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September 24th, 2023

The Old Testament records a seemingly constant cycle of Israel’s idolatry and repentance. They start out worshiping the Lord, then turn to idols, starting with the golden calf at Mount Sinai and continuing on to Baal and myriad other false gods of the surrounding people. Eventually, God intervenes and brings his people to repentance, and they return to worship him, only to repeat the cycle.

We can see ourselves in that story, to one degree or another. Like the Israelites, our hearts, our worship, our trust are often misdirected to things other than God. Our idols aren’t made of wood or stone or gold, so they may not be as easy to spot, but I wonder if they can be even more insidious. We idolize things like money, security, success, affirmation, a political system or value, or - *gasp* - our family or our ministry. None of those things are bad on the surface; in fact, some of them are quite good! But that’s what makes them so dangerous. None of them are worthy of worship; none of them are worth prioritizing over the Lord himself.

Passages like Jeremiah 10, which we will read in our service this Sunday, confront us with the absurdity of placing our trust or devoting our lives to anything that is not the true and living God. In doing so, the Bible also reminds us of the incredible privilege of knowing and worshiping the true and living God! As we behold him, may our affection, our devotion, our trust, be set fully on him.

To prepare for Sunday, read Jeremiah 10:6-16.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

September 17th, 2023

You can listen to Sunday’s songs here, and song lyrics are on our blog and in the digital hymnal on our app.

This Sunday, we’re going to introduce a new original song based on Psalm 73 called “Nothing Beside”. A demo recording of the song is attached that I hope helps you start to learn it before we sing it on Sunday!

Psalm 73 expresses the tension we often feel as followers of Jesus when unbelievers seem to be so much better off than we are. The psalmist, Asaph, declares that he has kept his heart clean in vain. But the psalm reorients towards the truth that, though it’s possible to prosper in this life apart from God, earthly gain does not equal ultimate good. What we all need, and what we all crave in our souls, can only be found in God himself. We want peace, security, joy, rest, pleasure, and myriad other things, and we might be able to find some semblance of them in the right circumstances, but any earthly expression of those things is fleeting at best, and ultimately intended to point us towards the Giver of all good gifts.

Here’s the good news for Christians: God has already given us himself. The restoration of our broken relationship with our Creator is at the very heart of the gospel. Because of what Jesus has done, we can experience true rest, true joy, true security in God. He is with us, and his presence is our good. That’s our anchor in a world that’s broken, when questions and fears arise, when it feels like those living in rebellion against God prosper while we struggle and suffer.

There’s one image towards the end of the psalm that really sums all of this up, for me at least. Asaph says that the Lord is “holding his right hand.” When a little child holds their parent’s hand, what are they getting from their parent? Presence, affection, security, and even direction. So it is with God. He holds our hand, giving us himself, guarding and leading us like a loving parent.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 73.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

Nothing Beside (Psalm 73).mp3

*****

September 10th, 2023

Tim Keller said that, “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.” That’s an important and very biblical statement. Think about the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18. The Pharisee loudly and proudly thanks God that he is “not like other men,” that he’s more holy, closer to God than all those other sinful people. The tax collector, on the other hand, humbly begs God to “be merciful to me, a sinner.” Who’s in the right? The tax collector! Isaiah 66 says that the Lord esteems those who are humble and contrite in spirit. James 4 tells us to mourn and weep in humbling ourselves before God; then he will exalt us. Church isn’t for people who think they have it all together; it’s for people who know they don’t, and who run to Jesus for grace and help. We want to be the kind of church - because it’s the biblical kind of church - where people who are broken, weak, sinful, and seeking are welcomed to find the grace of Jesus.

As a small expression of that, we’re going to start our services with a brief welcome based on Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11 for all who are weary and heavy laden to come to him for rest. It’s not original with us, but it encapsulates beautifully the kind of gospel-centered, grace-filled church we want to be, a church extending the same welcome of Jesus to each other and to everyone who walks through our doors. That’s important for every single one of us, because we all fit the bill of being broken and weak and sinful! It’s in the acknowledgement of our weakness and need that Jesus meets us, supplying sustaining grace and power to trust him and to follow him faithfully.

To prepare for Sunday, read Matthew 11:28-30.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

September 3rd, 2023

Sunday mornings are a little slice of heaven, a teaser of what eternity will be like, as God’s people gather to declare how glorious and worthy is the Lamb who was slain for us. Being with God’s people orients us towards the future, towards the promise of an existence free of any suffering, any sorrow, any sin. As such, it’s a little bit of a refuge from the darkness and pain of normal life in a fallen world. Even though we’re not yet free of the darkness, we get a glimpse of something better, of how things should be, and how they will be when Jesus makes everything right.

Sometimes, we feel like we can’t worship when we’re hurting or doubting. Maybe you should just stay home from church that week, right? But that’s exactly when we need the people of God, that little glimmer of eternity. So, on Sunday, bring your burdens, bring your sorrow, bring your shame, your fears, your questions. Behold the glory of Christ and the certainty of all things being restored, and even the worst parts of our stories redeemed for good. This is the gospel’s invitation to rest and joy that cannot be broken.

