Good Friday 2008

Covenant Reformed will be gathering together for a Good Friday service this week. The service--which will consist of Scripture, hymns, and prayer--will begin at 6:30 p.m. and run for about an hour.

The service will be held in the Ronk Chapel which is located on the Ashland Theological Seminary campus (910 Center). Do note that this is different than our regular Sunday place of meeting.*

Your presence is most welcome as we contemplate the sacrifice of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ.

*Sunday meetings will continue to meet at Armstrong Accounting.

Gladness in Your Presence

Almighty God,

We enter your gates this morning with thanksgiving; we come into your courts with praise. For you are good and your steadfast love endures for ever. Your faithfulness persists to all generations.

You, O Lord, are God, you have made us. You tend to our needs as a shepherd tends to his sheep. You hear our cries. You wipe away our tears. You protect us from our enemies and fill us with goodness. You make us to dwell in board places. Therefore we come into your presence this morning with singing. In gladness we offer our service of worship to you.

And we ask O God that you would come down to us. May a pathway be opened into our hearts, and may your Spirit abide there forever. Even this day we pray that you would make us to ponder our ways. May we come to understand and the way that is blameless. We desire that our minds might be transformed and begin to align more fully with Christ our Lord.

Above all let us witness your majesty and be awed by your radiance. Give us a glimpse of your glory and let us leave this place changed by the experience of your divinity.

With Thee There is Forgiveness

Gracious and Compassionate God,

You know how we have struggled with our sins this week. We come here today having lost many battles. We struggled and we strained, but we have failed to be victorious over sin and temptation.

By your grace we have made some ground. As a baby makes headway in learning to crawl, so too we have come some distance. But you know how small our progress has been. The devil has attacked us again and again. Our flesh has burned with passion, and the world has lured us away from the way of righteousness.

This is why we come to you this morning. We know that you will complete the work of grace that you have begun in us. You do nothing halfway. We expect that on the day of Christ’s return we shall experience the fullness of our salvation. But until that time we need your forgiveness and grace to sustain us day by day.

And we have the confidence that there is forgiveness with you, even for the chief of sinners. You forgave the sin of Adam. You covered the sins of our forefathers: Abraham, Issac, Jacob and David. You did not turn your back on the Israelites when they sought after other gods. You forgave them when they cried out to you and you exalted yourself as the God of compassion.

So too we look to you for the same covenant faithfulness. Forgive us of our lawless deeds and let the blood of our dear Savior purge them away. We ask that your Spirit would burn away our transgressions and that new life and obedience would appear in their place. Give us courage to perform your will, give us power to stand up against the siege of Satan, and let our footsteps be lead far from the realm of evil. Protect us and save us by your righteous, omnipotent arm, for we are weak and pitiful creatures, prone to sin and lusting after evil.

Listen to Sermons

If you would like to listen to Pastor Timmons' sermons you can do so by clicking here. You will find a list of sermons to choose from. Let me know if you have problems, I would like to make sure it is fixed.

Prayer of Adoration and Invocation

Almighty God,

You are the King of kings and the God of gods. To you all nations bow in submission. Kings prostrate themselves before you and authorities derive their power from you.And we who are gathered here today have gathered as one body to lift our praise to you. As crowds would gather to give laud and adoration to a conquering warrior we come to cast our praise to you, our Mighty King.

We acknowledge your sovereign power and bow our hearts in your presence. Moreover we humbly ask that you would descend upon us today. We beseech your favor, that you might draw us into deeper fellowship. We pray that we might be made to walk in the Spirit and not according to the flesh. We desire that we might be exposed to your holiness so that we might walk away radiating with holiness ourselves. As Moses came down from the mountain radiating with the glory of your presence, we desire to meet with you and become like you in righteousness, wisdom, and grace.

What we ask is that this time might be a time of worship and a time of transformation; a time of praise and a time of conversion; a time of reverence and a time of repentance. For this we ask in Jesus Name.

Prayer of Repentance and Renewal

Holy God,

If we would deny the fact that we are sinners, we would be denying what is most evident to all. We would be fools if we tried to cover our iniquity, for it would be like trying to cover the sand on the sea shore.

Lord, we cannot escape the guilt. We cannot escape the shame. And so we come to you that we might obtain mercy. For we know that you are a God of mercy. You are full of compassion and will not turn away those who humbly and honestly turn from their sins.

