Pastor: Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, People: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Prayer of Adoration:
Song: His Mercy Is More– CCLI# 7065053
What love could remember, no wrongs we have done
Omniscient, all-knowing, he counts not their sum
Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore
Our sins they are many, his mercy is more
CHORUS: Praise the Lord, his mercy is more
Stronger than darkness, new every morn
Our sins they are many, his mercy is more
What patience would wait as we constantly roam
What father so tender is calling us home
He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor
Our sins they are many, his mercy is more
What riches of kindness he lavished on us
His blood was the payment, his life was the cost
We stood ‘neath a debt we could never afford
Our sins they are many, his mercy more
The Old Testament Lesson: Ezekiel 33:7-9
Prayer of Confession: From Psalm 32
Pastor: Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. People: For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Pastor: I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; People: I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 13:6
I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
The New Testament Lesson: Romans 13:1-7
Prayer for the Church: Crawford Dillon, Ruling Elder.
The Sermon: “The Cross and Our Future.” Revelation 1:1-8. Dr. Michael Calvert, Teaching Elder.
Confession of Faith: From the Belgic Confession
We believe, according to God’s Word, that when the time appointed by the Lord is come and the number of the elect is complete, our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, bodily and visibly, as he ascended, with great glory and majesty, to declare himself the judge of the living and the dead.
*Communion:
Song: Come Thou Fount – Hymn 457 v.1-3
1 Come, thou fount of ev’ry blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above;
praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
mount of God’s unchanging love.
2 Here I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wand’ring from the fold of God:
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.
3 O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be;
let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wand’ring heart to thee.
Prone to wander – Lord, I feel it –
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.
The Benediction: From 2 Timothy 4:22
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen!
Once again (and so quickly!) we have arrived at another Friday when we look forward to our gathering together in the worship of our King and Lord. On Sunday we will complete our series of messages on ‘The Church Under the Cross.’ Our subject will be ‘The Cross and Our Future.’
If I were to ask you to name a book of the Bible that is futuristic in its outlook, you’d likely be thinking of Revelation, the final inspired book of Holy Scripture. It is surely true that this amazing Epistle has much to say regarding the future of God’s people, and the world. The first verse of the first chapter declares to the reader that the book’s subject matter concerns “ things that must soon take place.”
But what is really curious about this Epistle are the numerous references to something that happened in the past. Sprinkled throughout this letter are reminders of our Lord’s death upon the cross. The first of these is discovered in verse 5 of the opening chapter:
“. . . . To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.”
And then, another is found in verse 7:
“ Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”
And there a many other references just like these that you’ll find as you navigate the twenty-two chapters of John’s letter.
Of course, this raises the question of why, in a book that is presumably all about the future, are there so many appeals to a past event? What does the cross have to do with the future of the Church?
Well, I can’t wait to dig into this theme with you on the Lord’s Day as we consider Revelation 1:1-8.
Don’t Forget that Sunday School Begins Next Week at 9:30 AM!
On September 13thwe will resume Sunday School for all ages. Our new start time will be at 9:30 AM.
For our High School Students through Adults, I (with help from the Session) will be teaching on the subject of ‘ Understanding the Times: An Introduction to the Major Ideas Shaping Our World, and a Biblical Response.’
Our recommended textbook for the class is by James Sire, The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog(Third Edition, IVP, 1997).
I love you all!!
Mike
Announcements:
COVID-19 Message:
For those of you who are attending worship in person on Sunday morning, please practice social distancing as much as you are able and observe the pew markers so that we may keep a safe, 6-ft between families. During this time, we will not have nursery or fellowship time with food and drink. If any family member has been sick, or you have a pre-existing condition, please consider staying home and joining us by watching the recorded service when it is sent out. The Session has asked all congregants, out of love for one another, to wear a mask throughout our worship service if you are able. We hope and pray that if you have any needs, you will let a staff member or deacon know so that we can serve you well during this trying time.