To prepare for Sunday, read Revelation 5:9b-13.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

August 27th, 2023

As I was preparing this week for various aspects of our service, I googled “worthy” and “scripture.” The first two hits had titles along the lines of “Scriptures to Tell You How Worthy You Are.” Now, there’s truth in that - passages like Isaiah 43 and Psalm 139 talk about our value as image bearers, and as those who God has redeemed, and we’ve heard those themes come up several time through our study in Genesis. So, I certainly don’t want to fall in the unbiblical trap of saying we’re just worthless worms who have no value, and I want to affirm that every human being has value before God. But it’s sad to me that the top two hits for my search were about our worthiness, not God’s. There’s something really, really backwards about that! The Bible’s central message is that God is glorious and worthy of our affection, worship, and devotion. The good news of the gospel is that he has created us with value, but we’ve gotten way out of whack if we’re thinking more about or value than God’s! The first song we’ll sing on Sunday says to God, “All the glory is yours, but still you are worthy of more.” That sums it up pretty well. We gather to behold and honor and sing to the only One who’s ultimately worthy of glory, to ascribe to him the glory due his name.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 29.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

August 20th, 2023

The middle of Psalm 130 says, “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” The answer to that rhetorical question is, of course, no one. No one can stand before holy God if he counts our sins against us. But here is the wonder of gospel grace: the same God who can tolerate no wrong, the all-consuming fire who will destroy evil and evildoers, offers forgiveness. If we are in Christ, he does not mark our iniquities, because we are clothed in his Son’s perfect righteousness. He has already poured out the just punishment for our sin on Christ, that we may never taste his judgment. How overwhelming is that kind of grace and mercy! As God’s redeemed people, the ones he has graciously forgiven, we, like the psalmist, wait for the Lord, trust in him, and worship.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 130.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

August 13th, 2023

As human beings, we seem to fall into one of two bad lines of thinking: we see our weakness and feel that we’re so bad God could never bless us, use us, or maybe even love us; or, we feel like we’ve got things pretty well together and perhaps don’t really need God. Maybe he even needs us more than we need him! There’s a big problem underneath either of those inclinations: our focus is on ourselves, rather than God. Whenever we do that, we eventually end up in fearful self-loathing or arrogant boasting. But the Bible cqninutally points our eyes, our attention, towards God. Once we’re looking outside of ourselves, we experience the kind of hope and rest that the Bible offers us. Our identity is properly framed, and we begin to see correctly our wins and losses, our struggles, weaknesses, and our desperate need for the Lord.

One of many things that Sunday mornings are supposed to do is help to redirect and refocus our eyes on God. When Christians gather, we acknowledge together that we are weak and needy, and we point each other towards God’s power and goodness, and we encourage one another in the long pursuit of faithfulness. Would you take a few moments this weekend to pray that God would accomplish those things our church on Sunday?

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 25.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

 

*****

July 30th, 2023

Depending on your church background, you may or may not be familiar with the term “liturgy.” In fact, the word by itself may invoke a response in you! But the truth is, every church has a liturgy - even the ones that really dislike the very idea of liturgy. Broadly speaking, a liturgy is just the order of service; it’s the elements you include in your Sunday gatherings and the way you arrange them. Our church’s liturgy is simple, and honestly, very old-school. We design our services after a model that has been practiced by the people of God for thousands of years - all the way back to OT Israel, then continuing to the early church and then throughout church history to today. The pattern begins with the revelation of God and the call to God’s people to worship him in the splendor of his holiness. We then move to confession, because God’s holiness shows us how small, weak, and sinful we are. Then we behold God’s gracious redemptive work, and rest in who we are as his people. Finally, after being reminded of who we are in Christ, we are sent to live for his glory, by obeying his commands and by spreading the good news of the gospel to the world. This is often referred to as covenant renewal.

Interestingly, the Bible never tells us exactly how to work that liturgy out in real time. We see it modeled in different ways by God’s people throughout history, and we read a few basic instructions and commands along the way. But whenever the Bible records God’s people gathering for worship, they move through some version of that story. We do that because it shapes our theology, our affections, and our actions, as we’re reminded of how great God is and who we are in Christ. Sundays are intended, in God’s providence, to form us. This Sunday, we’re going to move through the first part of Isaiah 6, which provides the most concise walk through the liturgical story we are called to retell. Let’s pray that God would indeed remind us and renew us as we behold his glory and rest in his grace.

To prepare for Sunday, read Isaiah 6:1-8.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

 

*****

July 23rd, 2023

Psalm 100 calls us to enter the Lord’s gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise, and to come into his presence with singing. What’s behind the thankful praise of God’s people? That they know him - both theologically and relationally. We know who our God is. We know his greatness, his creative power, his majestic holiness. And we know his goodness; as the psalm says, he is the One who made us, but he has also made us his people, and the sheep of his pasture. The holy God, the Creator of all things, the King over the universe, knows us, and allows us to know him. That’s the root of our thanksgiving; that stirs up our worship.

