With nominations for new officers and the unveiling of the proposed building expansion, this certainly is an exciting time at our church! Just in case you missed the opportunity last Sunday to view the proposed building expansion plans and costs, we have placed them below.

In the upcoming weeks, we will need to arrive at the phasing/steps of this expansion and the plan for funding this work. At present, the same committee that set out to plan this project (ARC) is working on this and should be able to present a solution to us within the next month. Prior, however, to any major moves forward, we will need to gain approval of the congregation at a congregational meeting. Please join us in prayer as we anticipate calling for this meeting.

The ARC Team is interested in hearing from the congregation in an effort to establish consensus about the proposed plans. On top of speaking directly with any of the members, the ARC team has put together an extremely brief online survey. Would you please take 2-3 minutes and submit yours? Thank you!

How do we honor the Lord’s Day when we have to cancel church? One of my girls asked, “Do the daddies read some scripture and we sing?” She’s on to something there. Maybe you do family worship together with reading some Scripture, discussing what you read, singing a hymn or two, and praying with one another. Maybe you pray and watch another church livestream their service. Below I have a recommended “order of worship” for when we cannot gather together. I will also include some links to various resources that I hope will help.

I. Family Worship (adapted from Terry Johnson’s The Family Worship Book).

• Singing - Begin with singing a psalm or hymn together. You can find lots of hymns from our Trinity Hymnal on YouTube (resource below)
• Prayer - We pray a lot in church and you can pray a lot at home. Maybe follow ACTS to give form to your prayers: A-doration, C-onfession, T-hanksgiving, and S-upplication. You could also end a time of prayer by saying the Lord’s prayer together.
• Scripture - Pick a portion of Scripture and read it aloud together.
• Teaching/instruction - Fathers, maybe you can use a study Bible and offer a few thoughts on the passage. Or maybe you can discuss it with the family. Ask open ended questions, “What does this passage say about God?” “What does it say about us?” “Is it calling us to believe something or do something?” Or turn on the internet and enjoy a sermon together either by livestream or a previous sermon from a pastor you enjoy.
• Doxology - close the time together by singing the doxology.

II. Resources

Music: 

• Trinity Hymnal on YouTube - This is an excellent playlist featuring 620 of the hymns from the Trinity Hymnal. 
• The Sing Hymnal - Created by Keith and Kristyn Getty, this modern hymnal contains not only wonderful contemporary hymns, many we sing at the Kirk, but some of the best hymns of our Christian heritage. They have a list of all the songs in their hymnal categorized by topic: abiding in Christ, assurance, children and family, calling, etc. Also, I would strongly encourage every family to have a hymnal, but especially this one. It has resources for Scripture readings, prayers, and beautiful hymns.
• or even, The Kirk Hymnbook! - Pull it up on the home screen of the Kirk App

Prayer: Matthew Henry’s Method for Prayer - If you are looking for some assistance on how and what to pray, this is an incredible resource based on Matthew Henry’s classic book, Method for Prayer.

Sermons (Live)

• Briarwood Presbyterian - Many consider Briarwood to be the “birthplace of the PCA” as it was the host of our first General Assembly on December 4th, 1973. For over 50 years Briarwood has led the PCA with strong pastors and a heart for missions. Dr. Harry Reeder pastored here for almost 25 years. The current minister is Dr. Scott Redd.
• Tenth Presbyterian - This historic church in the heart of Philadelphia was a leader against liberalism in the Northern churches. She has been blessed to name as pastors: Donald Barnhouse, James Montgomery Boice, Philip Ryken, and presently Johnny Gibson. I’ve been blessed by the preaching of Dr. Gibson in recent years and know you will be too.
• There were other churches I could have listed but I avoided ones in the South East this time since we are all facing the same weather.

Sermons (Recorded)

• Alistair Begg - He recently retired from ministry but Alistair Begg was pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland for forty years. He is a gifted preacher. You can visit his ministry site, Truth For Life, and find hundreds of sermons spanning the whole of his ministry.
• Martyn Lloyd-Jones - Many believe he was one of the greatest preachers of the 20th century. I frequently consult Lloyd-Jones and have read many of his sermons. By God’s provision though, you can still listen to them. The Martyn Lloyd-Jones Trust as painstakingly digitized and preserved thousands of his sermons. Heads up: they are usually long but worth it. Families with younger children may want to choose a different pastor based on the length of his sermons.
• Ligonier - The ministry founded by the late R.C. Sproul. I have shared the YouTube link as it will give you quick access to hundreds of sermons and teachings from Sproul but also several Ligonier fellows like Sinclair Ferguson, Joel Beeke, Derek Thomas, and recently Michael Reeves.
• or even, Sermons from the Kirk - Always reliable and from your own pastors. Pull them up on the Kirk App or online.

The term “missional” is almost twenty years old. You will frequently find PCA and Reformed-leaning churches describe themselves as “missional.” If you ask them what they mean by the term, you will find a heavy emphasis on members as ministers, redeeming the culture, and a strong focus on the so-called “incarnational” approach to missions. The desire was to broaden missions beyond narrow definitions of sending out missionaries into foreign countries to evangelize and share the gospel. Personally, I think the term has broadened itself into meanlessness. (See Trevin Wax’s article from 2007) As with any movement, there are good things to celebrate. I appreciated the “missional” emphasis on every member being a minister. This put renewed focus on people’s relationship to their vocation and how that may glorify God and spread the gospel. It also helped believers to pursue their local communities and neighborhoods with the gospel. However, the more the missional model supplanted the traditional model, the emphasis shifted to include under “missional” things like redeeming the culture, arts, and politics. This got me curious: Does the Bible provide insights into what a missionary church should look like? 
If the “missional” model of the church has begun to wane, what is next on the horizon? I would like to see a return to the biblically faithful model of a “missionary church.” The Bible provides several examples of the church on mission. What if we started to glean more from the explicit passages dealing with evangelism and missions, instead of trendy new approaches that often stretch biblical texts to meet a new definition of missions?

A Biblical Description of the Missionary Church

First, we see that a missionary church exemplifies our Lord’s mission. I do not mean the “incarnational” model of missions where we exist among people and hope to model Christian virtues. I mean intentionally engaging in evangelism. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, he not only preached the gospel, but he also commissioned others to go out and preach (see Matthew 10:5-23; Mark 6:7-13, 30-32; and Luke 10:1-16). All three texts emphasize the same points. Jesus sent out His disciples to preach, do acts of mercy (all three speak of healing as part of the mission), and be prepared for persecution. The most famous missions text is the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We see that Jesus emphasized Word and Sacrament as the model of missions for His Church.

Second, a missionary church is fueled by the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8, we see persecution grow the church, and the Spirit scatters believers to the nations. In Acts 8:5, Philip goes to Samaria. By verse 25, some of the Apostles and disciples begin to return to Jerusalem. An angel appears to Philip and tells him not to go back to Jerusalem. On the road, he meets the Ethiopian eunuch. This shows that what Jesus prophesied in Acts 1:8 was quickly fulfilled as the church expanded ever outward from Jerusalem to Samaria (earlier in Acts 8), and now to “the end of the earth.” We also see this in chapter 13. In 13:4, it is the Holy Spirit who sends out Paul and Barnabas. The Spirit is at work at the end of the chapter in v. 48, where the Gentiles hear the gospel and “as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Finally, in Acts 16:14, we see the Lord open Lydia’s heart to respond to Paul’s preaching. A missionary church will listen to the Spirit, seek Him in the Word of God, and proclaim Him to the nations.

Third, a missionary church provides hospitality in an inhospitable world. Staying in Acts 16 for a moment. Paul accepts Lydia’s offer to stay in her house (16:15). Gratitude for the gospel produced loving hospitality. This is important because things get rough shortly after Lydia’s conversion. Paul and Silas are imprisoned, and when they are released, they immediately go back to Lydia’s house (Acts 16:40). They will also stay with Philip in Caesarea (Acts 21:8). A few verses later, Paul arrives in Jerusalem. Here he is, the epitome of a missionary, and he provides a talk about his work among the Gentiles (21:19). Finally, we have an entire letter on how to assist missionaries, 3 John. Gaius  is praised for receiving missionaries he did not know personally (v. 5). Now he has an opportunity to bless them by sending them out “in a manner worthy of God” (v. 6). Lastly, by partnering with missionaries, Gaius and the church that met in his house partner with the truth, i.e., the gospel. A church that desires to be faithful to the biblical model of missions will welcome and send out missionaries. The latter has become a particular prayer of mine for the Kirk - that the Lord will raise a missionary from our congregation to send out.

Fourth, a missionary church is committed to church planting. The most successful missions movements in history have been church planting movements. William Carey, the Father of Modern Missions, was committed to church planting. Patrick of Ireland, Boniface, and our own Presbytery have the conviction that planting churches is the most successful way to evangelize the lost. Paul was not a missionary wandering around evangelizing and hoping the people who responded to his preaching would find a good church. Paul frequently mentored and appointed elders (Acts 14:23; 19:17; Titus 1:5). This was part of his mission to plant churches, leaving them in the capable hands of elders so that he could continue to plant more churches.

