Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Christ and the Future: End Times Study at CRF

Starting June 14 CRF will begin a new Sunday evening series on the end times. The basis of the study will flow from Cornelis Venema's latest book Christ and the Future.

Some of the topics will include how the future is now, the state of man between death and the resurrection, and the various millennial views.

Those curious or confused about future matters are invited to attend. Study time is 6:30 pm.

Calvin Study Forming

What's on your summer reading list? How about John Calvin's magnum opus, The Institutes of the Christian Religion? Calvin's Institutes has been acclaimed as one of the most influential books of all time. Since 2009 marks Calvin's 500th birthday, it is a great time to dabble in its richness.

A study group is forming to discuss select portions of the Institutes. Plans are to meet each Friday at 1:30 p.m in the Circle at Grace Brethren Church. Sessions will start June 5th and run through the summer months.

Texts can be obtained on a loan basis if so desired. Contact Matt Timmons at covenantofgrace1@msn.com or 419-289-2552.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Your Children Gather for Worship

Almighty and Awesome God,

How sweet it is to be your child. What a privilege it is to be drawn into your presence. You have passed over many others, but you have set your love upon us. Why this is so, we cannot fathom for there is nothing desirable about us.

But it is because of your steadfast mercy that we may stand here today as one body. As we gather in this great assembly we confess our love for you. You are our chief desires and we come to admire and adore you.

And as we draw near we pray that you might remind us that we are your children and you are our Father. We humbly pray that you might affirm your everlasting love for us and remind us of your faithfulness to us. Confirm to our weak and weary hearts that you shall never let us go.

Gracious God, come and descend upon us. Lead us in the way everlasting and stir us up to praise.

The Sin of Levity

Almighty Father,

What use would it be to hide our sins from you? You see through us as through glass. Nothing is hidden from you. Even the night is as day to you.

So we admit before you that our sins are many and diverse. Our souls are full of deadness and pump out the sewage of evil in an ever flowing stream. But what wicked people we are! What should make us grieve is all too frequently comical to us. We make light of it as if our sin were no matter at all. We laugh and joke at it to mask its wickedness and pardon it in our own eyes.

Father, forgive us for making our sins out to be petty matters. Forgive us poking fun at it and pretending that foolishness is fun. Moreover, Father, we pray that you would instill in us the right feelings toward our sin. We humbly ask that you would give us a holy hatred for our sin. Let us grieve and bewail it. Allow us to see every transgression as vile as you do, and let us be deeply wounded when we offend the honor of your name.

And even now, as we sense how dreadful a thing it is to make our sins objects of amusement, let us rest in the pure blood of our dear Savior. His death shows us how horrid sin really is, and to him we fly—knowing that there we might find full deliverance.

In His Name we pray, Amen.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Our Life is in God

Truly we see the work of your hand in the creation around us, O God. Trees have brought forth their leaves and the grass has sprung up. Were you to hold back your arm, the world would shrivel and dry up. Man and beast would languish and our bones would perish.

But each day you display your love. You tend to the needs of creation, you water the land and it produces. You supply food for the cattle, and you bless the toil of our hands.

Indeed, our life is in you. You are the source of our existence and the fountain of goodness.
So our souls bless you. We rejoice in God Almighty, and adore you for your daily grace.
Thank you for ministering to us each day. Thank you for sustaining us and making life to abound.

And let it be that we do minister unto you today. May we perform our service of worship by laying our hearts before you. Accept the offerings of our lips and our sacrifice of praise.

Putrid Springs

God,

As we enter into your majestic presence, we acknowledge our frame. Who are we to ascend the holy mountain? We are small and vile, filled with all sorts of evil. We are like putrefied springs who pour forth all kinds of corruption. You see our inward state, you know that our hearts are clogged with sin and our lives have left a streak of black everywhere we have gone.

God we confess that we are poor sinners. And we are ashamed to think how the scales of judgment do tip because the mass of sin continues to grow hour by hour.

But this is why we fly to you. For you sent your one and only Son into the world to save sinners. And we do look to you for his redeeming grace. We pray that you might not look upon us as we are, but look upon us in Christ. Look upon the wounds of your Son, and let them not be without their worth.

We do pray that you would have compassion upon us and let the merits of our dear Savior abound to us. For this we ask in Jesus’ Name.

A Summer in Calvin's Institutes

What's on your summer reading list? How about John Calvin's magnum opus, The Institutes of the Christian Religion? Calvin's Institutes has been acclaimed as one of the most influential books of all time. Since 2009 marks Calvin's 500th birthday, it is a great time to dabble in its richness.