This psalm calls us to worship all the time, in every part of our lives, but it also calls us to the unique expression of praise that is corporate worship. God is always with us, but we uniquely experience his presence when we gather with other Christians who are convenanted together as a local church, to hear and sing his Word and to remember all that he’s done.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 100.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

July 16th, 2023

This week, we’re going to learn a new song called “Good Shepherd.” It’s taken straight from John 10 and Psalm 23, probably the two most well-known descriptions of the Lord shepherding us; Psalm 23, in particular, is probably one of the most famous and familiar passages in the Bible. And because this imagery is so familiar (and because, in our context, we don’t interact with shepherds), we can easily miss its significance. But a shepherd’s job is to tend, protect, and provide for his sheep. Sheep, you likely know, aren’t the smartest or most independent animals around. They’re completely dependent on a shepherd for their survival. They have no sense of where they should go for safety or food, and they constantly wander away from the flock, away from safety and security. Do you know what a shepherd - at least any shepherd worth his salt - does when a sheep wanders away? He chases after it and gently guides it back to where it’s supposed to be. He doesn’t expect a sheep to be anything other than a sheep. Isn’t that an impactful metaphor for Christ’s relationship to us? It’s not a particularly pretty picture of us; it’s actually quite humbling. But, if we’re honest about ourselves, our hearts, and our experience, we can identify quite well with the sheep. Left to our own devices, we rarely turn to the right place for provision, for comfort, for joy. And even when we’re in the right place, we are, as we sometimes sing, “prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love.” We can’t survive - much less flourish as God intends for us - in a sin-cursed world without care and guidance outside of ourselves. But Jesus does everything for us, his flock, that a shepherd would do for his sheep, and he does it perfectly. He provides, he protects; he leads us to green pastures and still waters. When we wander, even for the thousandth time, he lovingly disciplines us and leads us back where we belong. He has gone so far as to lay down his life so his sheep could live. That’s what he means when he describes himself in John 10 as our Good Shepherd. We need this truth; we need to believe and rest in Christ’s care for us. And, like sheep who know and trust their shepherd, when we know our Good Shepherd’s heart, we follow where he leads.

To prepare for Sunday, read John 10:1-18.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

July 9th, 2023

As we prepare to celebrate baptisms this Sunday, I want to draw our attention to Romans 6, where the Apostle Paul tells us that baptism symbolizes a spiritual reality: our old sin nature has been buried with Christ, and we’ve been raised up to new life with him. Sin and death do not have power over us anymore; we are dead to sin and alive in Christ. This means that we have inherited eternal life, and that we have a new nature with new power to fight sin and new desires for righteousness.

Now, you might be thinking, “I don’t feel very much power over sin; it seems like I still sin an awful lot.” And Paul’s actually going to address that in very next chapter! There’s a tension, because we are not yet glorified, between what we fundamentally are in Jesus Christ, and some of what we still want and say and think and do. But our union with Christ in his death and resurrection means that we are no longer bound by sin, no longer enslaved to the whims of our flesh. No matter how difficult it may seem, we have genuine ability to live the way God calls us to live, to turn from sin and pursue righteousness. And perhaps even more encouraging is the truth that we will inevitably grow in that righteousness over time. It may be slow, there will certainly be ups and downs, but with the Spirit living in us, we cannot not grow in Christlikeness.

By God’s grace, may we remember, believe, and rest in Jesus’ resurrection power in and for us, and may we continually live out the truth that we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.

To prepare for Sunday, read Romans 6:1-14.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

July 2nd, 2023

In Hebrews 4 we read the opening of a long manifesto about Christ as our great High Priest. It’s a conversation that starts right after we’re told that the Bible cuts through us, laying bare the sin in our hearts. That kind of exposure and conviction can leave us feeling quite hopeless! That’s where Christ’s ministry as our High Priest comforts us. Scripture says that he understands our weakness and has experienced temptation like we have, yet without sin, and, because of this, he’s able to represent us before God. Even in our weakest and neediest moments, when we feel temptation's pull, or perhaps have already fallen prey to sin and now feel ashamed to even ask for forgiveness, we are invited to confidently draw near to the throne of grace. This is the grace and power of the gospel!

On Sunday, we’re going to read part of Hebrews 4, then confess together that we come to a church service carrying the weight of sins and sinfulness, then sing about our confidence in Christ and his work.

