Redeemer Presbyterian Church

Greetings Redeemer family,

I am really looking forward to worship this Sunday. Of course, I always see our time of gathered worship as a highlight of my week, this week is particularly exciting for me. My good friend from seminary, Josh Bales, is in town this week helping out with a camp at Liberty. This has given us a wonderful opportunity to catch up, and our time together has made me feel more at home here in Lynchburg as I’ve introduced an old friend to my new community. Josh will also be helping out with worship during our services, and it’s really fun to be playing music with him again.

This feeling of anticipation for worship on Sunday also got me thinking on a broader scale about what stirs up excitement and joy in my heart. One of the things I’ve always loved about music is its ability to draw out emotion. This is also why I love lyrically rich and musically beautiful songs, which pair the powerful truths of our faith with emotive response.

Our first hymn this morning is just such a song. Charles Wesley, one of the great English hymn writers, wrote this text on the first anniversary of his conversion. In his churches, Wesley encouraged his people to sing this hymn on the anniversary of their own conversions. While our hymnal contains 6 verses, the original poem went on for 18 stanzas. Our modern versions pick up at the 7th verse, but this past week I’ve been particularly impacted by the potent simplicity of the first verse:

Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heaven.

The familiar title is taken from the 7th verse, and may sound rather awkward to modern readers. After all, what does it mean to wish for “a thousand tongues”? I sometimes hear that phrase and think of the depictions of the heavenly creatures in Revelation 4 with wings and eyes and so forth. This is actually a reference to a statement by German theologian Peter Böhler who said, “Had I a thousand tongues I would praise Him with them all.” It points to the matchless worth and glory of God that our feeble frames could never fully express.

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of his grace!

Our second hymn similarly recalls the saving work of God as He calls His loved ones to Himself. Unlike our first hymn, little is known about the author of this text. What is remarkable is that the text is translated from the original Chinese. It’s amazing for me to think of these beautiful words of God’s love being written by an anonymous person so far away. It makes me very thankful for those who have followed God’s call to spread this Gospel to all people near and far.

Father, long before creation
Thou hadst chosen us in love,
And that love so deep, so moving,
Draws us close to Christ above.
Still it keeps us, still it keeps us
Firmly fixed in Christ alone.

As we continue this week to look at the life of Christ with snapshots from the Gospels, this week we look at the preaching ministry of Jesus. In our Christian culture, we’ve become very accustomed to the Sunday ritual of preachers and sermons that we risk missing the significance of having God’s eternal Word announced to His people. Consider these words from the prophet Isaiah, which Christ used to announce the beginning of His public ministry:

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:1-3)

Our confession of faith for this week picks up on the unique ministry calling of Jesus, which is found in his title as the Christ.

Q. 31 Why is He called Christ, that is, Anointed?

A. Because He has been ordained by God the Father, and anointed with the Holy Spirit, to be our chief Prophet and Teacher, who has fully revealed to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our redemption; our only High Priest, who by the one sacrifice of His body has redeemed us, and who continually intercedes for us before the Father; and our eternal King, who governs us by His Word and Spirit, and who defends and preserves us in the redemption obtained for us.

Our offertory this week is a prayer of illumination, asking that God would speak powerfully through His Word. Notice how these lyrics wonderfully point out that the unchanging Truth of Scripture is powerful to change our hearts and lives, bringing new faith and obedience.

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your holy word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness.
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfil in us
All Your purposes, for Your glory.

Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility.
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity.
Cause our faith to rise
Cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority.
Words of power that can never fail
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us.
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises;
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, ’til Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.

With this in mind, let me encourage you to take a few moments RIGHT NOW to pray for the preaching ministry of our church. Pray for Tre’ as he puts the final touches on his sermon, and that God would grant him boldness, shepherding love, and a holy peace as he proclaims the Word to us on Sunday. Pray also for your own heart, that you would be attentive and apply the truths of the Word. Ask that God would grant you the grace of His peace and courage to live for His glory.

Living God,
help us so to hear your holy Word
that we may truly understand;
that, understanding, we may believe,
and, believing,
we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience,
seeking your honor and glory in all that we do;
through Christ our Lord. Amen

Grace & peace of Christ be with you always,

Tim Sharpe
Worship Director
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Lynchburg VA