Greetings Redeemer family!

Earlier today, I was going through some old CDs that have sat in a box since my move from Florida. After the advent of MP3s, I rarely pull out these recordings anymore. Among the disks was an old favorite from high school – 10 Cent Wings by Jonatha Brooke. Jonatha’s folk songs feature her beautiful voice finding a flowing melody over unconventional and unexpected chord changes. One of my favorites from that album has been the song “Because I Told You So,” about the difficulty many of us have communicating our affections in a way the other person can hear.

If I gave you the sky
If I laid down my life
Would you believe me then?

Could you see it like me
And believe what I see
Could you listen and remember that I love you
Only, because I told you, because I told you so.

You probably know where I’m going with this, even before I write it. These sentiments of unrequited love touch a place deep in the heart of most Christians I know. We’ve heard the old songs about Jesus’ love, read about His sacrifice in the words of Holy scripture. Yet, all too often, it doesn’t sink in. Our hearts remain frozen over by the hurts and betrayals we’ve experienced in the past. So we remain unmoved, unconvinced.

Still the unchanging love of God continues to be proclaimed by everything that He has made. Our call to worship this week from Psalm 36 likens the glorious attributes of God to the forms of His creation – the heights of the heavens, the strength of the mountains, the depths of the seas, the intimacy of a mother hen.

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the great deep.

How priceless is Your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

They feast on the abundance of Your house; You give them drink from Your river of delights.

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.

Our first hymn this week is inspired directly from this passage. The words of Immortal Invisible remind us that the glory of God is constantly on display all around us, and thus creation invites us to worship Him at all times.

Immortal invisible God only wise

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes

Most holy, most glorious, the Ancient of Days

Almighty, victorious: Your great Name we praise

Unresting unhasting and silent as light

Not wanting or wasting You rule us in might

Your Justice like mountains high soaring above

Your clouds which are fountains of goodness and love

Great Father of Glory pure Father of Light

Your angels adore You all veiling their sight

All praise we will render oh Father of Grace

Till one day in splendor we see face to face

Our second song, Satisfied, speaks to our soul’s desire to find the true life that God alone can give. We are prone to chase many counterfeits, but are bound to find them empty – until we find the true spring of life that is Christ alone.

All my life long I had panted
For a drink from some cool spring
That I hoped would quench the burning
Of the thirst I felt within

Hallelujah! He has found me
The one my soul so long has craved
Jesus satisfies all my longings
Through His blood I now am saved

Well of water ever springing
Bread of life so rich and free
Untold wealth that never faileth
My Redeemer is to me

Jesus is faithful to bring us to Himself, out of our sin and rebellion, and in spite of our cold hearts. Our church tradition terms this “effectual calling”. Our confession of faith helps us to understand this work of God’s grace, using the words of the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

Q. 31. What is effectual calling?

A. Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit,

whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery,

enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ,

and renewing our wills,

he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ,

freely offered to us in the gospel.

I love that phrase: “embrace Jesus Christ.” This is what our soul ultimately longs for. We chase after many different things in this life, throwing our arms around money, notoriety, family stability, diet and exercise plans – always hoping that they will greet us with a warm embrace. Yet Christ has freely offered Himself to us. His loving arms are strong and welcoming; “freely offered to us in the Gospel.”

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

During the offering this week, we will sing the familiar hymn “Come Thou Fount.” While this song is sung in many churches across the world every week, many singers remain confused about the first line of the second verse. For most of us, “Ebenezer” is a character from a Charles Dickens book that gets visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. This is not what the hymnwriter is talking about in this song. Ebenezer is a reference to 1 Samuel 7:12. Following Israel’s victory over the Philistines, Samuel sets up a stone altar to commemorate the battle. He called the place “ebenezer” – meaning “thus far God has helped us.” The hymnwriter encourages us to similarly consecrate certain memories of God’s goodness in our own lives – to encourage us and remind us of the His perfect faithfulness.

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,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

This week, Mike will be teaching us from John 13. As Jesus is celebrating the final Passover meal with His disciples, something surprising happens. Jesus gets up from the meal, grabs a basin and towel, and begins to wash the feet of His disciples. Everyone is confused. Why would He do such a thing? The author gives us a clue in the first verses of the passage: “Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” What does this mean? How does Christ show the “full extent of His love”? How does that shape how we love one another in community today?

We close our service this week with the joyful celebration of the grace and love that God lavishes on His people. This simple song is a great reminder that, whatever circumstances we face this week, God has promised His presence with us. His faithfulness is neverending. His care is constant. His grace is enough.

Great is Your faithfulness O God

You wrestle with the sinner’s heart

You lead us by still waters into mercy

And nothing can keep us apart

So remember Your people

Remember Your children

Remember Your promise O God

Your grace is enough

Your grace is enough

Your grace is enough for me

Rejoicing in the sufficency of Grace,

Tim Sharpe

Director of Worship