Worship, Theology, Culture

Lenten Reading: Day Eight

Today’s Reading: Chapter Two, Page57 to page 62 (Stopping at Death Disorients Us…) Kindle Loc.845-887 Our text is Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope by Matthew McCullough. Get your ebook by clicking here.

Pastor Jeff’s Notes

“Death makes a statement about each of us: you are not too important to die.”

Sigh.

McCullough is doing what he set out to: expose us to our mortality.…

Lenten Reading: Day Five

Our text is Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope by Matthew McCullough. Get your ebook by clicking here. Today’s Reading: Pages 40 (Nothing to see here…) to 49 (Stopping at Why are we avoiding the truth…) Kindle Loc. 525-655

Pastor Jeff’s Notes

I have done many, many funerals. Just this week I was asked to officiate at one. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I know that sounds…

Lenten Reading: Day Four

Our text is Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope by Matthew McCullough. Get your ebook by clicking here. Today’s Reading: Pages 33 (From home to hospital) to 40 (Stopping at Nothing to see here…) Kindle Loc.414-518

“When you got married… you expected that you would have to bury your children. When you got pregnant, you knew there was a good chance you would not survive childbirth.…

Lenten Reading: Day Three

Our text is Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope by Matthew McCullough. Get your ebook by clicking here. Today’s Reading: Introduction, Pages 27 {The Plan of the Book) to 33 (Stopping at From Home to Hospital) Kindle Loc. 317-419

“Death makes a statement about who we are: we are not too important to die. We will die, like all those who’ve gone before us, and the world will keep on…

Lenten Reading Day Two

Our text is Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope by Matthew McCullough. Get your ebook by clicking here. Today’s Reading: Introduction, Pages 22 – 27 “.This purpose places my book…” “…but it’s Biblical and it’s true.” Kindle Loc. 246-316

“As long as we’re consumed by the quest for more out of this life, Jesus’s promises will always seem otherworldly to us. He doesn’t offer more of…

Pulpits May Fail, the Table Does Not

“The breaking of the bread and the pouring or the drinking of the wine are a representation of our Lord’s broken body, His shed blood. That is the primary thing that is signified by this action and in 1 Corinthians 11 Paul specifically tells us to do this because in that way we are declaring our Lord’s death.

And, again, let me underline something we considered earlier. Do we not see here a…

Isaac Watts, Psalm 45 – The Glory of Christ

Isaac Watts (1674-1748) is buried at Bunhill Fields in London.

Here is the fourth hymn on Psalm 45. The other three can be found here, here, and here.

My Savior and my King, Thy beauties are divine; Thy lips with blessings overflow, And every grace is thine.

Now make thy glory known, Gird on thy dreadful sword, And ride in majesty to spread The conquests of thy word.

Strike through thy stubborn…

Isaac Watts, Psalm 45 – The Glory of Christ and His Church

Here is Part 2 of a hymn by Isaac Watts based on Psalm 45. Part 1, The Glory of Christ, and Power of his Gospel, is here. He wrote 4 in all. The other two are The Personal Glories and Government of Christ and The Glory of Christ.

The King of saints, how fair his face, Adorned with majesty and grace! He comes with blessings from above, And wins the nations to his love.

At his right hand our eyes…

Isaac Watts, Psalm 45 – The Glory of Christ, and Power of his Gospel.

Isaac Watts penned two hymns based on Psalm 45. The first hymn which deals with the whole chapter is here. The second hymn is in two parts.

Part 1 – The Glory of Christ, and Power of his Gospel.

Now be my heart inspired to sing The glories of my Savior King, Jesus the Lord; how heav’nly fair His form! how bright his beauties are!

O’er all the sons of human race He shines with a superior grace; Lov…

Isaac Watts, Psalm 45 – The Personal Glories and Government of Christ.

Isaac Watts penned three hymns with Psalm 45 as his source. This one is a hymn that reflects the whole Psalm. The other two, Psalm 45 Pts. 1 and 2 will follow.

I’ll speak the honors of my King, His form divinely fair; None of his sons of mortal race May with the Lord compare.

Sweet is thy speech, and heav’nly grace Upon thy lips is shed; Thy God, with blessings infinite, Hath crowned thy sacred…

Telling God’s Story

Every time you tell one of these stories, you are telling about God. And you must tell not only what God did but also how He revealed Himself through His actions, for all these things have been written to instruct and enlighten us.

Don’t think that such a procedure goes without saying. If we set aside no time for quiet reflection before telling the Bible story but simply follow the most natural…

Through a Glass Darkly - From Edward Reynolds' "Meditations on the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Last Supper"

So humble is his mercy that since we cannot raise our understandings to the comprehension of divine mysteries, he will bring down, and submit those mysteries to the apprehension of our senses. Hereafter our bodies shall be over-clothed with a spiritual glory by a real unionunto Christ in his kingdom; mean time that spiritual glory which we groan after, is here over-clothed with weak and visible…