Preaching Hebrews

In our study of Hebrews, we’ve seen that it is something close to a written sermon.  In light of this,  Jon Bloom recently preached it to the church he serves in.  By preached it, I don’t mean that he preached from it.  He actually memorized and recited the whole thing.  You can listen to it here.

Retreat = Revolution?

Why are we focusing on Vocation for our Winter Retreat?  Well, according to 20th century writer Dorothy L. Sayers, adopting the Christian understanding of work (a huge component of the Christian understanding of vocation) will make Marxists look like sheep.

“What is the Christian understanding of work? …. work is the natural exercise and function of man – the creature who is made in the image of his Creator. You will find that [the Christian understanding of work] if given in effect everyday practice, is so revolutionary (as compared with the habits of thinking into which we have fallen), as to make all political revolutions look like conformity.”-Dorothy L. Sayers in Creed or Chaos

Go ahead and accuse me of overselling the subject, but if that doesn’t get you interested then I don’t know what will.

Winter Retreat 2010 – Vocation

Our 2010 Winter Retreat will be taking place exactly one month from now.  Traditionally, the Winter Retreat has had a specific focus that was discussed over the course of multiple sessions.  For example, last year we spent a weekend hearing from Dane Ortlund on the subject of Christian Motivation.  That weekend’s call to look solely to the Gospel for fuel in our Christian life is still ringing in my ears as well as the ears of many others who attended.  In other years we’ve focused on other topics such as “Purity”, “The Beauty of God and Jesus” and “Why on Earth Am I Here on Earth?”  Each of these weekends has been a great blessing in the life of the ministry and has been a reference point for attendees for years to come.  We are praying that this year’s retreat, focusing on Vocation, will be no different.

If you’re confused by the topic choice or unsure of its relevance, just read this quote by Gene Veith, author of the book God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life, on vocation and what he learned from Martin Luther’s ‘exposition of vocation.’

Vocation isn’t so much about what I do, but about what God does through me. Vocation is nothing less than the theology of the Christian life. God calls us to live out our faith in the world, in the ordinary-seeming realms of the family, the workplace, and the culture. The purpose of every vocation is to love and serve our neighbors, whom God brings to us in our everyday callings. Wingren shows that vocation is also about God’s presence in the world–which He providentially cares for through ordinary people, believers and non-believers alike–and about Christ’s presence in our neighbor. Luther’s exposition of vocation is imminently practical, offering a framework for how Christians can work out their problems in their various callings. It is the key to successful marriages and effective parenting. It also solves that much-vexed question for evangelicals today of how they are to interact with the culture.

Reading the Bible in 2010

If you’d like to read through the Bible in this next year, there are lots of plans to guide you at an even pace.  The one I (Drew) will be using is the Discipleship Journal plan.

The benefits of this one in particular is that it only has 25 readings for each month.  This means that there’s some breathing room so that you don’t fall behind if you miss a few days.  You could also just pace yourself to read 6 days per week or use the extra 5-or-so days to memorize or reflect on what you’ve already read.

There’s certainly nothing that makes you particularly noble or spiritual if you make it through the Bible in a year.  Nor do you need a plan like this in order to do so. We don’t read in order to feel better by checking the boxes on a reading list.  We also don’t do this so that we can get rid of the low-grade guilt we have from giving up the plan sometime last February.

We read the Bible because we’ve been rescued by God through Jesus and we were made to know him.  The Bible is where we hear God speak to us by his Spirit and where we learn that our lives are caught up in His plan to reconcile and unite all things in Christ.  It’s one of the means by which we grow in our knowledge of, love for, and joy in God through Christ.  George Muller comes to mind: “the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.”

Let me know in the comments section if you plan on doing this particular plan.

Happy Reading!

Oh Come All Ye Faithful

Oh Come All Ye Faithful

The origin of this song is hard to nail down.  It was originally written in Latin, possibly as early as the 13^th century.

Oh, come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the king of angels:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Highest, most holy,
Light of light eternal,
Born of a virgin,
A mortal he comes;
Son of the Father
Now in flesh appearing!
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God
In the highest:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,

Christ the Lord.
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Joy To The World

Isaac Watts is the author of the incredibly well known hymn “Joy to the World.”  Drew quoted the third verse of this hymn for us on Sunday morning.  The words are based on Psalm 98 and were first published in a collection of Watts’ hymns with the catchy title; The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship.  Watts is considered, along with Charles Wesley, John Newton and William Cowper, one of the greatest English hymn writers of all time.

