“O LORD Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.” – 1662 Book of Common Prayer
Read MoreClick here for Sunday’s bulletin. 1. MORNING WORSHIP (9:30): Charlie Wingard, preaching Matthew 11:2-11 “More than a Prophet” 2. CHRISTMAS BRUNCH (11:00): 3. EVENING WORSHIP (6:00): Nathan Eldridge, preaching Ephesians 3:14-21 “A Prayer for Spiritual Strength”
Read MoreSeveral years ago, my book club read Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom. Highly recommended David Murray turns to the Puritans to demonstrate that sin is the greatest obstacle to personal happiness. Americans have deep-sixed the traditional funeral. Chad Bird considers what we’ve lost. And speaking of funerals, a montage from the 1965 funeral of Winston Churchill.
Read MoreSeveral years ago, my book club read Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom. Highly recommended David Murray turns to the Puritans to demonstrate that sin is the greatest obstacle to personal happiness. Americans have deep-sixed the traditional funeral. Chad Bird considers what we’ve lost. And speaking of funerals, a montage from the 1965 funeral of Winston Churchill.
Read MoreUntil October, when I had to curtail my activities, I enjoyed listening to history lectures on my longer runs. Below are some of my favorites. Series from The Teaching Company: The Conservative Tradition, Patrick Allitt Famous Greeks, Rufus Fears Famous Romans, Rufus Fears Robert E. Lee and His High Command, Gary Gallagher The American Mind, Allen Guelzo Donald Kagan’s “Ancient Greek History” lectures are available for free through Open Yale Courses. Both audio and video are available. In one lecture he uses students to demonstrate the hoplite phalanx. The video is hilarious. I remain an enthusiastic subscriber to Ken Myers’ Mars Hill Audio Journal, which “is committed to assisting Christians who desire to move from thoughtless consumption of contemporary culture…
Read MoreThe Heidelberg Catechism for the Lord’s Day, December 8
119. What is the Lord’s Prayer? Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. 124. What is the third petition? “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven;” that is, grant that we and all men renounce our own will, and without gainsaying obey Your will, which alone is good; so that every one may fulfill his office and calling…
Read More“BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.” – 1662 Book of Common Prayer
Read More“Of all the feelings that man’s heart experiences, there is none perhaps which so soon runs into sin as the feeling of anger. There is none which once excited seems less under control. There is none which leads on to so much evil. The length to which ill-temper, irritability, and passion, will carry even godly men, all must know. The history of ‘the contention’ of Paul and Barnabas at Antioch, and the story of Moses being provoked till he ‘spake unadvisedly with his lips,’ are familiar to every Bible reader. The awful fact that passionate words are a breach of the sixth commandment, is plainly taught in the Sermon on the Mount. And yet here we see that there is…
Read MoreSunday, December 8, at Westminster Presbyterian Church
Click here for Sunday’s bulletin. MORNING WORSHIP (9:30): Charlie Wingard, preaching Ecclesiastes 9:1-18 “Living Wisely in a Broken World” (7) ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL (11:00): 1. READING THE BIBLE BIBLICALLY A study of how to use the structure, genres, and themes of the Bible to read it with more wonder, depth and understanding. Having considered how these aspects are seen throughout Scripture as a whole, we will apply them to reading select books of the Old and New Testaments. 2. INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIAN ETHICS Using the Westminster Larger Catechism, the class surveys important moral decisions that contemporary Christians face. Issues include the role of God’s law in a believer’s life, the sanctification of the Lord’s day, abortion, capital punishment, end of…
Read More“. . . apart from the gospel and outside of Christ the law is my enemy and condemns me. Why? Because God is my enemy and condemns me. But with the gospel and in Christ, united to him by faith, the law is no longer my enemy but my friend. Why? Because now God is no longer my enemy but my friend, and the law, his will, the law in its moral core, as reflective of his character and of concerns eternally inherent in his own person and so of what pleases him, is now my friendly guide for life in fellowship with God.” – Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. in Mark Jones’ Antinomianism: Reformed Theology’s Unwelcome Guest, 54.
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