About The Sylvania times. (Sylvania, Ga.) 2022-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2024)
Page 8 - Wednesday, April 10, 2024 The Sylvania Times thesy lvaniatimes .com -Obituaries- No Obits Reported This Week PUBLIC NOTICE In accordance with the Charter of the City of Sylvania, notice is hereby given that the Mayor and Council, located at City of Sylvania Council Chambers, 104 South Main Street, Sylvania, GA will on May 7, 2024, at 6:00 pm, consider for passage the following proposed ordinances entitled the following: “An ordinance to establish incentives to certain businesses located or locating in areas zoned C-l and C-2 of the City of Sylvania, with a sunset provision of December 31, 2028.” Any interested persons are invited to inspect this ordinance, where posted in its entirety in Sylvania City Hall, 104 South Main Street. This 10th day of April, 2024. 4.10.24 God, be merciful to me, on Thy grace, I rest my plea One Sunday, right after Easter, the congregation was packed, the Pastor had just finished the sermon, and he turned to me and asked if I would sing, God, be merciful to me.? Well, I didn't know that song. I didn't. I looked at the keyboard player, nothing. I looked at the pianist, nothing. Yes, I even looked at the drummer, and, still nothing. Til finally I saw a little hymnal out of the comer of my left eye sitting under my chair that I had not ever noticed before. Something told me to pick it up, (in which I did) and low and behold, there it was, inside that little red hymnal, God be merciful to me. So, I quickly showed it to the keyboard player (as the Pastor kept talking, and kept waiting for me to start the song) and finally, we started singing the old hymn. Then all of a sudden after the first verse, you could feel the spirit start to move, and the Pastor ask all of us to stop. We did. SILENCE. Then, he proceeded to say, "Let's all take a piece of that paper in front of you in the chair or pew, and write down one sin that has bothered you your whole life that you cannot shake and satan just won't let you, let it go." "Write it down, fold it up and come forward and nail it to the Cross, give it away, give it to Jesus and nail it to the Cross." You see we had used a Cross for several musicals in the weeks before and it was still there in the Sanctuary. Then, all of a sudden we began to sing that old hymn again, and everyone started filling the aisles, and one by one the hammer started to hit that old Cross. The more that large hammer hit that Cross, the louder it became. The louder it became, the harder it was to sing. The harder it was to sing, the more the tears started to flow. The more tears started to flow, the more we all felt the spirit move. It was if, we were nailing Jesus and all of our sins to the Cross all over again one, by one, by one. by one. I cannot tell you how it was hearing that pounding, pounding, pounding over 800 plus times. But I can say, I was simply in awe. Simply in awe in what the Majesty and Glory of his name had done in that place that particular Sunday. Lives were changed, people were truly saved, lives were reedemed, marriages were put back together, it was something I had never seen before in my life. lean truly say, God was merciful to his faithful that day. On his grace we rested our plea's and we asked for compassion and he gave it. We asked for healing of transgressions, and he healed them all, we asked for pure cleasning, and we all received it. What a wonderul day. "God, be merciful to me, on Thy grace, I rest my plea" is a setting of Psalm 51, David’s great hymn of repentance, forgiveness, and faith. More than most hymns and worship songs, it sets forth the stark reality of human sin and turns to God as our only hope for salvation and spiritual renewal. Composed anonymously for the 1912 Psalter and the Anglican Church, it has been copied and incorporated into a growing number of hymnals. The traditional tune is REDHEAD, also known for its use in “Go to Dark Gethsemane.” Now, David wrote Psalm 51 when he felt convicted of his sin for sleeping with Bathsheba and murdering her husband, Uriah. David’s key insight is that he has no excuse or possibility of shifting the blame. And so David appeals directly to God’s mercy at the beginning of the psalm, which is captured in the opening verse of this hymn. Now, none of us want to be judged. That is why we are so good at making excuses. I know I am, how about you? We see in the second verse, we not only confess transgression, we also confess that God's judgement is just. This is the sense in which we are speechless. Not that we have not words at all, but that we have no words to excuse our sin. Let's always remember, we are all sinners and God died for all of us to cover our sins. Remember, ask and it will be given, he is always faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Amen. Sing with me. 1 God, be merciful to me, on Thy grace I rest my plea; plenteous in compassion Thou, blot out my transgressions now; wash me, make me pure within, cleanse, O cleanse me from my sin. 2 My transgressions I confess, grief and guilt my soul oppress; I have sinned against Thy grace and provoked Thee to Thy face; I confess Thy judgment just, speechless, I Thy mercy trust. 3 I am evil, bom in sin; Thou desirest tmth within. Thou alone my Savior art, teach Thy wisdom to my heart; make me pure. Thy grace bestow, wash me whiter than the snow. 4 Broken, humbled to the dust by Thy wrath and judgment just, let my contrite heart rejoice and in gladness hear Thy voice; from my sins O hide Thy face, blot them out in boundless grace. 5 Gracious God, my heart renew, make my spirit right and tme; cast me not away from Thee, let Thy Spirit dwell in me; Thy salvation's joy impart, steadfast make my willing heart. 6 Sinners then shall leam from me and return, O God, to Thee; Savior, all my guilt remove, and my tongue shall sing Thy love; touch my silent lips, O Lord, and my mouth shall praise accord. SANDERS - MONUMENT COMPANY . 1484 Halcyondale Rd., Sylvania, GA Kenneth & Stacy Sanders Owners 912-425-7870 or 912-451-6382 sandersmonumentco@gmail.com sandersmonument.com ? Producers of high quality Monuments and Markers
