, and Teresa of Avila, a profound master of female spirituality who served as a model for Mother Teresa. Furthermore, his patronage of the humanities and arts led to the birth of Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam," a masterpiece that continues to inspire us to this very day. Amidst the constant barrage of unsettling news, anxieties, and difficulties that characterize our current historical moment—a moment where it often feels impossible to genuinely rejoice—the profound reason we can still find joy and offer praise is simply this: God is the true Master of all history. The peace we are meant to return to and fully experience resides solely in God, and we exist and live for His ultimate glory. As 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us, "So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

 

                                                 * John Wesley at Aldersgate Street in London

<Praise Amidst Suffering!>

Romans 5:3–5 deepens the call:
“…we also boast(Shout our praise) in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope…”

Can praise really arise from suffering? Pastor Kim Young-bok writes that “mysterion”—the mystery of God—is something we come to know not by quick answers but through endurance, struggle, and faith.

As we study Jonah, we see ourselves mirrored in his failings and resistance. We ask: Who are our Ninevites? Who are we called to love, yet struggle to embrace? This spiritual reflection can be painful—but it is holy pain. For through it, God cultivates character and, ultimately, unshakable hope.

Hope that never disappoints comes from the Holy Spirit, who pours God’s love into our hearts (v. 5). Even in pain, we are not alone. God is shaping us into vessels of His glory.

John Wesley himself knew such suffering. After a failed mission to Georgia and a terrifying storm at sea, he confronted his lack of saving faith. It was only later, as he listened to Luther’s commentary on Romans, that he experienced that life-changing “strange warming of the heart.” His brother Charles, moved by the same Spirit, began writing hymns—over 6,500 of them! Their legacy was born out of pain transformed into praise.

At Mars Hill Church, we too have sung through tears—through funerals, loss, and hardship. Yet the music never stops. It flows through us, lifted by the Spirit. This is the beauty of a praising church.

 

<Praise Jesus!>

Romans 5:6–11 brings it all together. It reminds us that God loved us not at our best, but at our weakest, most broken, even rebellious moments.
“But God proves His love for us in that while we still were sinners, Christ died for us.” (v. 8)

That’s the heart of the gospel. Jesus loved us not because we earned it, but because love is who He is.

My children often say to me, “Even when you discipline us, please let us feel loved.” Isn’t that what we all long for? And isn’t that the love Jesus showed—loving us when we were far from lovable, pouring grace into vessels that could never deserve it?



                                                           

Last week, our daughters participated in a Bike-a-thon fundraiser. Watching children catch numbered balls falling from a fire truck ladder, I thought: this is how God's love rains down—abundantly, generously, asking only that we open our arms to receive it.

May the same Holy Spirit that warmed John Wesley’s heart ignite a fire within each of us today. May we shout our praise—not only when all is well, but especially when it’s not. May we praise God, praise even in suffering, and above all, praise Jesus, who makes us whole, reconciles us to God, and fills our lives with hope that does not disappoint. Amen.

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