To prepare for Sunday, read Hebrews 4.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

June 25th, 2023

One of the primary objectives of Sunday morning is beholding. Christians gather to behold our God, as Isaiah 40 puts it. We do that by seeing and responding to the glory of God, standing in awe of who he is and what he’s done. 2 Corinthians spends a couple chapters expanding on this idea, telling us that we behold God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ, especially through the work of the gospel. That’s why we sing songs that tell the gospel story week after week; we have no other message, no other vehicle for seeing the God’s glory the way that we’re supposed to. But, we have to acknowledge that we aren’t able to behold and appreciate his glory apart from the Spirit’s work in us. He opens our eyes to gospel truth revealed in Scripture, and then moves our minds and hearts towards worship, helping us to grasp its depths and respond with awe and joy. I pray every week that God would do things in our worship services that only he can do, spiritual work of eternal significance, helping us to see his glory, respond rightly to it, and be changed into Christ’s image because of it. Would you pray with me that God will work that way this Sunday in you personally and across our church family?

To prepare for Sunday, read Isaiah 40.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

June 18th, 2023

One of the most important theological categories we’ve found in Genesis is the Imago Dei - the image of God. Scripture establishes, right at the beginning, that every human being is made in God’s image. This has all kinds of implications well worth exploring, but heading into our service on Sunday, I want to simply remind us that at the heart of being made in God’s image is the ability and calling to communion with him. We are made to know and worship our Maker. But the image is broken - not destroyed, but marred. Our relationship to God and worship of God don’t work the way they’re supposed to. We’ve run from God, and we’ve worshiped created things instead of the Creator, and we have no way to repair what’s broken.

You see where I’m going with this, I’m sure. Christ’s work in the gospel begins to repair what has been broken. But think about the beauty and significance in this: God bears our image, that his image in us might be restored. We are now reconciled to God, in communion with him again. Our worship is reoriented, and, while our hearts are still pulled towards other things, we fundamentally worship God as we are created to do. This restoration happens progressively, over time, as we behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, as 2 Corinthians tells us. And, one day, when we see Jesus face to face, the transformation will be complete as we are glorified, restored to the full image of God that Adam and Eve bore in Eden.

To prepare for Sunday, read 2 Corinthians 3.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

June 11th, 2023

As many of you know, I like to occasionally use this space to draw our attention to some of the pieces of our liturgy. One of the regular things we do is acknowledge and confess our sin; it’s a really important part of the story that we want to re-tell every week. Some Sundays, we do this through song that addresses our sinful nature; other Sundays, like this one, we do it a little bit more explicitly through a prayer of confession that we all read together. Confessing sin corporately helps form us in the gospel; it forces us to publicly and humbly admit, along with a couple hundred brothers and sisters, that we haven’t arrived yet, and that we’re hopeless if left to ourselves. But, if we’re really telling the story of the gospel as we gather on Sundays (and we’re certainly trying to!), confession of our sin will always lead us towards Christ. That’s just as important as admitting that we’re broken! God has not left us broken and condemned, but has graciously made us alive and reconciled us to himself in Christ. That means that, no matter what we’ve done, or how we’re struggling, our sin does not define us or control us. We have new identity and new power in Christ. This is good news; this is the gospel. How can we not burst out in praise for what our God has done for us?

To prepare for Sunday, read 1 Chronicles 16:23-34.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

June 4th, 2023

Nowhere do we see more plainly the truth that God turns for good what is meant for evil than at the cross. I’m not sure we want to “grade” evil, but if we did, it doesn’t get more evil than brutally murdering the Son of God. But the Bible tells us that it was the will of the Lord to crush Christ, so that we who would trust in him would receive forgiveness of our sins and everlasting life. Where the enemy hoped to stamp out God’s redemptive plan, God actually won the ultimate victory, a victory in which we participate by faith. As Christ suffered in our stead, our standing before God and our eternal destiny were secured.

Here’s perhaps the best illustration of God’s powerful turning of evil for good: we actually look back at the cross as good! We know it was brutal and horrifying, but that’s not what hits us first when we think about the cross, is it? It’s become a symbol of salvation and victory and hope. So, as we turn our attention to Christ’s suffering this Sunday, we’re reminded not only of our glorious salvation, but of God’s sovereign control over all things for good.

To prepare for Sunday, read Isaiah 53.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

May 28th, 2023

On Sunday, we’re going to read Psalm 45. Psalm 45 is a royal psalm - a psalm written about the eternal kingdom that God promised to King David, a promise that culminates, of course, in Jesus Christ. Royal psalms often flow between language that describes a human, contemporary king and language that obviously describes someone and something bigger than the kingdom of Israel, but they always point us squarely at Jesus, the true and perfect King who rules forever in righteousness and peace. This psalm, in particular, was also a wedding song that was sung at royal marriage ceremonies, foreshadowing the wedding feast of Christ and his bride, the Church. We rejoice when we read it because we know the King, in his power and beauty and glory. We are beloved subjects of his rule, and part of his bride. We say, with the scripture, that there is no one more beautiful or more worthy than King Jesus.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 45.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