Fifth, a missionary church has a cultural impact. Yes, this means cultural transformation, but not the way missional churches often think it. In the missional mindset, there is a heavy emphasis on the arts and cultural institutions. The gospel has the power to turn the world upside down! The arts, culture, music, and entertainment are nice, but the cultural impact missionaries have on their society is one that redeems lives and souls. Think of the riot in Ephesus. It was fueled by jealous idol makers whose businesses took a hit because Ephesus was becoming Christian. Paul did not do an idol appreciation night, an idol discussion group, or a dialogue with an idol maker. He and the elders of Ephesus preached Christ, and the cultural impact was the giving up of idolatry. The same thing happened earlier, where Paul liberated a girl from both demonic oppression and human exploitation (Acts 16:16-21). One may think of stories of two famous missionaries, Mary Slessor and Amy Carmichael, who had significant cultural impact on their respective mission fields. They both defended the life of the unborn, exploited women, and paganism.

My prayer for the Kirk is that we will embody these five biblical principles and be a missionary church for the kingdom of God.

Terry Johnson wrote, “Presbyterians make poor Anglicans” (Serving with Calvin, 325). I would add that we make poor Roman Catholics. Yet, over the past decade, there has been a rise in the celebration of Lent, and particularly, “Ash Wednesday” in PCA churches. I find this fascinating. Even as excellent work has been done documenting the late invention of Ash Wednesday services in Protestantism, the practice seems to grow every year: (https://adfontesjournal.com/steven-wedgeworth/no-ashes-to-ashes-an-anglican-history-of-ash-wednesday/).

Instead of this being a negative article about why we do not celebrate Ash Wednesday or Lent at the Kirk. I want to focus on the positive. We do not celebrate this season because it isn’t a season; it is the Christian life. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church #1438 (Under the section titled: “The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation”), “The Seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works).” These are works considered above and beyond the normal demands of the Christian life what theologians have often referred to as “works of supererogation.”
Lent is associated with giving up good things God has given us. I’ve heard people say, “I am giving up sweets for Lent” or “I am fasting from Social Media.” Both are fine, but is the motivation to spend time with the Lord or simply deprive yourself of something you enjoy in excess, giving you the veneer of piety? What did Jesus say? “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Paul told us to put to death the deeds of the body (Romans 8:13). We are called daily to penance and reconciliation. It should be the mark of the Christian to daily cry out to Christ for forgiveness of our sins and receive the grace of reconciliation through his heavenly intercession (Hebrews 7:25). We may have occasion to fast for great calamities like in Esther’s day (Esther 4:16) or to spend intentional, but short time, devoted to prayer (1 Cor. 7:5). It is not as if fasting is wrong, but it can be abused. Lent seems to be a season of performative repentance. We are called to powerful repentance every day.

As you go about on this ordinary Wednesday, especially if you live in a Catholic dominated city like I do, there is no need to be embarrassed that your head is not marred with ashes. You may have confidence that your Father in heaven forgives you whenever you confess your sins (1 John 1:9). The Son lives to make daily intercession for you (Heb. 7:25). The Spirit will help you put to death the deeds of the body (Rom. 8:13). If you do these Lenten things daily, you will find you do not need an invented season to remind you that the Lord calls you to be holy as He is holy.

Periodic briefings for the Kirk Congregation from our most recent Church Officers’ Meetings. Please direct any and all questions or concerns to our church office at frontdesk@kirkpca.org.

1. Church Steeple Update - You may have noticed the steeple was painted not too long ago. During the process, we discovered the steeple was deteriorating rapidly and leaking water into our sanctuary. After discussing the extent of the damage, we feel the wisest course of action is to immediately remove the steeple to prevent further problems. Whereas we do not have a plan yet to replace it, we are discussing several other options for improving and expanding our current sanctuary building. Please pray for our Annual Report Committee (ARC) as they are tasked with presenting a plan to the congregation about upgrades and expansion in the upcoming months.
2. Ruling Elder Chris Ward - Chris has been a faithful shepherd for the last three years. As the Ward family continues to grow and as his job requires more travel than it used to, Chris has made the hard decision to step down as a Ruling Elder at the Kirk. The Session reluctantly accepted his resignation on February 20th, commending him for his faithful service and looking forward to the ways he will still serve at the Kirk as a Sunday School teacher and member of the Christian Education committee. Chris, we praise God for your years of service unto the Lord!
3. New Way to Give - At the Kirk, we already have processes in place for receiving financial gifts (cash, checks, mail-ins, and even online gifts), but we have been asked to supply additional and more convenient ways to give online. Wishing to remove hindrances, we will begin this Sunday to offer a scannable QR code on the back of our bulletin as well as a link on our website where persons may give online. We hope these additional methods will serve us well and stir up our liberality to give unto the Lord.
4. Upcoming Service and Training Opportunities - We are pleased to announce that coming soon we will have an AED training class (recently purchased & installed in church office) and a church work day sometime before Easter. Please stay tuned for more information and how you can use your talents and time to help the Kirk.
5. Congregational Meeting - Lastly, please keep in prayer our big meeting to come on March 9th as we vote for our elder and deacon candidates. Our plan is to spend an extra 15 minutes or so after the Morning Service to submit and count the ballots for our three candidates: Travis Eubanks (Elder), Tommy Hacker (Deacon), & Nate Meade (Deacon). We are so thankful for the Lord’s work through His men at our church!
   

In his book The Orthodox Church, the late Bishop Kallistos Ware shared the story of a group of emissaries sent out by Prince Vladimir in search of “true religion.” They make their way through various kingdoms and religions all found unsatisfactory. Finally, they reach Constantinople and worship at the Church of Holy Wisdom. It was there they discovered what they desired, “We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendour or beauty anywhere upon earth. We cannot describe it to you: only this we know, that God dwells there among men, and that their service surpasses the worship of all other places. For we cannot forget that beauty.” (Ware, The Orthodox Church,   Has your Presbyterian or Reformed service moved you to say, “We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth”?

Maybe we do not even consider our worship beautiful or joy-inducing. Yet, there is much to appreciate about our worship. I want to share three joys I see every Sunday from the pulpit.

1. The joy of generations. Before and after our service, the sanctuary often thunders with little feet running up to the front to visit our esteemed candy man, or see a friend, or go out to the playground. We are blessed with a large population of children and teenagers. We show no signs of slowing down either as we continue to add young families to our rolls and new babies continue to be born. In fact, we have a baby due almost every month from January 2025 until July 2025. It brings me joy when I hear the children’s voices during our singing. It brings me equal joy to see the many crowns of glory (Pr. 16:31). We are blessed to have so many mature Saints in our congregation who offer encouragement, prayers, and love, and are examples of faithful perseverance. For a community as transient as Savannah, these older saints often fill the role of spiritual parents and grandparents to the younger generations.
2. The joy of singing. Our worship style leans more traditional. We still use hymnals and psalters in our worship. The instruments that accompany our singing are the piano, violin, and occasionally the guitar. Are we just stuffy? Are we set in our ways? We do not want to drown out the primary element of congregational worship - our voices. The true element of music in worship is singing. Commands to sing out number commands to play the harp (Ryan Speck, Trembling Joy: A Biblical Case for Traditional Worship, pg. 96).  Why might this be? First, the singing voice is God’s living instrument available to all believers, “The voice alone is the redeemed person’s un-mediated, living, heartfelt expression of praise to God, which our Lord desires above all other melodic expression. He has not redeemed an instrument unto life; He has redeemed your voice unto life” (Ibid., 97). Second, the voice sings meaningful words and not just notes. Tunes make us feel emotions but words define those emotions and further give power to the tune. I am moved by the tune to Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, my favorite hymn, but it is singing the last stanza, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, oh take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above” that opens my heart to the Lord as I recall my faithlessness and God’s faithfulness.
3. The joy of gathering. Hebrews 10:25 says, “not forsaking our own assembling of ourselves together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” We often hear this verse used to encourage participation on the Lord’s Day. It is of course for that but the reason why we are to assemble is often left off - encouraging one another. A benefit of the Lord’s Day, part of its joy, is gathering together as God’s people. I often say from the pulpit that you may be at church on Sunday after the worst week of your life. You still showed up, why? To worship God, to hear His Word, and for the opportunity to be ministered to by fellow believers. We should not be afraid to share when the week was terrible. Avoid the temptation to give a passive, “fine” in response to the friendly, “How are you doing?” Joy may come out of your sorrow over a tearful embrace, a moment of prayer, and the opportunity to be seen by another person. Some of us will arrive on Sunday after the best week of our lives or just a normal week. We need to be ready to bring the joy of fellowship to a struggling believer. We need to be ready to sing joyful praises to our God when the person next to us is overwhelmed. Through our joyful worship, even during more sorrowful and somber songs, help the person struggling in the pew next to us. Do not miss being gathered together because you may miss the opportunity to be used by God to restore someone’s joy.

