One of the tools our Lord uses to guide and shape his people according to the truth of the gospel of his imprudent grace is called a “catechism.” With this tool we are taken by the hand and led to ask questions: some are questions that at different points in our life we ache to ask, some are questions that we would never ask left to ourselves. We are then guided to hear answers to those questions that arise from the truth of God’s imprudent grace poured out with abandon through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

One question that our life circumstances often press us to ask is:

Question: What is my only comfort, my only refuge, my only strength, my only hope in death — and even in the press of life, for that matter?

Answer provided to us in the Gospel: that I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto Jesus Christ; who, by his blood, has fully paid my debt and satisfied for all my arrogance, ignorance, foolishness, and rebellion, and has delivered me from the chains of guilt and shame by which the enemy has kept me bound; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not even a hair can fall from my head, securely and surely carrying me through the press of life and the darkness even of death into the presence of God the Father.

Instinctively, such an answer seems absurd and unreal. We ask, “Really? Even for me? Even in these circumstances?” Answer, “Yes, even you, even these circumstances.”

So, let us come and worship! Let us gather together with rejoicing! Let us love and sing and wonder, let us praise our Savior’s name! Let us join the chorus of saints around the world and those enthroned on high: here they trust and have trusted him before us, and now their praises fill the sky: “You have washed us with your blood! You, O Lamb, You alone are worthy, Lamb of God!”

Order of Worship for 01.25.09

Some days are good; some days are bad. It’s just the way of life. Normally, that’s fine.

But occasionally the bad days get tiresome: they get badder and longer. For most of us, that’s still fine – stiff upper lip, keeping up appearances, and all that jazz.

But sometimes those bad days just simply do not take a hint, they stay far beyond what is acceptable, settling in and making themselves at home, getting in the way of our plan, simply outstaying their welcome. The lips begin to quiver, the appearances begin to shiver.

Perhaps a well-meaning friend, like a friend of Job, perhaps, such as I have been, comes along in such times and with a well-intentioned, but poorly executed word of encouragement and says, “Praise the Lord!”

For those who, as idolators and adulterers, are addicted and committed to muscle through tiresome days by our own strength and courage, such a Word is an impossible burden to bear. But …

… BUT, when we hear it as the conclusion of the gospel of God’s grace it is the Word by which we are strengthened and enCouraged in the midst of those days: because the Lord, my God who is Good and Mighty to Save, is with me, leading me like a shepherd even through the valley of dark days, and has demonstrated his powerful and good presence with us through his Son, Jesus Christ, let us Praise the Lord!

That is what prompts the Psalmist to worship and sing, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; even in the valley of the shadow of death, I find that he is with me to comfort and protect me!”

Come, then, you who are weary and heavy laden, come in and dwell in the house of God by the invitation of Jesus – find rest for your soul and a song for your mouth!

Order of Worship for 01.18.09

In his interview of Jesus after he had been arrested, Pilate asks, “What is truth?” And so (unwittingly?) gave voice the question that presses and propels each of us every day.

Of course, most of us assume that we have a handle on the answer to the question; after all, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Case closed. And yet, Pilate was no dummy; in fact, he was probably a good deal more philosophically aware than most of us. Like most in our own generation (of which, we should be careful to note, we are a part) Pilate was fairly confident that his perspective on life, the world and life in the world was pretty much on target. And yet … he fatally missed the boat, even as he stared the answer in the face. I find myself often doing the same thing; perhaps you do, too.

It is for such as us that the words of Paul to the Colossians are particularly comforting:

See to it that no one takes you captive by the philosophies and empty deceits of human traditions that are shaped and fed by the elementary principles of the world rather than the wisdom of God in Christ. For the wisdom of God in Christ is made fully visible in the flesh and by having been united with him in his death and resurrection by the grace of God signified in your baptism, you have been made alive and reshaped and nourished by this wisdom. This is the truth by which you are made alive and in which you live with confidence and rejoicing; so, let no one jerk you around, pass judgment upon you or hold you captive on the basis of those vain philosophies and empty deceits of human traditions. (Colossians 2:8-16, DSG’s Amplified version ;-))

The truth of God comes to us in the proclamation of the gospel. It is there standing before us. Recognizing the truth in Jesus by which we have been made alive, then, let us come together with rejoicing to worship the living and reigning King in whom, by whom, and for whom all things are created and made new!