May 14th, 2023

Last Sunday, Pastor Matt talked about our propensity towards self-reliance. It’s a universal effect of the fall; we want to believe that we know what’s best for ourselves, and that it’s within our power to reach whatever we deem is our good. The Bible, frankly, blows that kind of thinking up. Psalm 146 tells us that the blessed person is the one whose hope and help is God. He’s the One who actually knows what is our good, and the only One who’s powerful enough to accomplish that end. So, we don’t trust in ourselves, we don’t trust in other people, in human systems or plans, we trust in God. That’s why, as we’ll sing this week, there’s peace that outlasts darkness and mercy in our waiting. The Lord reigns, the Lord plans, he protects, he accomplishes, he provides. There’s no other place to go for hope and rest besides our God.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 146.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

May 7th, 2023

The Christian life is a life of surrender. It’s dying to self and living for Christ, losing our lives that we might find true life in him. That theme has come out a couple times during our series in Genesis, and this week we’ll circle back to it one more time. At the end of the service we’re going to sing a song that many of us probably grew up singing called “I Surrender All”.

I don’t know about you, but I find it difficult to sing songs like that sometimes, because I’ve often felt that to follow Jesus means to be fully surrendered 100% of the time, and I know my heart’s tendency to fight full surrender. But true, biblical surrender is a posture. It’s not perfect, and it’s not easy, but it says, “Lord, I’m completely yours, so help me to be and to do more of the things you want of me.”

We’re going to sing a little bridge to I Surrender All that says simply, “All I am, all I am, I give it back to you/Every breath, every step, oh, I surrender all.” I love that lyric, because it frames surrender the right way: we’re simply acknowledging and living out the reality that everything we are, everything we have, ultimately belongs to the Lord. It’s an ever-growing outworking of the posture of our hearts. Let’s ask God to further practice what it means to be surrendered to Jesus, for his glory, by his grace.

To prepare for Sunday, read Luke 9:23-24.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

April 30th, 2023

In Ephesians 3, Paul tells his readers that his prayer for them is that they would comprehend the immensity of Christ’s love for them. Honestly, I spent many years scared of thinking about the love of Christ that way. I was afraid of that sort of focus on love making me spiritually lazy, distracting me from holiness. But that was a lie from the enemy! God’s perfect love for us actually motivates our obedience and holiness! 2 Corinthians 5 tells us that it’s the love of Christ controlling and compelling us to be and do the things that he calls us to be and do. Romans says that it’s God’s mercy that leads us to repentance. If that shocks you, you’re not alone; I still find that shocking.

So, if we’re going to do what Paul commends and contemplate the great love of Christ, where do we go? We consider the gospel. Jesus said to his disciples that there’s no greater expression of love than laying down one’s life for his friends. And then he says that we are his friends if we follow him! We see and receive the greatest expression possible of Christ’s love at the cross, where the One who made the universe dies to atone for the sins of those he created, those who had rebelled against him. That sort of love is mind-blowing. We’re supposed to stand in awe when we think about it. And we’re led to greater joy and trust and obedience as we comprehend with all the saints what is the length and breadth and height, as we know the love of God in Christ.

To prepare for Sunday, read Ephesians 3:14-21.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

April 23rd, 2023

A section of Psalm 119 that we’re going to read on Sunday asks that God would, “incline our hearts to his testimonies, and not to selfish gain,” and to, “turn our eyes from looking at worthless things.” There’s a tacit acknowledgement in that prayer that our eyes are often drawn to worthless things, to our own comfort and pleasure and perspective. And there’s also an acknowledgement that we need help to turn our eyes away from things that don’t really matter and onto the things - and, more accurately, the One - that does matter. God has to work in us to make us long for himself, to hunger for his Word, to obey his commands. So, as we approach the Bible, both individually and when we gather as a church, we pray the same prayer, asking God to root us in his Word, draw our attention and affection towards himself, and help us to obey his commands, all for his glory.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 119:33-40.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

April 16th, 2023

The doctrine of God’s sovereignty is a complex and even controversial one. Even the Apostle Paul, after a lengthy discussion of sovereignty in the book of Romans, concludes by saying that God’s wisdom is unsearchable, unknowable. He stands in awe and worships the God whose thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours. I’m not sure we respond the same way, though. Far too often, when we run into the reality that we can’t grasp God’s power and sovereignty, we respond with fear, doubt, and even anger. We want to know what’s going on, what’s going to happen next, and what’s the endgame. We crave control. But the fact that God is in control and we are not is actually supposed to inspire the opposite reaction in us: we’re supposed to trust. Psalm 131 describes it like this: when our minds are not occupied with things too high for us, we’re like a little child who crawls up into their mother’s lap. That child isn’t concerned that they don’t have all the knowledge or strength that their mom does; they’re content with and comforted by the fact that their mom is stronger than they are and can care for them in a way they can’t care for themselves. That’s how we’re supposed to respond to God’s sovereignty! Now, none of this means that we shouldn’t think about and talk about God’s sovereignty, but it does mean that we need to be content to not understand certain things, to not fully grasp how God’s ways work, and to take comfort in the fact that he is God, and we are not. Let’s pray that, as we study and sing about God’s power and sovereignty this Sunday, we’re moved to a right and biblical response to our theology.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 131.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

April 7th & 9th, 2023

As you heard last Sunday, our Good Friday and Easter services will follow a historical church tradition of darkness to light this year: Friday will be dark, somber, and reflective, and Sunday will be bright, joyful, and celebratory. Christians have traditionally worshiped this way to help us feel the weight of Christ’s work. What happened on Friday is good because of what happened Sunday; as people often say, “Friday’s good because Sunday’s coming!” But in the moment, Friday seemed anything but good. In fact, it’s the darkest hour of human history; God incarnate is murdered!. As if that’s not bad enough, we know that, while religious and political zealots sent Jesus to his death, the real culprits are you and me. Ultimately, our sin - not Jewish leaders or Roman soldiers - hung Christ on a cross. We gather tonight to grapple with the infinite weight of our sin as we remember the sacrifice that paid for our sin. Of course, even as we face the darkness of our sin, we do so with hope, because we do live on the other side; we know what Christ’s death accomplished. But tonight, our final scripture reading leaves Christ in the tomb, and we leave solemnly, in silence.

Then comes Sunday, and we sing and celebrate with everything we’ve got, because Jesus didn’t stay in the tomb. He is alive and reigning, and we are alive with him. His resurrection seals salvation and eternal life for all who trust in him. So this weekend, by God’s grace, let’s acknowledge our sin that nailed Jesus to a cross, let’s celebrate his resurrection life, and let’s rest in his finished work of atonement.

To prepare for Sunday, read Matthew 28:1-10.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

April 2nd, 2023

Colossians 3:16, in a single verse, unpacks a theology of musical worship. It tells us to, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

We could talk about many applications of that verse for corporate worship, and we may have time for that at some point, but for our purposes today, I’ll just highlight one: our worship is supposed to be full of the “word of Christ.” Narrowly, that means the gospel - the truth about who Jesus is and what he’s done - but more broadly that includes the entirety of scripture. The whole Bible reveals the glory and grace of God in redemption; it all points to Jesus. So, when we gather, everything we say and sing must be full of biblical truth. We have nothing worth singing as a church family but the word of Christ.

Singing the truth helps us to learn and believe the truth. There’s a reason that, when we want children to learn something, we put it in a song! Sung truth sticks with us in a unique way. Singing good, scripture-saturated songs forms our theology. But it also helps us to believe and feel the truth. That’s part of the point of singing! We get to take absolute, unchanging truths about who God is and what he’s done and wed them with a musical language that touches our affections. When we sing together, we actively engage our minds and our hearts in worship of the living God and in encouragement of the body. What an incredible privilege and opportunity!

To prepare for Sunday, read Colossians 3.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

March 26th, 2023

The gospel is stunning. Consider the greatness of God; he’s infinitely holy, all-powerful, all-knowing, unstained by any sin, untouched by any weakness. He’s the Maker of all things and the only right recipient of glory. It’s incredible that he would would redeem people who had sinned against him, who had worshiped created things rather than the Creator, who had chosen our own way and pursued our own pleasure and glory. But that’s exactly what he does - and at an incredible cost. He has redeemed us by sacrificing his Son in our place, pouring out on Christ the righteous wrath for sin that we deserved. Our salvation cost the life of the Son of God! I can’t fathom doing something that for much of anyone - much less someone who could be described as an enemy, someone who had wronged me over and over!

We’ve heard that message so much that it can feel like old news instead of good news, but that’s exactly why we retell it again and again. We can’t move past the gospel or get over the gospel; we need to be perpetually stunned by grace. Only then do we behold the glory of God like we’re supposed to, and live lives of worship and obedience like he calls us to. Around CBC, we call this “growing in the gospel”. May God give us grace to grasp and respond to the depths of his grace and mercy towards us.

To prepare for Sunday, read Romans 5:12-21.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

March 19th, 2023

A Puritan pastor names Richard Sibbes, in a book called “The Bruised Reed” based on Isaiah 42, describes the Christian life as “grace mixed with corruption”. He means that, while we have received the grace of God in the gospel and by grace walk in sanctification and holiness, we are still burdened by human weakness and sin. I don’t know about you, but most of the time I feel the weight of the “corruption”. I’m keenly aware of my weakness and failings, and quite honestly feel like a terrible Christian a lot of the time. But what Sibbes unpacks is that this experience is a normal one for Christians. Isaiah 42 speaks of a “bruised reed” and a “smoldering wick” - metaphors for people who feel feeble or wounded as they follow Jesus. But we’re told that Christ will not break the bruised reed or extinguish the smoldering wick - and that’s a little bit shocking! Perhaps the most difficult part of feeling so weak in our faith is the little voice that tells us God is upset with us, that he resents us or will turn his back on us. But the opposite is true! Christ invites the weak and lowly; instead of leaving us in disgust, he gently heals us and fans the faintly burning spark into flame, until one day, as Jesus puts it in Matthew 13, we shine like the sun in God’s kingdom, unhindered by sin, weakness, or pain.