Lord, that which we are ashamed of, we are sorrowful for. And we pray that you might do with our sins what we cannot: Cover them and cast them far away from us. Do not count them against us, but throw them upon Jesus and let his blood be a tide that washes them away.

We ask also that you would create in us a spirit of righteousness. Give us the holy characteristics that are becoming of those who profess your Name. We ask that your Spirit might come into us and break down our critical spirits. May it be that we love our neighbor rather than despise them. Make us to magnify their gifts rather than their imperfections. May we desire what is worthy and beautiful in them rather than envy and laud that which wicked and damnable. Help us to rejoice in their virtues mimic their merits and be silent regarding what is undesirable.

We pray that we might be made to honor Christ in this way—by being people who dwell on that which is worthy of praise and devoted to what is good.

Our Cheif Desire

God of Gods,

You are beyond all comprehension. Your ways are higher than our ways. Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We know that we are unable to grasp the enormity of your being. For thinking about you is like trying to mine the depths of the oceans. But we gather together today to spend our energy in such holy contemplations. We gather in order to delight ourselves in your presence and to stand in awe of your infinite majesty.

And it is to you, the great I Am, that we come this morning. We have longed for you through this week. Our hearts have panted in thirst for you. Indeed, our inward man has yearned for the renewal of your Spirit.

So we ask that you would come and meet with us today. Come and refresh us with new life and give us a taste of what eternity will be like.

Lord, we desire one thing this morning: and it is you. And we desire that a flame of devotion might be ignited within our souls so that we might fear you and worship you aright. And we have the confidence that this will be done, for we ask this in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Our Lack of Passion

Gracious God,

In looking at your law we find that you are a God who requires the utmost devotion. We understand that you take no pleasure in sin, but desire us to love you with all our heart, mind and strength.

But we acknowledge that we lack the proper devotion. We confess that our hearts are often so lethargic. Instead of having blood that boils over with passion, our hearts are like tepid waters. Our souls are as quiet as a winter night.

While we recognize your lordship and acknowledge your gracious dealings with us, we still fail to possess a passionate spirit and adoring affection for you. This we admit is a wretched thing. It is utterly deplorable.

You have never ceased to love us. Your have never ceased to shower us with affection. You have protected us, pleased us, and pursued us. You have given us nourishment for body and soul, not to mention your law, your promises, and your one and only Son.

Indeed, in view of such things, our deadness is despicable and deserves to be punished. We know that such a demeanor is not only unlawful, but it is unworthy of you. Therefore we come before you and ask that you would forgive us for it. And we beseech you for grace to overcome this lukewarmness. We pray that you might kindle a fire within our hearts and fan it into a roaring blaze. May we not put you off, but seek to abide ever in the presence of your face.

From All Eternity

Most holy and gracious God,

All that transpires in time comes as a result of your foreordination. Whatsoever comes to pass today was written before ages began. You planned every moment and devised each of the works of man.

In eternity you set forth this day. From of old you ordained that this would be the day that your praises would be raised and your word declared. You decreed the prayers and songs, and even the thoughts of our minds were prepared in advance by you.

Thus we stand in awe of your transcendence and we are overwhelmed by your unchangeable plans. We admit that we cannot understand it all. While we may try to inquire about its intricacies, we are met with inexpressible mysteries. But what mystifies us, is altogether plain to you.

As this book of history is written ,and even while this day unfolds, we wish to be counted as righteous in your eyes. We desire that our hearts and minds might be yours and yours alone. We do ask that all things might be ordered to your glory today. We pray that we, like all the creatures of the earth, may conform to the counsel of your will and render you the praise that you deserve.We pray that this day we would demonstrate before the world that our God reigns. For this we ask in the powerful name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hallowed be Thy Name

Oh, Yes. We will have church today.

I will reiterate our weather policy for those of you who may not know: If you feel your life or safety are in danger, don't come. But If God opens the way to you, come and worship. I will be there no matter what.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

He is to be feared above all gods.

All the gods of the nations are idols,

but the Lord made the heavens.

Psalm 96:4-5

Eternal God,

You are exalted over all nations and your glory is above the heavens. No other god compares to you and no one can begin to speak of your Excellency. Your greatness extends from generation to generation and your majesty cannot be broken.This day we gather together to acknowledge you as our King. We lift our voices to praise our God who is enthroned on high.

