Apologies for the delayed update to the web and twitter!!

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Greetings Redeemer family!

What a wonderful time of the year to be in Central VA. Who would have thought – after all the cold and snow this Winter – we’d skip right through Spring and land in the middle of Summer weather? Now all the trees and fields are exploding with Spring colors. The air is warm and the sun is bright. To cap things off, this past Sunday we had an amazing time celebrating the resurrection in our weekly services. It was such a joy for me to join with our talented musicians and participate as our church family responded to the joyful news of Christ’s victory through song.

Each of these things communicate a very clear and central proclimation: that God is good, and He loves His children well. He delights to make Himself known among His people.

Our call to worship this week comes from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. Paul has spent the whole letter thus far charting out the redemptive work of God in the world. Overwhelmed, Paul breaks forth in to this exclamation of praise at the glorious wisdom and good plans of our God:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

We join Paul and all the saints gone before, exalting the glory of our God and King, singing together the hymn “Crown Him With Many Crowns.” This hymn in its entirety has 12 stanzas, written by different authors at different times. Don’t worry, we’re not going to sing all 12! Our hymnal includes 4 of these verses, but sadly omits one of my favorites. That verse is posted below, and will be in your bulletin on Sunday. These words are a wonderful exclamaition of praise to the risen Christ:

Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.

Another song we will sing at the beginning of the service is “King of Saints,” a newer song that has quickly become a favorite. I love the words of the second verse, which speak of the glory of Christ, and our desire as His people to be made more and more like Him. This is what it means to be the “image of God” in the world – that we would show His glory in the world by carrying the good news of Jesus into every sphere of life.

Righteous are Thy ways and true

Endless honors are Thy due

Grace and glory in Thee shine

Matchless mercy love divine

We for whom Thou once was slain

We Thy ransomed sinner train

In this one request agree

Spirit make us more like Thee

Souls redeemed your voices raise

Sing your dear Redeemer’s praise

Worthy thou of love and laud

King of saints incarnate God

Amazingly, it’s possible to hear the Good News of Christ, to see so many evidences of His Glory and Goodness, and still not believe. This is the case in John 12, which Mike will be preaching from on Sunday morning. In the passage, Jesus has shown many miraculous signs, yet many still refuse to believe that He is the Christ. The author explains that this is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah: “He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”

We would do well to heed this warning today. Most of us would confess in words that we believe that Jesus is who He says He is, yet there are very practical ways that we put our trust in other things. Like our forefathers in this passage, we “love the praise of man more than the praise of God.” It all comes back to worship. We look to things other than Jesus to find our security, hope, and identity. It could be a job, a relationship, possessions, health. We make these things our ultimate god, hoping that they will justify us, make us accpetable in spite of our failures. But there is no other name under Heaven by which we can be saved but the mighty name of Jesus.

Lord Thou art life though I be dead

Love’s fire Thou art however cold I be

Nor heav’n have I nor place to lay my head

Nor home but Thee

None other Lamb none other name

None other hope in heaven or earth or sea

None other hiding place from guilt and shame

None beside Thee

Our confession of faith this week affirms that our only hope of Redemption is found in Chirst. I love how this reading from the Heidelberg Catechism speaks directly against unbelief. Many of us wrestle with doubts and guilt and shame. We see our failures, our hard hearts, our slowness to change, and are tempted to despair. These loud voices of unbelief can often drown out the sweet song of grace. Yet we are promised that, if we are in Christ, our failures will not have the last word. In Christ, we have secure forgiveness and solid rest that nothing can shake.

60. Q. How are you righteous before God?

A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.

Although my conscience accuses me

that I have grievously sinned against all God’s commandments,

have never kept any of them, and am still inclined to all evil,

yet God, without any merit of my own, out of mere grace,

imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ.

He grants these to me as if I had never had nor committed any sin,

and as if I myself had accomplished all the obedience which Christ has rendered for me,

if only I accept this gift with a believing heart.

During communion, we will sing another newer song that celebrates the rest that we have in Christ’s finished work on the cross and the hope of His resurrection. I absolutely love the last lines of the third verse: “My King has crushed the curse of death, and I am His forever!”

My soul finds rest in God alone, my rock and my salvation

A fortress strong against my foes and I will not be shaken

Though lips may bless and hearts may curse and lies like arrows pierce me

I’ll fix my heart on righteousness; I’ll look to Him who hears me

O praise Him! Hallelujah! My Delight and my Reward

Everlasting, never failing; My Redeemer my God

I’ll set my gaze on God alone and trust in Him completely

With ev’ry day pour out my soul and He will prove His mercy

Though life is but a fleeting breath; a sigh too brief to measure

My King has crushed the curse of death and I am His forever

O praise Him! Hallelujah! My Delight and my Reward

Everlasting, never failing; My Redeemer my God

Rejoicing in the hope of the resurrection,

Tim Sharpe

Director of Worship

Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Lynchburg VA