Order of Worship for 01.11.09

Singing of the message of good news that the angels proclaimed to the shepherds in the field on that cold, dark night, we are encouraged:

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low,
who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow,
look now! for glad and golden hours some swiftly on the wing:
[so] rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing.

The message gives rise to the word of encouragement since the good news is that Jesus, the promised King who will conquer the enemies of his people and by whom all things will be put right, THAT king is born. For that reason, as we head into another year – with whatever joys and sorrows, successes and failures may load us down and cause us to bend low – we may hear the message and be strengthened to know that our King reigns.

This is no sideshow entertainment along our weary way; no, this is the stuff by which our weary way is transformed into the highway for our God: valleys are lifted, hills are made low, uneven ground made level, and rough patches made plain; the way in which the glory of the Lord is revealed; a veritable Highway of Holiness over which the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing.

So, let us come together, and take our Sabbath Rest along the weary way, and revel together and join with the angels in singing: “Peace on the earth and the goodness of God’s gracious will to men; from the all-gracious King of heaven, Jesus the risen and reigning King!”

Order of Worship for 01.04.09

Writing so that we may believe with certainty and confidence that Jesus of Nazareth is, in point of space-and-time fact, the Christ, the Son of God, and that by knowledge of this fact we may know Real Life in his name, John writes,

“… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Paul, in his letter to Titus in which he intends to enCourage Titus with the facts of the Good News of God in Jesus Christ, fleshes out something of this “glory” that was made visible (and tangible) to human eyes:

“… when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.” (Titus 3:4-7)

Our place in Christ, our standing in Christ before the throne of God’s righteousness is established – not upon our ability, not upon our success (whatever that may be) nor upon our failure (whatever THAT may be) – but is fully and perfectly established by and upon the mercy of God himself that made its appearance in the birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection and present reign of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of God.

Since then, our standing before the God of righteousness is established by his mercy and built upon his mercy, let us respond in robust faith, worshipping and fellowshipping and serving together before the throne, together in Christ, with abandon by the mercy of his grace for the continuing display of his glory.

Order of Service for 12.28.08

As Isaiah brings his message of God’s promised redemption to its climax, he calls to the people:

Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 12:5-6)

Why? Because in that day the Lord will have shown himself faithful to save his people by establishing his dwelling among men, Immanuel. Now, in Jesus God has shown himself – and shown himself to be faithful! Indeed, He has come and made his dwelling among men, as man, and has provided a Priest and a King, a King of Righteousness and Peace, from among men to rescue men from themselves!

That day has come; the promised day of praise and rejoicing has come! So let us come into his presence with rejoicing, for he has done gloriously! Let us shout out and sing for joy for he has shown himself to be great in the midst of his people before the watching world!

Order of Worship for 12.21.08

There is a peculiar quality to a child’s joy: it is unrestrained, it is consuming, it is controlling even, sometimes, to the point of paralyzing them with a shivering inability to give expression to it. For sophisticated adults, the unrestrained, consuming joy of a child can be downright embarrassing. …

… but, it is THIS quality of joy which possessed David as the Ark of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem; it is THIS joy which is produced in the Psalmist as he envisions the marvelous grace of the Lord; it is to THIS joy that the Psalmist calls us to share, without embarrassment, as we gaze together with him on the marvelous faithfulness of our redeemer Lord:

O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. (Psalm 98:1-3)

Reflecting on the birth of Jesus and the sure beginning of God’s final act of salvation through the revelation of his righteousness to Joseph and Mary, the Shepherds and the Wise Men, Anna and Simeon, Isaac Watts saw the fullness of God’s glory and grace to which the Psalmist referred and he wrote his own rendition of Psalm 98:

Joy to the world! The Lord is come: let earth receive her King;
let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing!