So, take heart, brothers and sisters. Christ doesn’t turn away from our weakness; he moves towards us, and he invites us to come to him with all of our weakness, failures, and struggles. Let’s lift our eyes to him and run to him for grace, finding perfect rest for our restless souls.

To prepare for Sunday, read Isaiah 42:1-3.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

March 12th, 2023

Why does the Bible so often call us to remember and respond to God’s goodness? I think it’s because we’re so prone to forget. It’s way easier, it seems, to remember the times we feel like God didn’t show up, the times when things didn’t break the way we thought they would or should, than to remember how he’s provided for us, cared for us, protected us. So, passages like Psalm 103, which we’ll read this Sunday, help to anchor and calibrate us to the truth of God’s goodness and grace. We read that God forgives our iniquities, heals our diseases, redeems our lives from the pit, crowns us with steadfast love and mercy, and satisfies us with good. That’s objectively true in the gospel! We aren’t experiencing the fullness of some of those things - for instance, we’re certainly not healed of all our diseases and sickness yet - but Christ’s work on the cross secures all of those things for us in eternity. We’re already forgiven and redeemed, and we wait for the fullness of God’s promises to come in the new creation.

These truths are a bedrock of our joy. The Bible never says, “Well, you know God is good, so just get over your pain and suffering and be happy!” It acknowledges the difficulty and darkness of human existence, but it gives us something greater, something unshakable, to hold onto, regardless of our circumstances. We know one day, God will wipe away every tear, erase all sin and suffering, so we can (sometimes feebly) bless the Lord as we remember all his benefits.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 103:1-14.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

March 5th, 2023

This Sunday, as we celebrate everything God has done in and for and through our church, we want to remind ourselves that Jesus is at the center of everything we are and everything we do. Our goal - as individual followers of Jesus and as a church - is that Jesus would be glorified, that he would be known and treasured and worshiped and obeyed, that in the words of scripture, he would be preeminent in all things.

That has very practical applications for our gatherings. Our corporate worship should be nothing if not intensely Christ-centered. We sing songs that point us towards Jesus’ glory and beauty and remind us of his atoning work. We preach the truth of who Jesus is and what he’s done, and then we’re called to live differently in response. And we’re sent out to carry his name into the world, sharing the good news of the gospel with people far from Christ. What we do on Sunday helps orient us to who we are - Christ’s church, a people defined by Christ’s work and living for his glory.

To prepare for Sunday, read Colossians 1.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

February 26th, 2023

If we’re going to worship God the way that he desires, it’s important that we spend time “zoomed out”, as it were - beholding the transcendent, awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping greatness of God. There’s an inherent sense of wonder in true worship, as we remember that the God we’re singing and praying to is so high above us that we can’t begin to approach him as finite, sinful people. The fact that he’s made a way for us to do that in Christ, our substitute and mediator, inspires wonder from yet another angle! But, in the miracle of being able to approach God, let’s not lose the reality of how great he is, or the response of awe. God hasn’t cheapened himself through Christ’s work; we now have the indescribable joy and privilege of being welcomed by the high and holy One.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 99.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

February 19th, 2023

The Bible consistently teaches both about God’s wrath and his mercy. At first glance, those concepts often seem at odds, but in reality, they work together to demonstrate God’s glory and steadfast love, and, in many ways, each help us to understand the other. God’s mercy shines brightest in light of God’s just wrath against sin and sinners. God must, because he is perfectly holy and just, punish sin; he cannot and will not tolerate wickedness. And, to be clear, every single on of us is guilty of wickedness that our just God must punish; we have rebelled against the holy Creator of all things. But God, in eternal, inestimable, sovereign love, chose to show mercy to the rebels. He poured out his righteous wrath against our sin on his Son, so that we would never have to taste his wrath. That’s almost too good to be true!

And get this - God doesn’t save us begrudgingly. No, as we read in the book Gentle and Lowly, his heart overflows in love and mercy for redeemed sinners. The prophet Isaiah puts it in even starker terms, saying that the Lord turns away his wrath that he might comfort us. If we don’t see the immensity of his love and mercy in the gospel, we’ve got our eyes closed! As we gather this Sunday, let’s thank God for his immeasurable love and mercy, and let’s encourage each other to remember and rejoice in his heart for us.

To prepare for Sunday, read Isaiah 12.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

February 12th, 2023

In Psalm 34, we read a familiar phrase: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” All of us, for good reason, want to taste God’s goodness, but to do that is to acknowledge how needy we are. Psalm 34 calls on the humble, the ones who know their desperate state apart from the Lord, to hear and be glad. The psalmist calls himself a “poor man,” whose cries for the help God heard and answered, and tells us that the one who looks to God - away from themselves - are radiant, and shall not be ashamed.