These are just three joys I see every Sunday. There are more of course. There are some unique to my position as one of the pastors. There is no greater joy than preaching to you from God’s Word. I love seeing how you all respond. I love seeing how you parent the squirmy toddler in the pew. I love seeing the young people sit together and attentively worship. I love you. You bring me joy as we worship our Lord joyfully together.

“Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” (Psalm 95:1-2)

It has yet to happen, though it still could. But someone could ask their pastor to help them formulate their New Year’s resolutions. Think that’s too much? Perhaps. But aren’t pastors supposed to be spiritual leaders of their people out for their members eternal good? Aren’t they praying for their members daily and seeking to feed them with the Manna from Heaven, the Word of God? Aren’t they laying down their lives as shepherds to protect and love their people? Aren’t they supposed to be able to say like Paul, follow me as I follow Christ? Yes, to all the above. Well then, I’d say they should be qualified to help their people think of proper resolutions for the next year!

So let’s just say that happens, a member approaches me about their New Year’s Resolutions, what would I say?

1. Pursue Christ More - Psalm 105:4 says, “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.” We are all seeking something or someone, be it a new look, a new future, or a new person in our life. However, the Scripture invites us, better commands us, to seek the Lord. Of all the things we could pursue this next year, Christ is the best. Plus, it is His face that we will see if we seek to know the Lord more, for He, Jesus, fully reveals the unseen God to us (John 1:18). Great, but how do we practically do this? Well, there are a lot of ways to do this, but let me just give you a couple of them…

2. Make A Habit of Sunday Morning & Evening Worship - That’s what we are really doing in going to church on Sunday, we are pursuing our Lord. We aren’t just showing up to church, evaluating the music and message, enjoying a couple bites of fellowship and food, and going home. No, we are pursuing Christ! We are choosing the better portion like Mary did (Luke 10:38ff.) and even the man with the legion of demons (Luke 8:26ff), and sitting as Jesus’ feet. Even if there are but crumbs being served, a hungry soul always comes away feed (Matthew 5:6).

But why just do that once on Sunday, when your church offers you two opportunities? Yes, we are talking about going back to church that Sunday night to pursue Christ more (No evening service in your area? Perhaps we can help)! ‘But that’s hard, especially with young children.’ It is hard, yes, but hard things haven’t stopped us before, and never have they when a great blessing promised to those that ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7-8)? But another way to look at all this is what one my elders calls ‘habit’. We all will make a habit of that which we enjoy. So, let’s just add Jesus and His Worship to the list of resolutions for the year! But don’t stop there…

3. Pick a Plan for Private Worship - One of the greatest deterrents to our pursuing Christ more is we have no plan, no plan of attack. Sure, Sunday’s services are all planed out for us, but what do we do on our own? What do we read? How long do we pray? Do we even sing? And you can forget about memorizing and meditating! Well, no really, but if one thing is for sure is that if we have nothing planned, we will accomplish just that: nothing! So, pick a plan and stick with it for a while. There are tons to chose from. There are Bible readings plans and Bible study books. There are prayer methods (Matthew Henry’s method, the ACTS method, the Lord’s Prayer, etc.), online hymnals and psalters, and Bible memory challenges (see our churches for 2025). Do your research and go with one for a while. If, after some time, you see areas in which you need to modify, do it. There is no set way. But one thing you should commit to is to seek the Lord during this time. Do not be content to get through your spiritual check list, treat it as a time of private or personal worship of the Lord!

4. Aim to Mortify Two Sins - Two may be a bit zealous, but hey, why not? We all have sins we need to kill in our lives, why not make it more than a matter of prayer, but with intention make it our aim to put to death this year with the Lord’s help? Is it time you clean up your mouth (Ephesians 4:29)? Are you giving yourself to slothfulness and gluttony (Titus 1:12)? Are your pride and lusts eating your spiritual lunch (James 4:1-10)? Do you love bearing a grudge more than showing mercy (Matthew 12:7)? Well, the Lord has given us another year to attack this sin! And to attack it because this sin is stealing our joy away from Jesus. That’s what is happening by the way, when we sin: we are choosing sin over Jesus. So, why not kill that sin before it kills you? Just aim for two, and take them down with the Holy Spirit’s help this year. And don’t worry, you won’t run out of sin to attack before you die or Christs comes. There will be plenty more next year to tackle!

5. Become Known to a Church - Here we mean more than join a church, but plug in to that church and open your life up to others. Hebrews 10:24-5, “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” That church down the road was given to you by Christ to help you. Sure, they aren’t perfect, but no one is making that claim. The only claim we are making is that we know the Perfect One who saves us and gives us one another to help encourage one another. There are so many Lone Christians these days, thinking they will survive the wild wasteland of post-Christian culture. But the truth is, once a Christian isolates themselves from the pack of others, they are exactly where the infamous prowling lion the Devil wants them to be, so they can be picked off! Let us not isolate ourselves, forsaking the gathering of God’s people. We were meant to be together, One in Christ but all so very different. Therefore, on top of picking a church, pick a group within that church with which to serve, pray, study, and be known by. The Lord, whom you seek, promises to be with His people and you are among them!

In 2025, we are going to memorize Scripture together! This year we read the Bible together following the Robert Murray M’Cheyne plan. The Christian Education Committee felt a natural next step would be to commit ourselves to hiding God’s word in our hearts (Ps. 119:11). Memorization of Scripture equips us with words for every spiritual occasion. If you’ve never attempted Scripture memory before, or think in our current age with smartphones at the ready Scripture memory is superfluous, I hope the reasons below will motivate you to see the value of having God’s word in your heart and mind.

Sustaining Words - In John 6, Jesus tells his followers not to work for food that perishes but “for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you” (John 6:27). Jesus continues to reference eternal food until the people desire it so much they cry out, “Lord, always give us this bread” (John 6:33). The Lord responds “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst” (John 6:35). Jesus is the bread of life that fills up our hearts, souls, and minds with the glory of God. Before Jesus, Moses instructed the people that they do not live by bread alone but, “by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3).

Fighting Words - Every day is a battle against sin. While on this side of heaven, we will wrestle with the remaining corruption of our flesh. When temptation springs up in your life, how do you fight it? When your heart condemns you, how will you silence it? When depression and exhaustion seem ready to overwhelm you, how will you fight for rest? Having the Word memorized will give you fighting words against sin. Is there a sin you are neglecting or growing apathetic towards? Remember Paul’s words in Romans 8:13, “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Are you wracked with guilt over a sin? Punch back with Hebrews 10:22 “Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Is your mind overwhelmed with anxiety, depression, or fear of the future? Pray Isaiah 26:3 (ESV), “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

At the end of Ephesians, Paul describes the armor of God. All of it is defensive except for one piece of equipment, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17). We see Jesus use the sword against Satan during his temptation in the wilderness. Every attack by Satan is parried by Jesus quoting Scripture. If it is good enough for the Word of God incarnate, it is good enough for you.

Evangelistic Words - You will find your evangelism is sharper if combined with the Word of God. It is beneficial to have a Bible with you and walk someone through a passage, but we do not always have that opportunity. What if you get into a conversation with a non-believer and they say, “I like Jesus but I think there are lots of different paths to God. Jesus never claimed to be the only way to God.” What if you were ready and had John 14:6 memorized for just such a moment? You reply to this person, “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.’” It could make a big difference. Isn’t Scripture memory worth it if God might save someone through your evangelistic efforts?

Praying Words - Matthew Henry is primarily known for his famous one-volume commentary on the Bible. He also wrote an excellent book called, “A Way to Pray.”  The work aims to build up believers' prayer vocabulary with the vocabulary of Scripture. We have all been in a time of prayer when we end up listing out all of our concerns and desires. We do not think of praising God as part of our prayer as Paul does in Ephesians 1:3. We do not think of pondering his attributes as the Psalmist in Psalm 103. If we spend time meditating and memorizing Scripture, we will find our vocabulary for prayer expands a hundredfold.

Comforting Words - Memorizing the Word of God is like having spiritual medicine always available. When suffering and sorrow arise, we sometimes lack words as we process the pain we are feeling. What if you had Psalm 34:18 in your mind and on your trembling lips, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Life here on Earth can be filled with suffering and the things of this world provide little comfort during our hardest seasons. Being able to recall images of the world to come will provide comfort to you, “the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:17).

These are just a few thoughts and motivations for you to memorize Scripture. We are going to do it as a church family in 2025. We will memorize a verse or two a week following the Fighter Verses program put out by Truth:78. You can download their app which comes with a wealth of resources to assist you in memorizing Scripture. If you do not want another app, you can download all 52 verses for 2025 and write out your own memory cards. They’ve even got a handy bookmark size (make sure to scroll to the bottom for 2025)!

As we would look for God's leaders, one of the best ways we does this is to remember the sage wisdom offered to us from 1 Samuel 16 concerning the section of King David. For it is there that we learn that we are not to look for outward appearances (who is more stately, taller, more handsome and influential than others), but rather we are to look as the Lord God does, and that upon the heart of the person as we are searching out for our leaders.