Men’s Ministry:
Men’s book study of Calvin’s Institutes resumes on Sept 8th. We meet weekly on Tuesdays at 6:00-7:15 AM at Blue Plate on Governors Dr. All men are welcome to join us in building friendships as we discuss our lives in Christ at a practical level. If interested, please contact darondrown@gmail.com
Senior Fellows:
The Senior Fellows begin a new weekly Bible study on Tuesday, September 8 from 9:00 to 10:00 AM. We will use the Zoom virtual meeting application to study What Is Reformed Theology? by R.C. Sproul. The topics for the 12 week series are listed below. Church members are welcome to join us. For further information, email us at seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org.
Sep 8 – Introduction
Sep 15 – Catholic, Evangelical, and Reformed
Sep 22 – Scripture Alone
Sep 29 – Faith Alone (Part 1)
Oct 6 – Faith Alone (Part 2)
Oct 13 – Covenant
Oct 20 – Total Depravity (Part 1)
Oct 27 – Total Depravity (Part 2)
Nov 3 – Unconditional Election
Nov 10 – Limited Atonement
Nov 17 – Irresistible Grace
Nov 24 – Perseverance of the Saints
Women’s Ministry:
Therefore, here is the Current information regarding our Bible Studies this Fall. The three studies will be listed below.
Tuesday Morning Study facilitated by Amy Schnorrenberg
Date: September 29th
Time: 9:30 am
Place: Christ Pres
Topic: Marriage
Speaker: Video series by Paul Tripp
Childcare: Will be provided and currently in the planning stages
Contact person: Amy Schnorrenberg
Wednesday Morning Bible Study
DATE: September 16th
Time: 10am -1130am
Place: Christ Pres Fellowship Hall
Topic: Pilgrim’s Progress (Penguin Classics )
( book can order through Amazon.com for $10.79 )
Speaker: Video series by Derek Thomas (Ligonier Ministry)
Contact person: Mary Lee McKee
Wednesday Night Bible Study
Date: September 16th
Time: 6pm – 730pm
Place: Christ Pres Fellowship Hall
Topic: Pilgrim’s Progress (Penguin Classics)
( book can be ordered through Amazon.com for $10.79 )
Speaker: Video series by Derek Thomas (Ligonier Ministry)
Contact person: Denise Scrip
For the two Wednesday Women’s studies I am in the process of learning how to incorporate a Zoom Meeting process for those who don’t feel comfortable meeting in person but still want to partici[ate. I will let you know if and when it becomes available.
Children’s Ministry:
After much prayer and discussion, as well as input from a survey to nursery families, we will open up our toddler nursery for use starting September 13th.
The way in which we have decided to “open up” is in accordance with what many of our sister PCA churches are also doing (procedures, etc.). Sadly, many are not able to open up because of space limitations and lack of volunteers, but I am confident we can do this!
A few things….
Toddlers/PreK children will meet for Sunday school in the back classroom, taught by a rotating group of toddler moms.
During worship, beginning at 10:15 am, we will open the toddler nursery (ages 2-4).
The baby nursery will remain closed.
We will utilize member volunteers to staff the toddler room, at least up until December.
All volunteers will wear their masks during their work hours.
Children will be checked for temperature before entering.
We will pull out many of our toys, making it easier to keep things clean and orderly.
Toddlers may bring their own snacks, and volunteers will distribute to them at the proper time.
Proper sanitation and cleaning will be done while children are playing and afterwards.
We are asking any mother and/or member who feels able to volunteer with us during this time. I am also open to having volunteers 12 and up as long as they serve alongside an adult.
Thank you all so much, and I look forward to seeing your children soon!
Ashley
Career/Singles:
The career/singles group will resume meeting on September 13th at 5:30 at the home of Jim and Sharon Daughtry, for a time of fellowship and spiritual encouragement. More details to follow.
Prayer Requests:
Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Rich Bagdazian, Zig and Virdia Jastrebski, Ramona Edwards, Bill Dent, Jacky Haynes, Steve Terry, Bill Cowley, Larrabee Kirkland, Elizabeth Holton, and Nolan Osmer. Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Noah and Karleigh Stephens (Thailand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); Amos and Jessica William (RUF at Alabama A&M); Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky and Alaina Garcia (church plant in Canada); Dieter Paulson (church plant in Scottsboro, AL); The Huntsville Pregnancy Resource Center.
Online Donations:
If you would like to give to Christ Presbyterian, you can do so at the following link: