This Sunday: New City Catechism, Week 7

By On February 17, 2013 · Leave a Comment · In Worship

Q: What does the law of God require?

A: Personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience; that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; and love our neighbor as
ourselves. What God forbids should never be done and what God commands
should always be done.

Perfect obedience can only be grasped if we have complete understanding of the Gospel message. Our obedience does not buy us salvation. Ephesians 2:8-10 states “ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Our identity in Christ has nothing to do with intelligence, strength,
ability, or effort on our part. God showed us grace by sending Jesus
to take our punishment, and to perfectly obey in our place. Because of this gift we are empowered by
the Holy Spirit to obey God’s commands. Our personal obedience, imperfect but sincere, was made possible because God saved us and because we are made perfect in Jesus. As we rest in God’s justification of us, we can freely obey God’s commands. To truly be able to seek obedience is to truly accept the gospel message.

 

This is week 7 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013.

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This Sunday: New City Catechism, Week 6

By On February 7, 2013 · Leave a Comment · In Worship

Q: How can we glorify God?

A: We glorify God by enjoying him, loving him, trusting him, and obeying his will, commands, and law.

What does it mean to glorify something or someone? Merriam-Webster defines glorify as bestowing honor, praise or admiration on someone or something. In this week’s New City Catechism video, Joshua Harris suggests that we all know how to glorify. We do it everyday. We tell everyone about how the iPhone 5 has this cool panoramic feature, or we tell them about how the latest blockbuster is worth the $10. We praise sermons, books and television. We show off our new clothes, cars and gadgets. We praise our husbands and wives. We brag about our children’s accomplishments.

Why do we glorify God? Because he created us, the shining star of his creation, to glorify him. He built the intriguing world around us, making all things for his glory. And when we were still sinners, God sent his only Son to die for us.  There is no one and no thing that is more worthy of our praise. So how can we display that glory? Take time this week to consider how you give glory to things you care about. Harris suggests that one of the most powerful ways we can give glory to God is by obeying him. When we obey joyfully, it shows God (and others) that we love him and trust his plan for our life. We do it because we know he loves us despite our actions and intentions, and this truth causes our love for him to grow. We will mediate on this week’s catechism together on Sunday!

This is week 6 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013.

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This Sunday: New City Catechism, Week 5

By On January 31, 2013 · Leave a Comment · In Worship

Q: What else did God Create?

A: God created all things, by his powerful Word, and all his creation was very good; everything flourished under his loving rule.

This question points to several places in Scripture. The opening line of Genesis states, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” It is impossible to fathom the size of the universe and everything that is contained in it! Genesis also says that everything that God created was very good. When we look at the New Testament, we learn that Christ created the cosmos. The beginning of John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This verse is further confirmed by Colossians 1:16-17, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”  Christ created and sustains all things. The creation is under his loving, benevolent care. Man is the crown of creation because we are made in the image of God. Because we are a restored people, we have the image of Christ. Because we have the image of Christ, we can rest in his goodness as he controls all of life and are free to thrive under him.

This is week 5 of 52 catechism readings from New City Catechism. Christ Community is reciting an entry from the catechism each Sunday in 2013.

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Advent Resources

By On December 3, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In From the Pastor, Worship
Advent at Christ Community Church

Our celebration of Advent is simple. Countless volunteer hours have “decked” our halls with evergreens and lights. Our stage is adorned with locally grown poinsettias, which are available for sponsorship. The beeswax Christ candle at the center of our Advent wreath, along with several tapers that will awaken our senses on Christmas even, were hand-crafted by one of our members.

On December 14th at 6:30 pm, all are invited to “Song of the Stars” to hear and see the Christmas story retold by an ensemble cast of adults and children.

Advent at Home

Advent devotionals, wreaths and calendars are excellent tools for observing Advent outside of our time together on Sundays. Christ The King of Raleigh, NC prepared an Advent devotional, Born a Child and yet a King to help both adults and children consider the story of Jesus’ birth. The devotional uses familiar Scriptures, hymns, and prayers for both children and adults to help all remember that Jesus is the Savior of the world.

You can download the devotional by clicking here, and you can hear some of the songs that might be unfamiliar by clicking here. They also created a longer Advent devotional for all ages titled For Yonder Breaks a New and Glorious Morn.

Other helpful devotionals are available from Trinity Presbyterian in Charlottesville, John Piper and Desiring God Ministries, and World Vision.

If you are planning to enjoy the season of Advent at home, this blog has an excellent print-it-yourself Advent Calendar filled with nice artwork, helpful scriptural reminders, and some suggestions for how to enjoy each day in Advent. We will also have Jesse Tree booklets at the Children’s Desk for anyone interested in taking one home, as well as take-home manger scenes that you can assemble with your children. Jesse Trees are free, and mangers are $5 for the cost of materials.

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For 15 Years – a Christian Anthem

By On September 16, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In 360 Apprentices, Worship

This morning, we are opening our 15th-anniversary service with “Shout to the Lord”. If you’ve been at our church for very long, this might surprise you because we haven’t sung it together since 2007. It’s a song that I consider to be a Christian anthem – one that embodied the spirit of a generation of believers (at least it did mine). I spent twelve years in Christian school growing up, and “Shout to the Lord” made it into our weekly chapel meeting at least once a month. I can still remember singing it with my friends in high school. Years later, I’ve lost my personal taste for singing it. But that doesn’t make it any less important. In fact, since its release in 1993, “Shout to the Lord” has held a place in the top 20 songs used in worship services as reported to the CCLI. Even today, it will be sung by millions of Christians across the world.

This week I found an interesting interview with songwriter Darlene Zschech where she describes the process of writing this song. She was, as she put it, “between a rock and a hard place, and just went to the Lord.” Finding hope in the words of the Psalms, she sang them to her God. She didn’t sit down to write a “hit”, nor did she even give it much credit after writing it down. She wasn’t even a professional writer – just volunteering at the church. Bringing her honest grappling with the gospel to bear in song and sharing with her church. Years later, we see the power in her words – in that simple, singable melody. They are honest and heartfelt in a way that is hard to replicate.

And so, today we join the chorus of Christians around the world as we remember fifteen magnificent years together as Christ Community Church. We also embark on an adventure through Mark and Acts that will challenge us in our apprenticeship of Jesus. I hope you find comfort and hope in today’s service.