One of our hymns laments the choice that many others have made with regard to the Lord’s Table. Why was I made to hear Thy voice, And enter while there’s room, When thousands make a wretched choice, And rather starve than come? The choices men make are odd, and it is even stranger that if …
Turn Us Back to our Fathers
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, we are invited to address You as Father, and on …
A Bouncy Little Ragtime Piece
Every week as we say the Apostles Creed, we confess that we believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. This refers to the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo, creation from nothing. Only God can create from nothing; it is one of the characteristics of deity. But Genesis does not say that …
Quiet Your Fears
If a misguided father, in the interests of preventing pride from taking root in his children, offered criticism after criticism, the results would not be what he anticipated. Instead of rearing humble children, he would bring up neurotic and jumpy children. “What is it now?” would be their constant internal question. But another father who …
Running from Words
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, we confess that as a people we have not wanted …
Oaks, Not Cabbages
On the physical level, the whole body is involved in singing, and in making music with various instruments. This means there is something else to remember as we pursue musical reformation in our congregation. The apostle Paul addresses a common problem with body life, a mistake that is easy to make. That is the mistake …
Round About
Keeping the Supper faithfully is not a matter of jinning up holy feelings. It is not a matter of introspection, figuring out a hundred and one reasons why you ought not to be partaking. Neither is it a summons to theological logic-chopping, where you try to figure out what happens to the bread and why, …
The Brightness of the Trinkets
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, we live among a people that have been dazzled and …
The Temple Pulled Inside Out/Pentecost 2009
INTRODUCTION: We are all generally familiar with what happened on the day of Pentecost. But we also need to take note of where it happened . . . and where it did not. THE TEXT: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly …
Showing Up at the Wrong House for the Bible Study
Lane and I continue the discussion. In this segment, Lane repeats Venema’s argument that receiving the sacrament of bread and wine is just like receiving the Word, and that it is necessary for someone to be able to do the latter before they can be admitted to the former. Both require “active engagement” by the …