But how do we look upon the heart? We are not like God that we can see the heart? True, but we can see the fruit of the heart through the behavior and character of the person. And that is exactly the reason, Paul in 1 Timothy 3 enumerates for us qualifications for church officers. That is, as we are in the hunt for good and godly men to nominate to office, we are to look for the men who have the character and quality of a heart that would please God. To use another very memorable term associated with Kind David, to have men who have hearts after God! Men who have hearts after God display these characters and qualities, and therefore these become the qualifications for the offices.

So what we are going to look through is the qualifications for elder and deacon, and explain each so that we may understand what is meant by each qualification and so that we might rightly discern which candidates to nominate. And in this we find a fascinating providential and majestic outworking of our sovereign God, namely, that as we look to find the right men to represent us as our spiritual leaders, what we are really doing is acknowledging the ones that God in His grace has already chosen to be called to such an office! For really and truly, though we nominate and these men represent us as spiritual leaders, all the more so, the opposite perspective is true: God has already singled these men out through a work of divine grace to call them to serve and have them represent Christ to us! It’s a thing of beauty! God looks upon the heart for His leaders, and so are we.

What type of men must they be? I’m going to group as many as I can together under headings describing the heart in order to help us move through all these qualifications in one sermon. I will also often group both offices together as several qualifications are required for both offices, but then I will make a distinction where one office differs from another. I also will give a couple brief applications for each as I know we will not only be comparing our future officers to these standards, but likely also our own hearts. So God looks upon the hearts and what does He wish to see for leaders in His church? Four points this morning.

Men with Faithful Hearts
The Lord looks upon the hearts of men and desires men to lead who have faithful hearts, and faithful in two ways: Marriage & Family. This is to be true of both elders and deacons. We see this concerning elders in v. 2 & v. 5, and then as well for deacons v. 12.

Faithful in Marriage - v. 2 & v. 12, “the husbands of only one wife…” The original language Greek is literally “one-woman men”. And though there are a lot of ways to interpret this, such as ‘must be married’, ‘no second marriages’, ‘no polygamy’, the best way to interpret this is that God’s man for office must be faithful to the wife God has given him. This permits for a widowed officer to marry again, and could even allow for a man’s wife to have been unfaithful, but he true to still be an officer. It allows for a single person to serve, who is faithful to the Lord. It could also permit the rare exception for a man to have fallen in his past either before he became a believer or even after, so long as he demonstrates a proven track record since over many years of faithfulness to his present wife. In all, perfection is not the goal here, but faithfulness. And what is faithfulness? But being filled with faith in the Lord that has worked its way out into our lives! Though we may be tempted to wander, our hearts being filled with faith remain faithful! Faithful Hearts in Marriage, isn’t that the kind of man you want above you serving?

But wouldn’t you also want that man to be…Faithful to Family? Yes, that’s why in vv. 5 & 12, the other qualification is being a good manager at home, “manages his own household well” and who’s in the house? v. 12, “children” and whomever else is there, i.e. “household”. And the reason being is obvious isn’t it? v. 5, “But if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?” Or, how can he be faithful with more at church if he isn’t faithful with less at home first?!? Men who genuinely love their children and are faithful to pray, plan, and intentionally invest in their children through love, thoughtful teaching, time spent, and discipline where needed. Faithful!
Men with faithful hearts, that’s whom the Lord has chosen for His leaders.

By way of application, it’s never too late to become faithful. A good number of men will hear this first qualification and they’ll say, “Well that does it, count me out!” And in this they are thinking of their private life, whether in their worlds of thoughts or past. Let me say this, as Christ is our redeemer and is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). It’s never too late to become a man filled with faith who is then faithful. Has there ever been a man that has been faithful in all things? No, only one, Jesus! But He is the One who would redeem you and call you to believe in Him all the more (i.e. have faith) so that you might become faithful! It’s never too late! Dwell not on the past, but Christ beloved!

Men with Undivided Hearts
The Lord looks upon the hearts of men and desires men to lead who have undivided hearts. And here we are thinking of men that are not gripped by anything other than grace! Of course, but what else may we be gripped by? Three examples listed for both elder & deacon.

• By Wine - In our English translations they are the same, “not addicted to [much] wine”. But in the original language they are different. In v. 3, the original single word is a compound word which speaks of the one who is always found alongside wine. You close your eyes and think of the person and you always seem to picture them with a glass of wine near them. In v. 8 speaking of deacons, there are several words and though it has a similar end meaning, this describes one who brings much wine to the lips. And of what does all this speak, one who is found alongside of wine or always bringing it to their lips? One whose heart loves wine. Though that person may still love the Lord, that’s not a man for elder or deacon, for he has a divided heart.
• By Money - two long English phrases used here all seeking to unpack two Greek words, and they are spot on for both, v. 3, “free from the love of money” (you can say that all in one Greek word, how efficient) and likewise in v. 8, “fond of the sordid gain”. But of what do they both speak? Well it’s the danger James speaks of, the love of money. And see when you love money and God, you have a problem, because as Jesus says, you can’t love them both, though we try. As wrong as that is, it certainly should never be true of an officer in the church, because he then has a divided heart!
• By Anger & Malice - Two different verses, but many words. First of elders, v. 3 , “not…pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable…” Pugnacious means that you love to fight and argue, get angry fast, and gentle and peaceable mean the opposite. For deacons, its v. 8, “men of dignity, not double-tongued…” Dignity could be applied to anything but when it’s nearby double-tongued, it speaks of a man’s dignity who doesn’t stoop low to speak one way to some and another way to another. But what kind of undignified man does that? A man whose heart is divided either by anger or just general malice towards others.  

Men with undivided hearts, that’s whom the Lord has chosen for His leaders.

I love that verse in 1 John 3, “He is greater than our hearts”! And what that means is that He can heal, restore, unite our hearts to fear and love Him alone! He can do this, He is the Lord our Healer! And then when He has restored your heart, then let’s talk about serving. Some of the best men serving have had at one time a divide heart for the purpose that once they have been restored, they may minister to others with a care as one who only knows what it is like! Undivided hearts, God choses those men to serve Him!

Men with Proven Hearts
This blends into areas already mentioned, but we pull it out further to accentuate the point. I am looking to address the phrase in v. 2, “above reproach”, as well as the ideas of the new convert & reputation discussed in vv. 6-7 as well as the testing period for deacons in v. 9. What are they each after? A proven-ness of heart. Look with me at the descriptions given:

• “Above Reproach” = not open to criticism or attack because of a proven track record.
• “Not a new convert” - v. 6, The word here is neophyte. And why may neophyte not be an elder? Because as the rest of the verse spells out, “so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.” Young men will often say this isn’t an issue for them, but we all know better than they and can see it in them. And so we are telling them to wait and prove it over time. Proven-ness.
• “Good Reputation with Outsiders” - v. 7. Why this? Well there could be several reasons, and yet among the top in my mind is, great he acts this way at church, but what is he like in the world? What do they say of him? Not looking for 5 star ratings, but a good reputation/name among unbelievers means this guy is a proven person!
• The Testing Period - Spelled out explicitly for deacons in v. 10, but the idea helps both offices, that’s why we do have a training and evaluation period, “The men must be tested, then let them see as deacons if they are beyond reproach.” Same as above.

In All, God has chosen men with proven hearts to serve as officers in His church!

But let’s note this: God doesn’t waste any time. I was talking with a younger friend about this this past week. Often times, we feel that God’s plan is just a little too slow to develop, don’t we all? But in the end wasn’t it perfect? Also, did He not even use the down time to help round out our person, giving us gifts and skills we would have never known we would have needed? God doesn’t waste time, He’s playing the long game, and He wants officers to have proven themselves, tested, to bear the weight they are about to shoulder! Proven Hearts!

(& Lastly) Men with Gracious Hearts
I want to come back to what we have missed in v. 2 about elders, “temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach…” But then some others will say you also missed v. 11, talking about women or wives of deacons. But I’ll say to you, that’s what I’m doing here underneath this point of men with gracious hearts. And how’s that? Well, God choses men whose hearts have been touched or impacted greatly by His grace. And what do these things have to do with grace? Well, when God’s great free grace has touched your heart…

• You Gain Great Wisdom - “temperate, prudent, respectable” Of course there’s overlap here into previous categories, but notice with me how they all have to do with how God’s grace has taught us wisdom. It takes not only wisdom, but a lot of God’s grace and patience to teach us the wisdom to shut our mouth and listen, doesn’t it? Sure we may have become prudent or wise, perhaps even respectable. But did that not come to us by a series of failures, which God graciously forgave us and then taught us to do differently? Yes, that’s God’s Grace making you wise! God’s grace also teaches…
• You Share Grace With Others - “hospitable”, it literally means lover of strangers. But it implies what happened back in ancient times, which was the hosting those strangers to a meal or a stay at your home, hence the hospitable word. And where in the world could we have learned to host strangers not only to us but potentially to God’s kingdom? Is this not what God has graciously done for us? While we still strangers and enemies, God demonstrated his love and grace towards us! For what purpose? That we may share that same love & grace with others!
• You Teach Grace to Others - “Able to teach” for here don’t think the classroom exclusively, because some of our best teachers have never stepped foot in a classroom. Think of those that know well God’s grace and are able to articulate that to others. That’s a need for elders.
• You Partner in Grace - I think that’s where v. 10 comes in. Here specifically in a diaconal/serving type of ministry, you are going to need women and your wives to minister alongside of you to other women! And it’s not that women should have authority and maintain office (1 Timothy 2:12 makes that very plain), but that partner in sharing the grace of God with you to others, and these are the types of women who should serve—ones who themselves have been touched by God’s grace!

Then in these four ways the Lord is indicating His leaders in the church, those with faithful, undivided, proven, and gracious hearts.

My children love Star Wars. Last year we watched a new Star Wars show on Disney. Unlike most of today’s programs that stream, this one did not release all the episodes at once. This horrified and confused my children. They came to appreciate a dying piece of television that I grew up with, “Previously on…” The “previously on…” at the beginning of a show connected what happened last time and also gave direction to the new episode about to come on. 

This week we began reading the book of Deuteronomy. The first three chapters of Deuteronomy serve as the “previously on…” for the show, “Israel.” It covers the time from their departure from Mt. Horeb, 1:6, through the wilderness years (2), and up to their current location, Mt. Pisgah across from Jericho (3:27). In fact, the entire book of Deuteronomy may be viewed as a “previously on…” of the books of Exodus-Numbers. 

There is an important theological theme throughout Scripture - remember. We may think, “How hard could it be to remember all God had done for Israel?” Psalm 106 is similar to Deuteronomy 1-3. It retells the story of Israel from Egypt to the conquest of the Promised Land. The Psalmist wrote, “But they soon forgot his works” (106:13), “they forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea” (106:21-22). After the people forget, they are judged. Nevertheless, as God looks at his people in distress under discipline, he remembers the promises he made and delivered them, “For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love” (106:45). 

Before he leads his people into the Promised Land, he calls them to remember all that he has done for them and all they have done. At the end of Deuteronomy, he will renew the covenant with Israel. This act of remembrance, “previously on…” empowers the people to know the direction they are headed as they go into the Promised Land: they are God’s chosen people returning to the land promised to their fathers and with the might of the God who delivered them out of Egypt in their presence. 

Saints, how often have you forgotten the works of God in your life? How often have you broken his covenant while he has kept it? Are you quick to forget like Israel? These stories are included to remind us that we are weak like they were. We are forgetful. We are disobedient. The next time you walk in a wilderness or are disciplined by the Lord, remember, that he was, is, and always will be your faithful God who remembers you when you forget him. Remember his, “previously on…” for your life.

“But, in general, take my advice, when you meet anything that's going to be human and isn't yet, or used to be human once and isn't now, or ought to be human and isn't, you keep your eyes on it and feel for your hatchet.” These lines were spoken by Mr. Beaver about the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I think they can help us think through the first chapter of 2 Peter. I love Peter. You can hear so much of his feisty, passionate personality in this letter. Written near the end of his life, he writes as a dying man to dying men. He holds nothing back because the salvation of souls is at stake, and he is not long for this world. In the opening chapter, verses 5-8, describe the qualities and characteristics of a true Christian. He then gives a warning in v. 9, “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.”

Peter does not only warn he encourages the saints, “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall” (v. 10). We see two important theological terms here “calling” and “election.” Let’s look at the latter, election is God’s gracious selection of those whom he will save through his Son (Rom 8:28-39; Eph 1:3-14). In Ephesians, Paul said God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (1:4). Election happened in the past but is made effectual as we are called to Christ through the preaching of the gospel, “It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 2:14).

How do we diligently confirm our calling and election? Peter tells us that we will practice the qualities of vv. 5-8. Jesus said you will be able to know a tree by its fruit. This applies to Peter’s words here. We will know who is a true Christian by those who are “virtuous,” “knowledgeable,” “self-controlled,” “steadfast,” “godly,” “brotherly affection,” and “loving” (2 Peter 1:5-7). If we desire to increase in these qualities, we will be effective and fruitful followers of Jesus Christ, which will help us confirm our calling and election. 

On May 20, 2000, John Piper preached what would become one of his most famous sermons nicknamed the “sea shell sermon.” The sermon is amazing and I encourage you to give it a listen or a read. In his introduction, he contrasts the death of two missionaries that Bethlehem Baptist supported. The brakes on their vehicle failed and they went over a cliff. The two missionaries were both women in their eighties. One was a missionary her whole adult life. The other was a widower and doctor who entered missionary work later in life. Think about that. While the rest of their contemporaries in America were living easy in retirement these two faithful women were compelled to declare Christ on a foreign mission field. Piper said many would call this a tragedy. According to Piper, the real tragedy was a couple he read about in Reader’s Digest, “Bob and Penny . . . took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30-foot trawler, play softball and collect shells.”

What do we do with our lives as we get older? Psalm 71:17-18 gives a wonderful prayer and goal for our golden years,
 “O God, You have taught me from my youth,
And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.”

The author of this Psalm has been a believer since youth and is still declaring the “wondrous deeds” God has done. He asks God not to forsake him in his old age but give him continued opportunities to “declare Your strength to this generation.” It is one thing for a mature Christian of a younger age to share the gospel and instruct others in the faith. It certainly does have a profound impact when a spiritually and elderly believer does it. Why? Because they have walked the long road of obedience and faith. They have experienced the deep sorrows and joys of existence and still declare the wondrous deeds of God. I think I’ve shared this story before but it will help illustrate my point. I used to volunteer as a hospital chaplain. One day I was informed of a family getting ready to move from the hospital to hospice. Everyone was talking about the peace and piety of this family, particularly the soon to be widow. As I entered the room, she was sitting and reading her Bible. Her hair was short and gray but distinguished looking. She looked up as I came in and gave me a smile. I asked how she was doing today. She let out a sigh and looked at her husband of 50 years who was in a coma and said, “Today we are good because God is good.” I asked if she needed any additional support after he was settled at hospice. She thanked me but said “I have my family and my church family. I have all the help I will need.” I could not stop myself before I asked the next question, “how are you so peaceful right now?” With faint tears in her eyes she said, “I have been married to my husband for over 50 years, and we’ve both been believers in Jesus Christ our whole lives. I know and am confident that when my husband passes I will see him again.”

This sweet Southern lady declared to me the strength and power of God. Even when she could have felt forsaken, she chose to declare God’s wondrous deeds to the next generation. Saints that is a life well lived and one worth living into.

A couple of weeks ago on our podcast, Theology Lunch, we were asked the question, “Do Presbyterians follow the church calendar?” I would encourage you all to give it a listen here. In this article, I want to expand on some points made in that conversation.

First, Presbyterians do follow the church calendar as reflected in Holy Scripture, that is we meet on the first day of the week remembering it was the day the Lord Jesus rose from the dead (Matt 28:1; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10). We believe that the Lord has set apart Sunday as the day to worship him. Outside of these passages, we have no explicit command to worship God on any other day. This has been the historic position of American Presbyterians as a story from 1841 will help illustrate. In 1841, the Episcopal Bishop of New Jersey, George Washing Doane, published a booklet arguing for the use of the liturgical calendar. His neighboring Presbyterian minister, Cortlandt Van Rensselaer, wrote a response under the pseudonym, “a presbyterian.” Rensselaer’s response took issue with the extravagance and emphasis on man made holy days, numbering 120, compared to the biblically simple pattern of 52 Lord’s days. While his response is well worth reading, “Man’s Feasts and Fasts in God’s Church,” a chart depicting “Presbyterian Holy Days'' in the style of what would be found in the Episcpal Bishop’s Book of Common Prayer captures his argument perfectly.
Further, while the two clergymen disagreed over the observance of the church calendar, Rensselaer delivered the sermon at Doane’s funeral. It has been well documented by Morton Smith and other church historians that the shift of observing Christmas and Easter in Southern Presbyterianism was late in US history, really taking root in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of particular historical interest, one of the strongest voices for Presbyterians observing the church calendar was Henry Van Dyke Jr who infamously and publicly gave up his pew at 1st Presbyterian of Princeton New Jersey when Gresham Machen took over as supply. Van Dyke was in favor of the modernism of which Machen was opposed and viewed as a danger to historic Christianity.

Second, the recent emphasis on all things liturgical like the observance of Advent and Lent are a recent phenomenon in Protestant Evangelicalism. Imagine for a moment we rewound the clock back to the early 1990’s average Baptist church. If you went up to the pastor a few weeks leading up to Easter and asked, “When does Lent start and what do you plan to preach during those weeks?” He would probably get uncomfortable. Maybe he would think you were in the wrong church and direct you to the Catholic or Episcopalian church down the street. Postmodernity has made many feel disconnected from tradition and the past. It is not surprising then to want a connection with the ancient church. Many will be disappointed to discover though that references to celebration of Easter and Christmas come much later than the Apostolic era. It would seem from the New Testament witness and the Early Church that the primary focus of the church calendar was the weekly gathering of the saints on the Lord’s Day.