Joy To The World

Joy to the world! the Lord has come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the Earth! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come Thou long-expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the saints Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.

By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

O Holy Night

Oh Holy Night

This hymn, with its traditional operatic climax, is a perfect example of music being able to say something more truthfully that mere prose.  Read the words and then watch the video, you’ll see what I mean.

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of Our dear Saviour’s birth.

Long lay the world In sin and error pining,

‘Til He appear’d And the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope The weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks A new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels’ voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts By His cradle we stand.

So led by light of A star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men From Orient land.

The King of Kings Lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials Born to be our friend.

He knows our need, To our weakness is no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us To love one another;

His law is love And His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break For the slave is our brother;

And in His name All oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy In grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us Praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory Evermore proclaim.

His power and glory Evermore proclaim.

Oh Holy Night

This hymn, with its traditional operatic climax, is a perfect example of music being able to say something more truthfully that mere prose.  Read the words and then watch the video.

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of Our dear Saviour’s birth.

Long lay the world In sin and error pining,

‘Til He appear’d And the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope The weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks A new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels’ voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts By His cradle we stand.

So led by light of A star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men From Orient land.

The King of Kings Lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials Born to be our friend.

He knows our need, To our weakness is no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us To love one another;

His law is love And His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break For the slave is our brother;

And in His name All oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy In grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us Praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory Evermore proclaim.

His power and glory Evermore proclaim.

Christmas Music

Christmas (holiday) music is playing in the restaurant I work at.  It is playing in the malls and department stores.  Some radio stations have been playing only holiday music since November 1^st.  During this time of year, holiday music is everywhere.  It is an essential element of our modern culture’s Christmas celebration.  Yet the radio throws songs like “O, Holy Night” and Elmo and Patsy’s “Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer” or Bruce Springsteen’s rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” (which is a fantastic version, by the way) right next to each other on their play list.  A significant message is being preached through some of these songs, but it can just blend in with the rest of the soundtrack.  Because the great hymns of Christmas get lost in the mess we can often sing right through them, even at church, without realizing the profound truth they express.  To help us appreciate the glories that some beloved hymns proclaim, I will be posting the words to a different hymn each day this week.  These words are there to be reflected upon and rejoiced in.  Hopefully, these poems will fuel our celebration of the coming of our Savior and energize our longing for his return.

“Hark, the Herald Angels Sing”

(This hymn was first written by Charles Wesley in 1739.  The first two lines were changed in 1753, into what we are familiar with today, by George Whitefield.  Wesley, in this hymn, invites all of God’s created people to rejoice in the birth of Jesus, through whom God accomplished, and will accomplish, redemption for his creation.)

Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with the angelic host proclaim,
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem.’
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.

Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a Virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see:
hail, the incarnate Deity,
pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.

Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace:
hail, the Sun of Righteousness.
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth.
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.

Come, Desire of nations, come,
fix in us thy humble home;
rise, the woman’s conquering seed,
bruise in us the serpent’s head;
now display thy saving power,
ruined nature now restore,
now in mystic union join
thine to ours and ours to thine.
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.

Carson on Twentysomethings

D. A. Carson was recently asked for his perspective on our generation.  The question was,

“What do you see happening with the gospel and my generation, the twentysomethings of the American church? Are you encouraged?”

His answer:

Cautiously, yes. It is still a day of relatively small things. But it is always encouraging to observe the substantial number of twentysomethings who want to learn what the Bible says, who are looking for faithful mentors, who are tired of the endless openness of some strands of postmodernism but who do not want to drift back into isolationism or privatized religion. Some from very culturally conservative Christian backgrounds are engaging in a pendulum swing toward “hip” stances that are barely orthodox, but they are winning almost no one except other people like themselves.

But the next thing he said is what is the most encouraging.

In God’s grace, the future lies with that part of the younger generation that is passionate to understand, believe, and obey the truth, and who to that end are diligently studying the Word of God for themselves and learning lessons in contrition and joy, in humility and courage, in faith and obedience, that every generation of believers must learn.

Pray for God to give us the grace to be this kind of passionate Bible-studying, truth-believing, repentant, humble, obedient, and courageous generation.

HT: Buzzard