Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Wishing you and yours a very happy, healthy, and blessed Thanksgiving!

The Prayer for Thanksgiving (approved for use in the forthcoming URCNA Hymnal):

Our Sovereign God, who created all things for your pleasure and who gives to all life, breath, and every good thing, we praise you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life. For rain and sunshine, in abundance and in lack, we acknowledge that our times are in your hands. You supply all of your creatures with your good gifts: the just and the unjust alike. Nevertheless, we especially give you praise for the surpassing greatness of your saving grace that you have shown to us in Christ Jesus our Savior. For our election in him before the foundation of the world; for our redemption by him in his life, death, and resurrection; for our effectual calling, justification, sanctification, and all of the blessings of our union with him, we give you our heartfelt thanks. And we look with great anticipation toward that day when you will raise us to life everlasting, glorified and confirmed in righteousness, so that we may sing your praises without the defilement of our present weaknesses, distractions, and sins. As you have served us with these gifts, we ask that you would give us grateful hearts so that through us you may serve our neighbors. In the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, Amen.

Ascension Day!

 The Ascension--Acts 1:6-12 (ESV)

 

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

 

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.

James 2:10 and Galatians 3:10 in Perspective

If you want to be saved apart from Christ, here you go.  This is what God requires of you!  Click here: The Law (h.t. monergism.com)

Given all the debate about law and gospel, and covenant theology, we can easily forget what is at stake.  What, exactly, does the law demand of us?  James (2:10) tells us that if we break  even a single commandment, it were as though we've broken all of them.  Paul warns us not to rely on "works of law" (Galatians 3:10).   There's a reason for this!

After glancing through that list of all 613 commandments, I suddenly have a renewed appreciation for Christ's active and passive obedience.  No hope of heaven without it.   And what a blessing (and a relief) it is to know that because of Christ, God sees me as though I had kept all 613!

He Is Risen!

A Reading for Easter -- Luke 24:1-12 (ESV):

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,  but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.  And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,  that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”  And they remembered his words,  and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 0 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.  But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

A Collect for Easter (Approved for use in the URCNA Hymnal):

Holy Father, giver of all perfect gifts, we join the heavenly choir to herald the news that you have defeated the powers of sin, death, and condemnation by the victory of Jesus Christ your Son over the grave. We confess that the circumstances of this present age often rise up to testify against the promise that you have declared in your Word. Nevertheless, we bring the experience of our hearts under your judgment: You have raised Jesus Christ from the dead as the first fruits of the whole harvest at the last day. As in his resurrection you have brought the new creation into this passing evil age, raise us up and seat us with Christ—in this life, through faith, and in the next, beholding with our own eyes the resurrection of our bodies in life everlasting. All of this we pray, with joy and thanksgiving, in Christ’s name. Amen.  

Good Friday -- "Father, Into Your Hands"

For Good Friday, a reading from Luke 23:44-49 (ESV). 

It was now about the sixth hour,  and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,  while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”  And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.  And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

The Collect for Good Friday (The Book of Common Prayer):

Almighty God, we ask you now to graciously look upon your people, for whom our Lord Jesus was betrayed and given over into the hands of wicked men, to suffer death upon the cross for us and for our sins.   Lord you have made all men and women and do not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and live, have mercy upon all those who neglect your gospel, and especially have mercy upon your ancient people Israel; take from them ignorance of the gospel, hardness of heart and contempt from of your word, return them to Christ, so that all Israel may be saved; and so that they, together with believing Gentiles, might be joined together into one flock, under one shepherd, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.

A  Collect for Good Friday (proposed for URCNA hymnal):

Our Father, who so loved the world that you gave your only-begotten Son, we acknowledge and marvel at your mercy.  Even while we were enemies, you reconciled us; even while we were strangers, you made us co-heirs with Christ of all eternal blessings; even while we stood condemned, you redeemed us; even while we were imprisoned, you delivered us from the tyranny of sin, death, and the devil.  On this solemn occasion, we loathe our miserable estate and celebrate your marvelous grace.  Beneath the cross of Christ, we come to know that ours is the guilt, but yours the forgiveness; ours the condemnation, but yours the gift of justification; ours the bondage, yet yours the freedom of adoption and new obedience.  Even the faith with which we confess our dear Savior’s sacrifice was won for us by his death.  Therefore, we cry out to you in sorrow for our sins and in thanksgiving for your gift.  Give us the grace, we pray, to receive again this word of the cross which alone can refresh us on our pilgrim way, and send us out again into the world as witnesses to “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Maundy Thursday -- "The New Covenant in My Blood"

For Maundy Thursday -- A reading from Luke 22:14-23 (ESV):

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him.  And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.  For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”  And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves.  For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”  And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.  But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table.  For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”  And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

From Calvin's Sermon, "The Resurrection of Jesus Christ" (from Sermons on the Saving Work of Christ, Baker, 1980, 196).

"When, then, we come to approach this Holy Table, by which the Son of God shows us that he is our meat, that he gives himself to us as our full and entire nourishment, and he wishes that now we participate in the sacrifice which he has once for all offered for our salvation, we must see to it that we do not bring to it our corruption and pollutions to be mixed with it, but we renounce them, and seek to be fully purified, so that our Lord Jesus may own us as members of his body, and that by this means also we may be partakers of his life.  That is how . . . we must make use of this Holy Supper which is prepared for us.  That is, it may lead us to the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and then to his resurrection, and that we may be assured of life and salvation, as by the victory he has obtained in rising from the dead.  Righteousness is given to us, and the gate of paradise opened to us, so that we may be boldly approach our God, and offer ourselves before him, knowing that always he will receive us as his children."