Third, we do have a tradition we can follow that is historic and biblical although could honestly have a more creative name - the Regulative Principle of Worship. We find this principle in our Westminster Confession of Faith 21.1, “the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture.” The chapter is focused on prayer, Scripture reading, and observance of the Sabbath, “As it is the law of nature, that in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed on day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him” (21.7). While some in the PCA think the RPW is too restrictive, we have not officially deviated from it as a denomination. It also shows that it is not an issue of adiaphora where we can simply disagree. The most important feast day and the way we follow a church calendar is the weekly worship of God on his biblically appointed day - the Lord’s Day.

Fourth, you can celebrate Easter and Christmas. I am not trying to give you whiplash here if I’ve convinced you that the only “holy” day Presbyterians have is Sunday. It is, but we also can recognize significant days in redemptive history that have biblical support. The Reformers called these “evangelical feasts.” The Second Helvetic Confession, Helvetic is Latin for “Swiss,” was written by Heinrich Bullinger in 1562. This was a widely held confession throughout Reformed countries including Switzerland, Scotland, Hungary, Poland, and France. After the Westminster Confession and Heidelberg Catechism it is one of the most popular confessions of Reformed churches. Chapter 24 of the 2nd Helvetic Confession is on “Holy Days.” Bullinger does a lot well in this chapter. He prioritizes Lord’s Day worship, “the Lord's Day itself, ever since the apostles' time, was set aside for them and for a holy rest, a practice now rightly preserved by our Churches for the sake of worship and love.” He then recognizes biblically rooted “feasts” that Christians, within their liberty, may want to celebrate, “Moreover, if in Christian liberty the churches religiously celebrate the memory of the Lord's nativity, circumcision, passion, resurrection, and of his ascension into heaven, and the sending of the Holy Spirit upon his disciples, we approve of it highly.” He then goes on to denounce feast days made by men to celebrate men, think of the Catholic church’s practice of feast days for saints. Finally, he says that seasons like Lent, “ought not, and cannot, be imposed on the faithful.” This is because it is not widely found in the ancient church and although he does not say it explicitly in this paragraph it is not found commanded in Scripture either. I think there is wisdom and Christian liberty to celebrate Christmas and Easter as they recall events that we may find in Scripture about our Lord Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. This is why we at the Kirk still celebrate Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Easter. We often have a special sermon on those days and do not feel like we are being inconsistent on this issue. Rather, we are following both the Scriptures and our Presbyterian and Reformed tradition on the interpretation of those particular redemptive historical events.

Fifth, and finally, the last reason we do not celebrate church “seasons” is they often ask us to think of the Christian life as something we do instead of what Christ has done. Further, they act us to think as if Christ has not already done anything. Roland Barnes, longtime Pastor of Trinity Presbyterian in Statesboro, GA, said the liturgical calendar asks believers, “to suspend their living in light of the finished work of Christ…” One of my former Pastors, told me that he is fine with celebrating Christmas and Easter, but he never wants to act like they had not already happened. This is what celebrating the church “seasons'' asks of believers. There is also the “works” element of these seasons. Advent, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, is a time of “penance in the sense of preparing, quieting, and disciplining our hearts for the full joy of Christmas.” Lent is similarly a time of penance and works, “Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday.” They also disrupt the expository preaching of the Word. I’ve been a part of PCA churches where the sermon series through a particular book is interrupted for a 4-6 week break. We pivot to an entirely different book or topic during Advent and Lent. When the season is over, we dive right back in as if the break had not occurred hoping everyone still remembers where we left off.

Presbyterians enjoy a rich and full church calendar as we gather every Lord’s Day to declare that Christ has come, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again!

Hebrews 11:16 reads, “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” A little later we are told about that city, “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come” (Heb 13:14).

This comes after summarizing the faith of the Antediluvian saints from Abel to Noah and culminating in Abraham’s obedience in leaving his country to go to a foreign land. A faith not in what he could see but in the God who called him to journey. The author of Hebrews reminds us all that the life of faith is a confession that we are “strangers and exiles” in this world seeking a country we can call our own (11:13-14). Our faith is one of movement towards an ultimate goal. Our earliest spiritual ancestors in the New Covenant were called followers of “the Way” (Acts 9:2).

There is a danger in thinking of pilgrimage as a metaphor for the Christian life. The danger is encapsulated in a bumper sticker you might have seen, “It’s not the destination, It’s the journey” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). Our wandering in this life is not aimless or with no purpose. Our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. The better country we long for is already prepared for us. It’s not the journey, it’s the destination that by faith the Christian walks towards confident she will find it prepared for her by her loving Savior.

I could keep going but in order to keep this more devotional I will conclude. Are you seeking for that city, that better country? If you’ve read Pilgrim’s Progress, you know that there are many dangers along the way to the Celestial City. Are you lodging in the city of morality? Have you lingered too long in the excesses of Vanity Fair? Are you captive in Doubting Castle? Shake yourself free and declare like Mr. Valiant-For-Truth, in the less read 2nd part of Pilgrim’s Progress, “I am a Pilgrim, and am going to the celestial city.”

This week we finished reading “The Song of Solomon” or “Song of Songs.” Earlier this week I slipped a note into Amanda’s lunch, “Your hair is like a flock of goats…your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate…your neck is like the tower of David…” Now I did not simply decide to do that. One morning after listening to the reading plan she chastised me, “Why don’t you ever tell me my hair is like a flock of goats?” 

It was a joke but it helps demonstrate this book's interpretive problems. Is this an intimacy guide for married couples? Did Solomon write it? Is it about Christ and the Church? All good questions to ask of this difficult text. Now that you have read through it, I want to help you try and understand what you just read. 

There have been several different interpretations offered. Allegoricalists are able to say that this book is not about intimacy between a husband and wife. Instead it is about the relationship between Christ and the Church. Typologists, similar to the allegoricalist, are able to say this all points to Christ and connect several other passages to support this view. Then there is the realist who says it is exclusively a celebration of love and sex between husband and wife. Whole courses and books have been written using the Song of Songs as a Christian sex book. Which is the best approach, balance is the best approach. It is possible to see this book as referring to genuine physical intimacy between a husband and a wife. When I was growing up in church, sex was often presented poorly. I was told not to have it until marriage, it was sinful, it was dirty, it was only for procreation, and that if you waited until marriage it was always going to be the best. The messages were mixed and my view of sexual intimacy suffered as a result of it. Song of Songs, at a basic plain reading, presents the joy, intimacy, love, and union a husband and wife may have. We can get caught up with some of the words and innuendos and chuckle like adolescents, or we can read it as a reflection of our own marriages and see the great devotion the bride and groom have for one another. They are one flesh, “My beloved is mine, and I am his” (2:16), “I held him, and would not let him go” (3:4), “You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride” (4:9). In our sexually confused culture, we would do well to return to the Song of Solomon for a refreshing vision of the love between a man and a woman. 

We also can read the Song of Solomon through the lens of redemptive history and proclaim with Paul, “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:32). This way we read passages of the love the groom has for the bride through the lens of the New Covenant and see what great love Christ has for his church. We read of the experience of being lost and separated from her beloved as our own experience of losing sight of our first love, Christ. 

The story of Apollo 13 has fascinated me since I saw the hugely successful Tom Hanks movie depicting the heroics of Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise. The story is gripping. An explosion during a routine procedure put the lives of the three astronauts in great peril. They didn’t know if they could make it home. 

While Apollo 13 was certainly a dangerous situation, probably the most dangerous situation any of these men had ever been in, it was not the first time mechanical failure jeopardized Jim Lovell’s life. In 1954, Lovell was a Navy combat pilot stationed off the coast of Japan. During a routine nighttime mission, his navigation system failed. Darkness enveloped him and he was flying blind no one to figure out what direction he was going. In the darkness, a light appeared from the sea below. He started to follow the glowing green lights like a trail of crumbs. After a few minutes, he noticed the green light was getting brighter. At that point, he remembered that bioluminescent algae in that part of the Pacific lit up when it was disturbed. Something big was disturbing the algae and Jim had a guess it was his aircraft carrier. The light of the algae provided him enough light to find his way safely home. 

In Psalm 36:9, David wrote, “For the fountain of life is with You; In Your light we see light.” The combination of life and light may have been behind John’s thinking when he wrote of Jesus Christ, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it” (John 1:4-5).

This teaches us a few things: 

1. We were once lost in darkness but have now entered God’s marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). 
2. When the darkness threatens to surround us again, look to the light the darkness cannot overcome. Rush to be in the light that you may see your salvation is near. 
3. Light brings hope. One of the rallying cries of the Reformation was Post Tenebras Lux, “after darkness light.” You may be experiencing, like Jim Lovell, that you are drifting directionless in the darkness with no ability to get yourself home. God has a way of sending light for his people to follow when all other lights have gone out. Look for the light of hope and it will be found by the giver of Light and Hope. 

For the past several mornings, my oldest has been bombarding me with questions about Leviticus. They have a common theme - “Why is this book so gross?” Just this week we’ve read about leprosy in great detail (Lev 13-14), discharges and excess bleeding (Lev 15), and detailed instructions on how to spread the blood from the atonement sacrifice (Lev 16-17). Maybe you wonder, like Greta, “Why is this book so gross? Why is it in the Bible? What does God want us to learn here?”

