The following resource is from Desiring God.org.

Let's pray together.

Father, I ask for your help now as we continue to worship. And I endeavor by your help to honor you in your word. Be glorified in this message I pray. Be exalted in the way that these songs

have exalted you. And incline our hearts toward Christ and his supremacy over all

things. In his name I pray, Amen. The year is 2005 and for the first time the anniversary of 9-11 happens on the Lord's Day this weekend.

Therefore, it seemed good to us to step back

and pose the question again

about the meaning of the supremacy of God in an age of terror.

One of the truths that we embrace with trembling joy at Bethlehem is the truth of God's supremacy in all things.

The mission of this church is we exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. And when we say that, we do not mean except in

calamities or except in war or except when Al Qaeda blows up a building or train or except when cancer takes a mom or a child is born with profound disabilities.

There are no accept clauses in our mission statement.

We did not formulate this mission statement in 1995 in a rosy world and then get surprised by the reality of suffering.

Oops, we forgot.

We didn't formulate this statement of mission for this church

with our head in the sand

as though we didn't know people in this church

die and agonize with suffering. We have seen many people die in 25 years, some with

sweet peacefulness and other in terrible suffering.

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things,

all things with the capital A through Jesus Christ all the time no exceptions.

None of us who has lived a few decades and I'm moving towards six.

...