Perhaps like many of you, I have a particular love for the hymns of our faith. As I reflect upon my younger days as a Christian, I have very fond memories of singing hymn #409 in the old Baptist Hymnal, ‘When We Walk With the Lord.’ It was written by a man named John H. Sammis, a Presbyterian minister, and it first appeared in 1887 in a collection called Hymns Old and New. The lines of the first verse still echo pleasantly in my mind:
When we walk with the Lord,
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
The notion that the life of a believer in Christ is like a ‘walk,’ however, does not find its original source in this blessed hymn. Actually, it comes from the Old Testament! Over and again, the Old Covenant people were commanded to “walk” in a distinctive way in light of their redemption by Yahweh’s grace and mercy. A good example of this is found in Leviticus 18:3-5 where the Lord speaks to the Israelites through Moses:
“You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.”
This image of ‘walking’ is then picked up in the New Testament where it becomes a prominent figure of speech for the faithful life of a follower of Jesus. We see this very thing in 2 John. The beloved Disciple of the Lord employs it three times in 2 John 1:4-6. There he says:
“I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.”
You can see from the context of this passages that the word “walk” is another way of speaking of one’s life, or lifestyle. Your “walk”—how you actually behave—reveals a lot about who you really are, where you have come from, who you belong to, and where you are going. While our ‘talk’ may be impressive indeed, it’s our “walk” that tells the truth about us. And this is the concern beating in the heart of the Apostle John as he writes to his brothers and sisters in Christ who are in one of the churches near Ephesus. His point is that those who have been saved by our Lord Jesus should have a most distinctive “walk.”
On Sunday, we will begin our look at these verses, and we will pray that the Spirit of God might teach us, in the most practical of terms, what it is to “walk with the Lord in the light of His Word.”
A Prayer Request
Before I sign off, let me ask you to pray fervently for our upcoming Vacation Bible School. VBS begins on Monday July 17 and we are expecting the Lord to do great things that week in the lives of our children. Please pray for Ashley Turnbull and those who will be assisting her in leading this ministry to our precious little ones.
I love each of you so very much, and I have you on my heart and in my prayers constantly!
See you Sunday,
Mike
Upcoming Events:
July 16, 6:30 PM — Prayer Dessert for Meg Wohleber July 17-20 – Vacation Bible School July 23 – Back packs for CARE Center due
Connecting with the Catechism:
Q. 85. What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse, due to us for sin?
A. To escape the wrath and curse of God, due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.
Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21
Acts 2:38; I Cor. 11:24-25; Col. 3:16
Q. 86. What is faith in Jesus Christ?
A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.
Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 4:16
John 20:30-31; Gal. 2:15-16; Phil. 3:3-11
Q. 87. What is repentance unto life?
A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.
Acts 11:18; II Tim. 2:25
Ps. 51:1-4; Joel 2:13; Luke 15:7, 10; Acts 2:37
Jer. 31:18-19; Luke 1:16-17; I Thess. 1:9
II Chron. 7:14; Ps. 119:57-64; Matt. 3:8; II Cor. 7:10
Announcements:
Sunday School IN RECESS: Sunday School is in recess for the summer. We will have a weekly time of fellowship beginning at 10 AM, with our regular worship beginning at 10:30 AM. Sunday school will resume in the Fall.
Dessert Fellowship Honoring Meghan Wohleber:
The women’s ministry would like to invite each of you to a dessert fellowship in honor of Meg Wohleber as we celebrate her upcoming wedding in August and wish her well as she leaves our church to join her husband at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Huntsville.
Vacation Bible School:
We are excited to open registration for Vacation Bible School 2017: Upward Bound! VBS is for students who have completed pre-K thru 5th grade. Adult volunteers may also enroll their littles in nursery (infant and toddler).
Cost is $10 per child and may be dropped in the offering box anytime this month. Please denote “VBS” on the check.
Please see our website HERE and go ahead and register your children or grandchildren today! If you are a volunteer, please also fill out the volunteer form so that we’ll have your sizes for t-shirts. This includes any teen or collegiate volunteers. T-shirt deadline is June 30th. Volunteers t-shirts are FREE. Any registration questions may be directed to Betsy Morgan at bsm7305@yahoo.com.
I am still in need of a few volunteers to serve in nursery and with small groups of kids. Let me know if you’re interested (this can be teen or collegiates as well).
I have put out our list of needs in order to make our week successful! Please consider helping us out with one of these items. We will have your items ready to return the Sunday after, July 23rd.
Register today! Looking forward to serving with each of you!
Back Packs for The CARE Center:
Our church is providing 20 packs for the CARE Center Care Pack Ministry for the upcoming school year. These packs provide school supplies for needy children in our area. Supply lists and bags for students will be available in the church foyer July 9thand July 16th. Filled bags can be returned to the church on July 23rd. By “adopting” a child you commit to purchasing a backpack and supplies.
If you choose to, you may also include encouraging notes and treats from your family to make this gift a little more personal. Get creative if you want to and have fun with it! Kids love surprises! The cost of the supplies per child ranges from $50-$100
More information on the mission/ministries of the Care Center is at: www.theCAREcenter.us
Ladies Summer Scripture Read Along:
You are invited to participate with all ladies of Christ Presbyterian Church:
Summer Scripture Read-Along in Isaiah, Jeremiah, & Lamentations
HOW: Start in Isaiah on July 3. Read 3 chapters a day, Monday–Friday.
Take the weekend off to reflect, journal, or catch-up as needed.
Then, keep reading following the schedule below!
Read along with us, on your own time, no need to sign-up, just participate if you’re able.
We hope it will be a blessing to our ladies to be united in our devotion to God’s word through this read-along.
Here’s the breakdown: July 10-14 read Isaiah 16-30 July 17-21 read Isaiah 31-45 July 24-28 read Isaiah 46-60 July 31-Aug 1 read Isaiah 61- the end.
Wednesday-August 2 Break
Aug 3-4 Jeremiah 1-6 Aug 7-11 Jeremiah 7-21 Aug 14-18 Jeremiah 22-36 Aug 21-25 Jeremiah 37-50
August 28 Jeremiah 51-the end.
Tuesday-August 28 Break Aug 30–31 read Lamentations 1-5
**Look for a chapter guide noted at the bottom of the church’s weekly emailed newsletter.
Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Chris Smotherman, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, Katie Dyer, Rebecca Berry, Jenan Nuwayhid, Bill and Mitzi Cowley, and Sondra Behmer. Expecting: Please pray for the Bryant family, expecting in December. Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); RUF at UAH and Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky Garcia (seminary student).