Leviticus is where many a Bible reading plan comes to an end. It is understandable. The world of Leviticus seems so foreign to our world. Moses seems obsessed with cleanliness and it is no wonder many think the phrase “Cleanliness is next to godliness” is in the Bible. Here are some helpful things to keep in mind as you read Leviticus.

1. It is all about holiness - God’s and the people's. In Exodus 3, God tells Moses to remove his shoes because he is standing on holy ground. The Lord’s presence in the tree made the ground around it holy. In Exodus 19:6, the Lord says that Israel will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Finally, at the end of Exodus, we see the glory of God (his presence) descend and dwell among the people in the Tabernacle. Leviticus answers an important question - How can a holy God dwell among a sinful people? Leviticus answers that question with sacrifices and separation. The people are told how to separate themselves from the unclean and impure and how to offer sacrifices when they become unclean or impure. This way they can fulfill God’s command in Leviticus 19:2, “‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.’”
2. Atonement is central to the theology of Leviticus. The High Priest, Aaron, was not even holy enough to enter the Lord’s presence unless he entered ready to meet the Lord (dressed correctly) and with the proper sacrifices (bull and ram). Once in the holy of holies, he needed to make a sacrifice for himself, “Then Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household, and he shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself” (16:11). Only after he made atonement for himself was he able to offer atonement for the people, “Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the atoning cover and in front of the atoning cover. He shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their unlawful acts regarding all their sins; and he shall do so for the tent of meeting which remains with them in the midst of their impurities” (16:15-16). When we read the New Testament’s description of the Law, there is a danger of thinking there was no grace or forgiveness in the Old Testament. However, we see the Lord institute sacrifices for various sins and even offer the day of atonement to reconcile the people to God. In light of Jesus’ death and resurrection, all these sacrifices pointed towards his ultimate sacrifice. The Westminster Confession of Faith explains it this way, “The covenant [of grace] was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel: under the law, it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all foresignifying Christ to come; which were, for that time, sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called the old testament” (WCF 7.5). 
3. Jesus makes sense of it all. The atonement of Jesus serves as the typological fulfillment of Leviticus. Jesus is the perfect High Priest, who does not need to offer sacrifices for himself like Aaron did (Heb. 5:3), who offered the perfect sacrifice, himself, “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:13-14) We no longer need daily sacrifices offered by a weak human priest like us because we have the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. It is Jesus’ death that enables us to be holy like God is holy because we receive his righteousness as Paul wrote, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21). 

This past week we started reading the book of Psalms, which got me thinking, “How should you read the Psalms?” Many of you might know that the Psalms are songs and have been described as the church’s hymnal. Maybe it is because it does not include musical notes that we don’t realize we are reading song lyrics. Here we have some of the most beautiful and emotional language in the Bible and simultaneously the most difficult. For example, we start them with “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Ps 1:1-2). How warm, encouraging, and beautiful these opening lines are. We can think of dozens of others like Psalm 23, 30, 34, 42, 119, 145, etc. Then there are Psalms like 137:9, “Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!” The imprecatory Psalms' calls for judgments and cursing of enemies have long vexed readers and preachers alike.

Here are a few recommendations on how to read the Psalms.

1. Don’t just read them, live them. Here I am paraphrasing Luther. This could be said of all the Scriptures but especially the Psalms memorize them, meditate on them, savor them, for they will give you words to pray, praises to sing, petitions to cry out, and protests against injustice and evil.
2. Sing them - If you attend evening worship at the Kirk, you know we always sing a psalm during that service. The Protestant Reformation reformed not just theology but worship practices and the Reformed went furthest in those reforms. Our forebears viewed singing of the psalms as vital, in many cases singing them exclusively, to the right worship of God. One scholar commenting on the Huguenots, the French Reformed, wrote, “the distinguishing mark of Reformed worship and the cri de coeur of embattled French Protestantism.”
3. Read them Christocentrically - that means read them with Christ in mind. First, many Psalms point to Christ, for example, Psalm 2 and 110. Second, many Psalms were quoted by Christ, for example, Psalm 22 and 110. Jonathan Edwards described this perfectly when he wrote, "The main subjects of these songs were the glorious things of the Gospel, as is evident by the interpretation that is often put upon them, and the use that is made of them, in the New Testament. For, there is no one book of the Old Testament that is so often quoted in the New as the Book of Psalms. Here Christ is spoken of in multitudes of songs."

I hope these thoughts will help you as we read the hymn book of Scripture together.

This week we have read from some of the richest parts of John’s gospel. I was particularly struck by John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” The “these things” refer to Jesus’ teaching on the vine and the branches in the previous 10 verses. What struck me was Jesus’ words, “that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” Are you joyful? Would people describe you as a happy person? Or would they describe you as dour and sour, grump and cantankerous, angry and irritable? It reminded me of something Martyn Lloyd-Jones once preached regarding “Spiritual Depression. He said, “Nothing is more important, therefore, than that we should be delivered from a condition which gives other people, looking at us, the impression that to be a Christian means to be unhappy, to be sad, to be morbid, and that the Christian is one who ‘scorns delights and lives laborious days’” (Spiritual Depression, 11). 

Lloyd-Jones does not argue that we go around with a superficial smile. He does not deny that some seasons and circumstances rightfully make us sad or anxious. His argument, and what I believe Jesus is getting at in v. 11 as well, is that we as Christians should have a resting disposition of joy. The Bible speaks in many places of a joyful disposition for the believer. Think of these other famous verses. Nehemiah 8:10, “For the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Paul wrote that from prison! 

You might think, “You are still asking me to buck up and put on a cherry disposition!” Let’s look at verse 11 again, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you…” The joy of the Lord is our strength and like with so much else in the Christian life this strength does not come from us. Joy is a gift from Jesus. Maybe you haven’t felt joyful recently but I assure you that joy is at your fingertips. You simply need to fold them together and pray, “Give me your joy, O Lord, so that my joy may be fulfilled.”

“Never forget that you are a sheep” so begins a book I have on pastoral burnout. It is a needed reminder for pastors - don’t forget you are a sheep. In ministry, we get so focused on being under-shepherds of the Good Shepherd that we can forget that we aren’t the Shepherd. John 10 is famous for being the chapter on Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Of course, this is an old metaphor to describe the people of God. In Psalm 100:3, Israel is described as “the sheep of His pasture.” 

There are many comforting words in John 10, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…the sheep follow him, for they know his voice…I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” (10:3, 4, 11, 14). 

Why do sheep need a shepherd? Jesus tells us it is to protect them from wolves and thieves (vv. 10 and 12). Also, a shepherd is better than a “hired hand”. He cares for the sheep where as the “hired hand” will flee because he does not care for the flock. The Shepherd is willing to lay down his life for a poor, defenseless, and not all-that-intelligent sheep. Why? Because he loves them and they love him. When you are frightened when the thief comes to steal or destroy, search out the voice of the Good Shepherd. He will be close at hand to deliver you from every trial and affliction.

One of my favorite Scripture references in a movie, always a dangerous thing, is in “The Davinci Code.” The verse is, “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further” (Job 38:11). The verse is quoted by a nun to one of the bad guys when he followed a false lead. It is my favorite because it so wonderfully captures how the vast majority of people, not necessarily believers, read the Bible. They read it however they want fitting individual verses to suit the occasion. In actual context, this verse is God’s sarcastic rebuke against Job. He hammers Job with accusing question after question, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4) God asks Job where he was when God created all things. He goes on to talk about creating the sea and its parameters and this is what he says to them, “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.” 

After God ends his speech in chapter 41, Job responds to one of God’s accusations, “‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” (Job 42:3). One commentator said of this passage, “The world is beautiful and terrifying, and in it all God is everywhere, seen to be powerful and wise, and more mysterious when He is known than when He is but dimly discerned.” We know God even more than Job did because we live in the time after the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We may still look out at the world and ask “Why are things this way?” But God is known in his Son so that whatever we face in this life, we may face it knowing the God who said to the waters, “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.” Not only said it at creation but on a boat in the middle of a lake causing his friends to ask, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:27).