We thank you that you have not remained at a distance. We praise you for stooping to inquire as to our well being and to bring us aid in times of need.You have raised us from the dust and you have lifted us our of our misery. You have given us joy and seated us with princes. We who were outcasts, you have made royalty. Truly you are most gracious, most kind, and most worthy of praise.

For this reason we seek your favor this morning. We ask that you would descend upon us again. Send forth your Spirit into this place and bring us into your holy presence. Let not one second of this time be wasted on frivolous thoughts or unnecessary worries. But let us be enraptured with our God this morning and may we dwell in the shelter of your wing.

Almighty God,

We know that you are a God who will not put up with men forever. You have suffered long with sinners. You have overlooked a multitude of sins. But we know that you will one day break forth into this world and bring justice to your land. For this reason we bow before you as unworthy servants. We know that we have done wrong and we have not ceased to profane your name. But we come to you, poor and wretched sinners that we are, and beg for your mercy.

Lord, you have given each one of us responsibilities. You have committed to our care many things: money, children, time, and talents. You have given us a hearty portion of good things in this life. But all these things we have squandered. We have not used them in a way that is pleasing to you. Nor have we exercised proper care in our various duties. The examples that we have been poor and our leadership has been full of defects. When we should have been as tender as a shepherd, we have been stern and cruel. When we should have been liberal and openhanded, we have been miserly and calloused.

But you haven not been this way with us. You have time and again been gentle, generous, and gracious. The loving-kindness that you have expressed towards us has only made our sins all the more obvious and all the more wicked.

So we come to you, wishing to confess and forsake these sins. We seek you for pardon and pray that you might not be angry with us. Instead of casting us out into the outer darkness, we pray that you might discipline us in love. We ask that you would isolate these sins and remove them, as well as the many others that do infect our souls. We pray that we might find in their place those graces and virtues that were found in our Dear Savior, Jesus Christ. May we be filled with his undying love and faithfulness.

For we ask this in his precious name. Amen.

Great and glorious Redeemer,

O how we have sinned against you. O how we have multiplied our transgressions again and again. We have heaped up our sins and have not ceased to offend you. So little have been our advancements and so many have been our backslidings.

Father, we prove day after day that we are born of our father Adam. The enticement of sin overcomes us and our hearts race after wicked things. So we bow before you to seek you again for your favor. Time after time we have set an ungodly example to those around us. Our words have led our children into sin and our actions have caused the ungodly to blaspheme. Instead of modeling righteousness and showing what is honorable, we have dishonored our God by our careless living.

Indeed we have taken your name in vain. But we look to you, that we might be rid of these sins and the others that plague our lives. We wish to gain victory over our sinful thoughts and gain a new inward zeal for what is good. So we plead with you today to look not upon us as our sins deserve. But let the blood of our dear Savior cover us. May our sins be thrown upon his cross, and may we live a new life by the power of your Spirit. Make us more watchful in life and continue to develop within us a zeal for what is most pleasing to you.

Almighty God,

You are the maker of heaven and earth. All things were created By you and by you we are sustained. This day we gather as your humble people to acknowledge our utter dependence upon you. You are from everlasting to everlasting and have no need of anything in any of your creation. But we are needy people. We are like babes who rely upon their mothers at every moment.

Since we know that we are but dust and shall one day come from the ground from which we were formed, we look to you with the eyes of faith. We wish this day to worship you and embrace again the everlasting life that you do give through your Son. May you be pleased to dwell with us and shine down upon us in this time. And may your grace be poured out from heaven to draw us further into obedience and faith.

A Prayer for Entering Morning Worship

Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

Just as you called the sun to rise today, you have called us out of our slumber. By your grace you caused us to arise with life and breath anew. Moreover you have awakened our souls that we might enjoy eternal life.

Now, having been brought into this assembly by your good hand, we look to our God—We look to the head and defender of his church, in order to offer you our praises and to set apart this day to the One who has created all things and redeemed us by his only Begotten Son.

We acknowledge you as our King and know that it is in your hand to do make great and to bring low. By your Spirit hearts are hardened or broken. And we ask that this time of worship would be showered with your mercies. May your word this day not fall on dull ears, but we pray that the door of our hearts would be opened wide that we might receive it like the good soil receives the seed. May our minds be sharp and our souls be like traps so that no good thing may escape us.

Above all may we enjoy you today. May we remember again our God who has forgiven our sins, secured for us an eternal inheritance, and made us to reign with him in this world.