Worship Notes for 4/13/2008
Apr 11th, 2008
Greetings, Redeemer Family!
This Sunday the Redeemer family will be worshiping in two different locations, as cleanup from a Saturday evening event at James River Day School precludes our meeting there as we normally do for worship at 8:30 and Sunday School at 10:00. Both services will share a common theme and focus: Christ’s glory expressed inn his first miracle at the wedding at Cana in Galilee. Please read John 2:1-11 in preparation for Mike’s sermon, titled “Transforming Wine.”
Jesus manifested his glory in a particular way when he changed the water to wine at the wedding in Cana. Our call to worship recounts another setting in which Jesus manifested his glory and proclaimed to all who were listening that he was the Messiah.
Call to Worship Luke 4:16-21
And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
In our worship services in both Boonsboro and Forest, we will sing a hymn written by John Newton which recounts the blessings of the Gospel to us.
Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder
©2001 Laura Taylor Music.
Text: John Newton; 1774
1. Let us love and sing and wonder
Let us praise the Savior’s name
He has hushed the law’s loud thunder
He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame
He has washed us with His blood
He has washed us with His blood
He has washed us with His blood
He has brought us nigh to God
2. Let us love the Lord Who bought us
Pitied us when enemies
Called us by His grace and taught us
Gave us ears and gave us eyes
He has washed us with His blood
He has washed us with His blood
He has washed us with His blood
He presents our souls to God
3. Let us sing though fierce temptation
Threatens hard to bear us down
For the Lord, our strong salvation,
Holds in view the conqu’ror’s crown
He, Who washed us with His blood,
He, Who washed us with His blood,
He, Who washed us with His blood,
Soon will bring us home to God
4. Let us wonder grace and justice
Join and point to mercy’s store
When through grace in Christ our trust is
Justice smiles and asks no more
He Who washed us with His blood
He Who washed us with His blood
He Who washed us with His blood
Has secured our way to God
5. Let us praise and join the chorus
Of the saints enthroned on high
Here they trusted Him before us
Now their praises fill the sky
Thou hast washed us with Thy blood
Thou hast washed us with Thy blood
Thou hast washed us with Thy blood
Thou art worthy Lamb of God
John Newton (1725-1807), is best known as the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace”. The story of his life has often been recounted – the story of a deserter from the Royal Navy who became the captain of a slave trading ship, nearly drowned in 1748, came to a saving faith in Christ, became an ardent abolitionist, and then became a pastor. Newton was a prolific hymn writer, contributing 280 hymns to the collection Olney Hymns (1779).
“Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder” is a wonderful example of a hymn so filled with wonderful truths about the Lord and His work that indeed an entire sermon could be preached on the theme of each verse.
Verse 1: Note that the first line is a picture of the structure of the following 4 verses (”love” refers to verse 2; “sing” refers to verse 3; “wonder” to verse 4; and “praise” to verse 5). See also the strong picture of Christ satisfying the demands of the Law.
Verse 2: Look for the wonderful picture of the Lord seeking us when we were His enemies, opening our ears and eyes to believe the Gospel.
Verse 3: Christ’s victory over sin on our behalf. We can persevere because He will preserve us, completing the good work He began in us!
Verse 4: “Let us wonder” means to be filled with wonder – not to ponder or to question as in contemporary use of the word “wonder”. God is eternally just- the only One who is so – and He has satisfied His divine justice by the blood of Christ, shed to cover our sins. How great the mercy of God through Christ!
Verse 5: As we sing here on earth, our praises are added to the praises of the saints who, like us, once trusted the Lord here on earth and are now in heaven. Note that the song we sing together is in quotes in the final line: “You have washed us with your blood; you are worthy, Lamb of God”. The final stanza takes us from singing about the work of Christ (He has washed us…He …) to addressing our praise directly to Him (You have washed…You are worthy..)
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We will also be singing a setting of Psalm 51 which has become familiar in our denomination. As we sing it, note that the psalm leads us down a path of true repentance- as we see a cycle confession, humble repentance and sorrow over sin, trusting in the promises of the Gospel, and then living as one who is truly forgiven .
God Be Merciful to Me (Psalm 51)
God, be merciful to me,
On Thy grace I rest my plea;
Plenteous in compassion Thou,
Blot out my transgressions now;
Wash me, Make me pure within,
Cleanse, O cleanse me from my sin.
My transgressions I confess,
Grief and guilt my soul oppress;
I have sinned against Thy grace
And provoked Thee to Thy face;
I confess Thy judgment just,
Speechless, I Thy mercy trust.
I am evil, born in sin;
Thou desirest truth within.
Thou alone my Saviour art,
Teach Thy wisdom to my heart;
Make me pure, Thy grace bestow,
Wash me whiter than the snow.
Broken, humbled to the dust
By Thy wrath and judgment just,
Let my contrite heart rejoice
and in gladness hear Thy voice;
From my sins O hide Thy face,
Blot them out in boundless grace.
Gracious God, my heart renew,
Make my spirit right and true
Cast me not away from Thee,
Let thy Spirit dwell in me;
Thy salvation’s joy impart,
Steadfast make my willing heart.
Sinners then shall learn from me,
And return O God to Thee
Savior all my guilt remove,
And my tongue shall sing thy love
Touch my silent lips O Lord,
And my mouth shall praise accord.
May our words and deeds accord praise to the Lord who bought us with his blood and brings us nigh to God.
Blessings in Christ,
John Bennetch