A study group is forming to discuss select portions of the Institutes. Plans are to begin the first week of June and run through the summer months. There is no hurry to make it through. We're just going to take our time to mosey through Book 3, which is the section dealing with the prayer and Christian life.

Texts can be obtained on a loan basis if so desired. Contact Matt Timmons at covenantofgrace1@msn.com or 419-289-2552 to inquire more or express interest.

Text can also be found on the web here or purchased here.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Thy Kingdom Come

God Above,

That is what we long to see. We long to see your reign extend throughout the earth. We long to see throngs of people praising your name and calling upon you with joy.

So we pray that your kingdom would come, O God. Let your Spirit descend and spread through all the earth. May Christ, our Exalted King, be victorious in the hearts of men, women and children all over the world. May legions of souls be subdued by your strong arm of grace, and brought out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light.

But even in this hour, we pray that your heavenly rule would be mightily manifested among us. We pray that we might enter into the courtroom of the Most High. We ask that we might meet with the One who is robed in majesty and power. We desire to worship the One who has crushed the head of the Serpent and loosened death’s grip.

God, enter into us and confirm us your grace, comfort us with your love, and build us up in the faith. Stir us and strengthen us that we might go forth to do your will.

The Shame of Being Ashamed of God

Our Father,

When we look into this Law, we recognize what we deserve. Here we find a perfect standard of love and devotion to you. But O, how terribly we have failed.

How you have not been our God. We have not walked in your ways or sought your guidance. We have rebelled and resisted, turned aside and turned away.

But even in our brighter moments we recognize that we have still failed you. We confess that we have so often been ashamed of you and afraid to vouch for you. Instead of being bold as lions, we have so often been reluctant in sharing the gospel, cowardly in our testimony and weak in our overall profession among men.

We recognize that we deserve to be shunned for having fear men more than God. But we pray that you would not deny us when you bring forth your kingdom. We pray that you would overlook our weakness and pardon all our transgressions.

Moreover we pray that you would crucify within us anything that hinders our profession of you. We know that we are not supposed to have a spirit of timidity, and so we pray that you would take it away. And fill us with a spirit of boldness and give us the courage to execute our duties without fear.

Let us be zealous for your honor, and may it be that the only real fear we have is the fear of offending you.

Amen.

Friday, May 1, 2009

He Is What He Is

Because you are who you are, we worship you. And we bow ourselves before you in humble supplication. Our prayer is that we might arise from this miserable planet and ascend to the temple above. We pray that we might be taken up to the highest heavens and enter the gates of your dwelling. We desire to have contact with you this day, that we might give tribute to the God incomparable, and the King who rules over kings.

Who has all life, glory and goodness but you? Who alone is all sufficient, and the source of our being? Who else dwells in inexpressible light and fills the world with his glory.

All creation flourishes because of your kindness. We become merry and laugh because of your unfailing love. You’ve demonstrated patience, you’ve given grace. You’ve caused the sun to rise again.

So we arise to set our faces toward you. We cast off the world’s affairs and we come with high expectations of encountering our Divine Master. We come to you and seek your wisdom this day. So bless us in your grace today.

Our Word is Sand

True and Faithful God,

You stand by your word through a thousand generations. You waver not from your decrees. And this is why we come to you, humbly seeking your favor and grace.

We have heard of your threats, and we have seen how they were fulfilled with great thoroughness. And we recognize that we are liable to all the curses that are laid out in Scripture for having offended you.

But we know you also to be one who holds out mercy and promises steadfast love. You look with pity upon the penitent and you lift up those who humble themselves before you.

And this is what we wish to do. We place ourselves in a vulnerable position. We come to you with all our sins exposed, confessing our need of your mercy and acknowledging our miserable offenses.

We admit that our word has not held the integrity that it should. In making agreements we have not always been true. Our yes has not always been pure and our no has not always been no. Instead, to our dishonor, our word has often been as firm as sand.

Yes, Father, though faithfulness is not a virtue well practiced by us, we know that it is perfect in you. And you will by no means cast out those who come to you with greif and sorrow in their hearts.

We pray that our offenses would be laid upon the cross. That they would be cast as far from you as the east is from the west. And in their place we ask that a better fruit would be grown. Make us more loyal, trustworthy and sincere. And may our walk be honoring to the profession that we have made.