Category: Exhortation

We are celebrating the Transfiguration of our Lord. Our colors are white this morning representing the brightness of the Son on the Mountain. We can say that the Transfiguration is right at the center, and even the culmination of the earthly ministry of Jesus. The brightness and radiance of the Transfiguration is a sign that God placed great significance on this event and by it He wants to point us to greater realities.

As we consider the Transfiguration we are considering a crucial point in the life of our Lord; the point which the Old Covenant met the new; the prophets of old met the new prophets; and right at the center was the greatest of all: Jesus Christ. We come to celebrate Jesus; as the light giver to all the world and we are recipients of this light.

 

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I was very encouraged this week by a study here in the United States. The study had to do with how the evangelical churches fare in the Pacific Northwest. Anyone familiar with that part of our country knows that New Age and liberal, mainline denominations do quite well and that evangelical churches struggle to survive in that environment. However, the study shows that evangelical churches are doing quite well. There is some growth, and as the study concludes the reason evangelical churches are doing well is because they have a better grasp of their mission and community. One of our CREC churches in the Pacific Northwest was also mentioned as an example of an evangelical community that stresses the importance of the mind and actions; a very encouraging trend indeed.

One of our great desires as a CREC congregation is to continue our emphasis on a sound mind and a practicing community. My exhortation is truly an exhortation to persevere; to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might; to continue to love the Church, to love our children; to love one another; and to love our Lord Jesus Christ; who even now, is ready to commune with us. Let us prepare our hearts as we pray:

Prayer: Glorious Father, Son, and Spirit, strengthen this congregation to persevere in faith; to be humbled by its successes and to be proud of the cross of Christ; for this we pray. Amen.

We will be singing this morning a beautiful 15^th century hymn entitled: O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High! The hymn begins with an unbelievable story that seems to be fantasy when you consider its depth: “O Love, how deep, how broad, how high! How passing thought and fantasy, that God, the Son of God would take the mortal form for mortal’s sake.” The gospel is a great fantasy to those who do not believe. How is it that the God/Man would wear human flesh, become a mere mortal for the sake of other mortals? Why would He do something so beyond human comprehension? why would He take upon himself the scorn of mortal men? Verse 4 tells us: “For us He rose from death again; for us He went on high to reign; for us He sent His Spirit here; to guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.”

In this service, God through Spirit is guiding, strengthening and cheering us. Indeed, how deep, how broad and how high is the love of Christ for us that He gathers His people to receive His gifts.

Let us pray and prepare ourselves:

Glorious Lord, you are the king of all creation; there is none other like you; You have established an everlasting kingdom, so we could be heirs of the great promise. Cause us to be like you; to share in the great purity of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Amen.

 

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

One of our great projects as a new creation, a new society in Jesus Christ is to shame the wise and the strong of this world. Paul addresses this in I Corinthians 1. He is writing in the context of a very elite and sophisticated society. But Paul is not afraid of their knowledge or their strength; in fact, he comes to their town and says that their supposed wisdom and strength are nothing more than a beautiful garment on a corpse. There is no substance. You may beautify it with the mythology of the Greeks, but you fall short of the wisdom of God. In fact, God’s weakest point, if such a thing can ever be conceived, is greater than all the strength of this world put together.

This is why we need to be a bold people; a people who do not fear the world’s latest scholarship, because in the end, it is all rubbish; but we preach Christ crucified our hope of glory.

Prayer: Glorious Father, Son, and Spirit, in the fullness of time the God/Man came for us to redeem us and to conquer the wisdom of this world by dying on a tree. Teach us to see your strength and power in the way you have manifested wisdom to the world, not the way the world defines wisdom. We pray this in the Name of Jesus Christ, the only wise God. Amen.

There is a tendency in our modern culture to look at God’s words in the Old Covenant as archaic. “The Old Covenant,” some say, “is about Israel, and Israel was an ancient theocracy with rules and laws.” But the Scriptures do not view the ancient Church as a forgotten part of our history, rather Yahweh points us to a glorious continuity; better yet, to a glorious expansion. Yahweh is building, expanding on that great model He had for Israel. From the beginning Yahweh knew what was central to the life of His people. He knew that animal sacrifice could never replace covenantal living. He knew that doing the ritual, but not living the ritual would not cut it. You could come before God with ascension offerings, but if you failed to live as ascension offering, as a pleasing aroma to God; if you failed to live the sacrificial life, your offerings were fruitless. Do you want to know what is truly good in the eyes of Yahweh: “…to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” This is exemplified for us as we consider the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are an extended version of this passage. Yahweh’s demands for His people have never changed; His gracious laws are given for you.

Prayer: Glorious Father, Son, and Spirit, we thank you for your gracious work in our midst. We thank you that you have not left us to wonder, but You have provided for us Your laws to guide us and teach us the way we should go. Teach, guide, and strengthen us to live a life of faith in Your kingdom. Amen.

 

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

St. Paul says in I Corinthians 1 that “the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” The prophetic word, which Paul proclaims  has always been scorned during the days of the prophet Isaiah, in the first century, and it is most certainly mocked in our day. But this is what the gospel becomes: an odious scent of death to unbelievers or a pleasant and sweet aroma to those in Christ. The word of the cross is the word that turns the world upside down. Unbelievers can humbly submit to it or they can be destroyed by it. The cross is our life and the cross is our word; in the cross, paradoxically we find life. In His death, we are saved.  Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Glorious Christ, by your stripes we are healed. Grant us the joy to know that we are a redeemed people; through your death you have united us to yourself causing us to be heirs of a new world where You reign with the Father, and the Spirit; One God in Three Persons; world without end. Amen.

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Each week when we kneel and confess our sins we are confessing our sins as a redeemed people. The Gospel is given to us as a sure sign that no longer do we depend on burnt offerings to alleviate our guilty consciences; rather we trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. He alone can cleanse and renew us. He is the alpha of forgiveness and the omega of forgiveness. Only in Christ can we answer with vigor and strength: “Thanks be to God. Our sins are forgiven in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

Prayer: Our great ruler and King, Jesus Christ, we confess that our hearts need to be renewed by your covenant mercies, so we pray that you would call us into your presence, so the gospel would come forth into our midst for the praise of your glorious grace. Amen.

 

Prelude

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
A new year is upon us! As we are in the genesis of 2011, our gospel lessons are telling us the genesis of Jesus’ earthly life and today we are going to skip into his twelfth year. But don’t overlook the fact that Jesus grew up just like any Hebrew boy. He was catechized like any boy of his day; he played and ate just like everyone else. Continue reading “Exhortation: Of the Father’s Love Begotten”

God is unchanging. The calendar changes, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

We are a dependent people, and today we express our dependence by receiving God’s gifts in worship.

This morning the incarnate Son of God has come for us, so that we might be changed into His image. We are a changing people, but we strive to image the unchanging God whose Name we celebrate this morning, Jesus, our Immanuel.