This week we read the story of Jethro visiting Moses in Exodus 18. Jethro was Moses’ father-in-law and he came to Moses to bring his daughter and two children back to him. While there, Jethro observes Moses’ leadership among the people. In particular, he notices that he sits alone with al the people from morning till evening (v. 14). Moses explains it is because he inquires of God for people, he settles disputes, and he explains God’s statutes (vv. 15-17). After hearing the explanation, Jethro concludes, “What you are doing is not good” (v. 17). Why is it not good? Jethro goes on, “You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone” (v. 18). Praise God for good father-in-laws! Jethro is 100% right. This type of leadership, one guy over everyone doing everything, is terrible leadership. It might not be because the leader is terrible, Moses had his flaws but overall he was a pretty strong leader. It is terrible leadership because he and the people will get worn out. It is “too heavy” as Jethro said. What is the solution? Jethro says Moses should represent the people before God (v. 19) and warn them about the statutes and laws so they will know how they must walk (v. 20). At the same time, he should “look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.” (vv. 21-22)

A recently heard a PCA pastor share about preaching through Exodus and when he got to Exodus 18 he gave an intensely presbyterian sermon. This is because we see the beginnings of what we know as presbyterian government of the church. Presbyterian is from the Greek word presbuteros or “elder.” Presbyterian simply means “elder led” or a system of government led by elders. We see the work of leading God’s people is too much for one man, even Moses. I want to highlight a few points from this passage that should serve to encourage you:

1. Qualified leaders - Jethro doesn’t say, “Grab a few guys you come across and set them up as leaders. He doesn’t name specific people. He gives qualities Moses should look for: God-fearing, trustworthy, and hate bribes. This is close to Paul’s qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3, “an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money” (1 Timothy 3:2-3). Something important in Exodus 18 and 1 Timothy 3. It is not true that any man can be an elder. It needs to be men who match these types of qualities. 
2. Plurality of leaders - in v. 21 it says that there will be lots of these leaders overseeing smaller and smaller number of groups. Our church session is not made up of just one guy. It is a plurality of elders. The work is done better when it is spread out. 
3. Leaders with a purpose - They have a specified purpose, “Let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves” (v. 22). They know their assignments and perform them. They also know when they need to bump an issue up the chain of command. 

I chose this passage for this week’s devotional because I think it is such a kindness of God that we are not left to figure out on our own how to run the church. He has given us instructions on how to do and who should do it. I want to challenge you all to choose an elder every week and pray for him, his family, his business, and his ministry. Their work is often done behind the scenes and late at night. Their labor is great and I know they need the prayers of the saints. 

Job 27:19, speaking of the godless, “he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.”
Luke 12:15 Jesus said, “one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

On Monday we read from Job 27 and Luke 12. I found their connections fascinating. Job 27 is a juxtaposition between the righteous and the godless. Job points out the godless enjoy riches at others expense and when they die what becomes of their wealth? It is given to another. Similarly in Luke we read Jesus teaching on wealth that sounds similar. He tells a parable of the rich man who has so much wealth that he tears down perfectly good barns and builds bigger, better barns. He hordes all his goods and says to himself, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” That very night God takes his life calling him a fool for thinking he would get to enjoy his vast wealth. Is God against wealth? Does he desire his people to be poor? 

The Lord does not desire riches or poverty for his followers. He may appoint one to be a billionaire and another to live paycheck to paycheck. What he desires above all else is that you recognize the riches you have in heaven. After the parable, Jesus speaks about anxiety around worldly things like food, shelter, and clothing. Don’t worry about these but seek the kingdom and those things will be given to you. I heard a story recently that illustrates this idea. A pastor was running errands and stopped at a shopping center. On his way inside a store, he noticed a homeless couple dumpster diving behind the shopping center. The woman sees the pastor and asks if he can help them out. They have not eaten in awhile which is why the man was in the dumpster looking for food. The pastor said he would see what he could do and proceeded to run his errand. As he came out of the store, he went to a sandwich shop next to it and got a few sandwiches. He approached the couple and sheepishly handed them the sandwiches. The man of the homeless duo said, “Thank you. Thank you so much. We don’t have hardly nothing. Just got to town a few nights ago. Been sleeping under the bridge over there. But God, he always seems to send people to help us out. Jesus been good to us that way. He always provides.” Here was an impoverished, overlooked, worn down, beaten down, pauper who could take a sandwich he didn’t pay for and say “Jesus been good to us that way. He always provides.” It brings power to the part of the Lord’s prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Saints, the Lord wants you to be rich with a great inheritance that is spiritual and with him in heaven. Why? Because that treasure will not fail you, a thief will not steal it, and a moth will not destory it (Luke 12:33). Store up for yourselves treasure in heaven and seek first the kingdom of God and you will find that you too will have the faith of that dumpster diver and confess, “He always provides.”

In seminary, I was introduced to the most popular sport in the world - soccer. I say introduced because I only knew of the janky major league soccer teams of my youth. I had no idea of the rich history of Premier League Soccer, UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), or the thrill of the World Cup. Many of my seminary friends were fiercely loyal to a particular team. They often chose this team because of a particular player or history of the team. I decided to choose a team and landed on Liverpool. One of the traditions in European soccer is every team has a song that the fans sing during matches. For Liverpool that song is “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Here are the lyrics:

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark 

At the end of a storm
There’s a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
For your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on 
With hope in your heart 
And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone

Walk on, walk on 
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone

It’s a song full of persevering through dark and turbulent times. Walk with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone. I share all this as a way of introduction to my thesis for this article: You Never Pray Alone. 

In the song, you never walk alone as long as you’ve got hope in your heart. As Christians we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts as a seal (Eph. 4:30), a convicter of sin (John 16:8), a comforter/helper (John 16:7), a teacher (John 14:26), and an intercessor (Rom. 8:26). It is this last role of the Spirit that I wish to discuss with you. 

In Romans 8:26, Paul writes, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Have you ever been so overcome with emotion that you were rendered speechless? We all know how difficult it is to pray. I have always been comforted that the disciples failed so miserably at prayer in the garden of Gethesemane. Yes, it is sad they could not stay awake to pray alongside their friend, teacher, and savior, but let’s be honest and admit the many times we have failed to pray when it was needed. Maybe you have tried to stay awake in the wee hours of the morning only to wake up twenty minutes later? Maybe you’ve tried to pray but your heart was too overwhelmed with sorror or grief or anxiety and you were at a loss for words? What do you do at times like that? When the storms and the darkness seem to surround you? When you think you are alone, remember the Holy Spirit prays with you and then you’ll never pray alone. 

John Murray writing on Romans 8:26 said, “The children of God have two divine intercessors. Christ is their intercessor in the court of heaven (cf. vs. 34; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1). The Holy Spirit is their intercessor in the theatre of their own hearts (cf. John 14:16, 17). Too seldom has the intercessory activity of the Holy Spirit been taken into account. The glory of Christ’s intercession should not be allowed to place the Spirit’s intercession in eclipse.” I love that thought, “The Holy Spirit is their intercessor in the theare of their own hearts.” His groanings, whatever they might be, belong to him on behalf of you. When you lack the words, when you lack the thoughts, when you lack the heart, the Spirit will supply your prayers even if they come out as inaudible groans. They will be more than sufficient to reach the throne of heaven where your other intercessor, the Son, sits at the Father’s right hand and lives to make intercession for you (Heb. 7:25). 

How does this change your view of prayer? Does it cause you to lift your head a little higher knowing that prayer is not solely dependent on you? Does it comfort you to know that you never pray alone? The great Scottish Presbyterian minister Robert M’Cheyne said, “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” Saints, take heart for you have two out of three members of the Trinity praying on your behalf to the other member of the Trinity who delights to hear their intercessions and your prayers. You never pray alone.

Part of my daily morning routine is listening to “The World and Everything In It.” I appreciate the balance between current events, fascinating news stories, cultural commentary and all done through a Christian world and life view. One of the segments this week was on a remarkable missionary you probably never heard of, Neil Hawthorn. Neil is an Australian man who has been deeply involved in international missions. What makes Neil remarkable is that he does international missions without ever leaving his home city in Australia. Neil always wanted to be a missionary, but he suffers from epilepsy and no agency would take him. He was in such poor health as a baby the NICU nurses removed him from life support so his bed could go to another child.

For years Neil has lived with his aunt in the busy city of Melbourne, close to several colleges and many international students. They started inviting international students to their home for English tutoring and to provide a weekly meal. They also provided an opportunity for the students to hear the gospel. News of their hospitality spread throughout the international student community. One Korean student told a waiter at a Japanese restaurant that he was lonely. The waiter wrote down the Hawthorn’s address and said, “You go down Thursday night. You’ll have friends.” Neil never found out who was the waiter. Based on the relationships formed with these students, Neil has traveled to China seven times, Taiwan three times, Singapore and Malaysia many times. In fact, he’s been to the latter two cities more than he has been to Sydney. 

The closing words from Neil’s intereview struck me, “Where you are. That’s where God wants you.” I listened to Neil’s story the same day as we read from 1 Corinthians 7:17, “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.” The larger context of this verse seems to be addressing those who have been called into the Christian life in various relationships, commitments, and life settings: married, single, slave, free, etc. The Spirit of God has brought a change of the heart but not circumstances. Neil’s heart was changed by the gospel and he had a desire to go to the missions field, but his physical circumstances didn’t change and he was unable to go. Have you dealt with that level of rejection? Have you desired something good, righteous even, only to be told, “no.” It is frustrating. However, maybe God is calling you to remember where he has placed you. We all can get caught up in righteous ambition and desire to do amazing things that will impact the kingdom of God. Let 1 Corinthians 7:17 and the story of the homebound international missionary, Neil Hawthorne, remind you that you are exactly where God has placed you. Learn to discern why he has you here. As Neil said, “Where you are. That’s where God wants you.”