You have often been reminded that in this meal we partake of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. We do not do this because He is somehow locally present on this Table—for He is at the right hand of the Father, and not here. But Paul is very clear that we are made partakers …
Banish the Gods, Summon the Demons
Our Father and God, You have established Your Church as a royal priesthood in this world, and so we intercede for the nations of men now, confessing on their behalf so that the grace of Your forgiveness will soon be extended to them all. Father, as a nation we have sought to be governed by …
O Sing a New Song to the Lord
This is Psalm 98, “O Sing a New Song to the Lord.” It is another fuguing tune — one of the first that we learned here at Christ Church. It is found on pp. 134-135 of the Cantus. Let me take a minute to explain the set up here. The Christ Church choir is on …
Before Thee Let My Cry Come Near
Here is a portion of Psalm 119 from the Christ Church psalm sing in October. We are being led by our music minister, David Erb, and the location is the Administration Auditorium on the UI campus. Also keep in mind that this is a congregation, not a choir, but it should give you some idea …
Deep Peril, Deep Thanksgiving
INTRODUCTION: We sometimes try to cultivate the right heart attitude by denying the obvious challenges and perils in the world around us, and we sometimes try to pretend that we see the “real world” by adopting a cynical and artistic posture toward it all. We think that in order to have an enjoyable thanksgiving, it …
Gently Bobbing
Not a person in this room has to struggle with the temptations that other people have. And every person in this room does in fact have to struggle against the temptations that present themselves, daily, to you. Now as we all seek to establish our walk with Christ, one of the perennial temptations will be …
The Right Kind of Rarity
In the Lord’s Supper, God meets with us in very ordinary things. It is the same with the sacrament of baptism—what is more plentiful than water? Bread is common, a staple. And wine is abundant—virtually every human society has rejoiced in that particular gift of God. So what does this mean? In Deuteronomy, Moses tells …
Reputation Undeserved
Our Father and God, You have established Your Church as a royal priesthood in this world, and so we intercede for the nations of men now, confessing on their behalf so that the grace of Your forgiveness will soon be extended to them all. Father, Your Word calls us to forgiveness, and in calling to …
A Deeper Level of Worship
Many of you are here as parents of little ones and, in some cases, many little ones. For you, the worship of the Lord is a far more arduous task that it is for the rest of us. All of us are engaged in the work of worshipping the Lord, but you are carrying young …
Never Walk Away
In the two sacraments, God presents spiritual realities to us in physical form. Unbelief looks at the physical form only—whether water, bread, or wine—and faith looks upon Christ. Some forms of unbelief look at the physical form only and deny that Christ has anything to do with it. Other forms of unbelief identify Christ with …