He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness and the wonders of his love!

Since the living and holy God of righteousness has done marvelous things, making known his salvation, and the mercy and grace of his righteousness in the birth and life of Jesus Christ, come, let us sing to the Lord a new song, singing with a child-like joy – bearing testimony without embarrassment to one another and to the watching world, that the Lord has come to establish his truth and grace upon the world as it is in heaven, for the joy of his world and the display of his glory.

Order of Worship for 12.14.08 – 3rd Sunday of Advent

Immediately following the contest on Mount Carmel in which Elijah is used to definitively and powerfully demonstrate the power of the True and Living God, exposing the pitiful impotence of Baal, we find him fleeing into the wilderness in fear that Jezebel will have him executed for so thoroughly embarrassing her beloved prophets of Baal. There in the midst of the darkness and confusion of his fear the Word of the Lord comes to Elijah:

And the Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LOrd, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (I Kings 19:11-12)

It wasn’t in the elements – the earth, the wind, and the fire – that we, and the world around us, instinctively associate with the power and the glory of the True and Living God. It was in the sound of a low whisper that the glory of the Lord’s power was made known (again) to Elijah. And while we don’t know exactly what the Lord whispered to Elijah at that moment, but we do know the certain promise that he whispers to his people throughout the Old Testament to comfort them in the midst of their darkness and confusion, words that the Psalmist uses:

A theme that could easily become hollow words of cynicism if they are not soon shown to have some bearing on real people in real darkness longing for real vision.

And so Jesus whispers to us, his people, in the midst of dark and confusing days: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John tells us the same thing: “In [Jesus] was life, and the life was the light of men.”

Since in Jesus the promise of vision by the light of God’s glory has been fulfilled so that now we who once wandered in darkness now walk in the midst of darkness as shining lights, let us come together with rejoicing in the name of Jesus, and worship the True and Living God of abounding covenant faithfulness!

Order of Worship for 12.07.08 – Second Sunday of Advent

Speaking to Israelites who would be in exile, contrary to their own expectations and the assurances of the false prophets, Isaiah assures them that they will awaken to the dire distress of their circumstances and they will groan in agony and cry out for rescue. “At that time,” Isaiah tells them,

“… you shall call out, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry out, and he will say, ‘Peace; Here I am.’

Isaiah continues, “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.”

On that day when your distress has reached its fullness, at just the right time, the Lord will answer, “Here I am with you in your midst to accomplish the greatest rescue in the history of the world.” And in the midst of the desert you will become like a watered garden, a blessing to all who hunger and thirst for life and joy and hope.

The day of our crying out has come; the day of the Lord’s answer has come; the day of our rescue has arrived: In Jesus the Word of the Lord is “Here I am, in your midst.” The day of the presence of Jesus’ peace is today – Come, then, let us gather with rejoicing to worship the present and powerful King!

Order of Worship for 11.30.08 – First Sunday of Advent

For what do we give thanksgiving? Of course, for the Lord’s faithful and generous provision and protection of us, his people, over the past year.

But stop, look, listen. What is behind his faithful and generous provision and protection? The tender, covenant mercy of God by which he has heard our groaning, our cries for help, and so powerfully rescued us and made us into “his own special people.”

This is what he said, and what the Israelites celebrated during their annual “thanksgiving,” known in the Bible as Passover:

“During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel – and God knew. … [And so] “then the Lord said [to Moses in the wilderness of Midian], ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings so I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey.’” (Exodus 2:23-25; 3:7-8a)

Since then, we have been rescued so powerfully from our slavery to guilt and bondage to shame through the powerful and merciful covenant faithfulness of our God in Jesus Christ, let us come together into his presence abounding with praise and thanksgiving – telling one another of the mighty acts of our rescue and our Lord’s continued protection and provision beyond what we can imagine.

Order of Worship for 11.23.08