The Bible’s consistent message is that when we turn to God, bringing nothing to merit his favor, he rescues us, welcomes us, and blesses us. This is the path to knowing just how good and kind he is. This is fullness of joy and abundant life.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 34.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

February 5th, 2023

Last week, Pastor Matt said that God does the impossible, and he challenged us to believe six impossible things before breakfast. That can feel like a tall task! I found myself really convicted over how small my faith is, how little I believe God will actually do. But if we want evidence of God’s ability to do the impossible, we need look no further than our own salvation. He resurrected us when we were spiritually dead; there’s nothing more impossible than that!

We get to celebrate the seemingly impossible miracle of God bringing the dead to life this Sunday through baptism. Baptism is a picture of resurrection - of being made alive with Christ. I’m praying that our faith will be grown as we recognize and respond to God’s saving power and grace this week and beyond.

To prepare for Sunday, read Ephesians 2:1-10.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

January 29th, 2023

Romans 8 unpacks lots of gospel promises. It reminds us that, in Christ, future glory awaits us - glory far surpassing the weight of living and suffering through the darkness of this world. It grounds our hope in God’s steadfast love and gospel grace, assuring us that if God is for us, nothing and no one can stand against us. Though, in this world, we suffer and struggle, we experience all manner of trials, nothing can separate us from his perfect love for us. And, because Jesus has already defeated the darkness at the cross, we, too will overcome the darkness. Yes, we fight, but we fight as those who know we win!

We’re going to learn a new song on Sunday that helps us to think and sing in the hope of the gospel. It’s called “You Already Won,” and it’s a meditation on the reality that in Christ, we are “more than conquerors” as we struggle through the battle against the darkness. My favorite line comes from the chorus: “I don’t know what you’re doing, but I know what you’ve done; I’m fighting a battle you’ve already won” Isn’t that awesome? We don’t see the whole picture, and we often feel like we’re losing, don’t we? But the outcome is already determined. Jesus has already won the war. So, as we fight battles along the way, even when it seems like we’re losing to the darkness, we are more than conquerors, because Christ has already conquered, and he (and therefore we) cannot ultimately be defeated. That’s the kind of assurance and hope we need in this fallen world! Let’s thank God and encourage each other with these truths as we sing this Sunday.

To prepare for Sunday, read Romans 8:31-39.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

January 22nd, 2023

It’s important for human beings to sometimes get back to basics, to remember foundational things about who we are, what we value and what we do. As Christians, that means getting back to the gospel - reminding ourselves of the incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. The gospel forms our identity and our mission; we are, fundamentally gospel people. We are sinners reconciled to God by the work of Christ, now gathered into a beautifully diverse family to worship and serve our King. God welcomes us to himself because of what Jesus has done, he hears our cries and even delights in our worship, because of the sacrifice and ministry of Christ.

We gather on Sunday as a tangible expression of Christ’s work to bring us to God. We worship and pray confidently, because Christ has entered the Holy Place on our behalf. And we call each other to remember and celebrate the immeasurable grace of the gospel.

To prepare for Sunday, read Hebrews 9.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

January 15th, 2023

This Sunday, we’re welcoming Dr. Scott Sunquist, president of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, to preach. Dr. Sundquist is a missiologist, which means he’s devoted his life and ministry to the study of the church’s mission. He’s going to help us think about what exactly God is calling us to do and how that calling fits into the God’s plan of redemption and restoration.

As we gather, though, I want to draw our attention back to something I’ve referenced before - the relationship of worship and mission. The goal of missions is, ultimately, that more people would worship, that Jesus would receive more of the honor glory that he deserves. And worship serves as the fuel for mission. When we gather to behold the glory of Jesus, we’re compelled to move out with and for his glory. Of course we want more people to know how great and how good he is and to worship him!

Earlier, I used the word “restoration.” I didn’t always have an understanding of how God was an is restoring something through the gospel; I only knew that I had been “made new” - which is incredible! But in making us new, God is actually restoring us. He is mending his image in us that has been marred by sin, and he is bringing us back to the original desire and purpose of mankind - to know and glorify God forever. As we gather on Sunday, we experience, participate in, and are sent out for gospel re-creation and restoration, that all the people may praise our gracious God.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 67.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

January 8th, 2023

The third verse of “Come, Thou Fount” captures the experience of following Jesus as poignantly as any song I can remember singing when it says, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love.” I love God, certainly, and I want more than anything to love him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. But my heart is so prone to wander, quick to forget God’s goodness, and chase joy and peace from things other than God. It’s probably fair to assume that you feel the same thing, to one degree or another.

The hymn continues with a simple prayer: “Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.” In the path of continual repentance from our wandering, God offers grace. He welcomes us back and sanctifies us, so our wandering becomes less frequent and shorter lived. One of the primary ways God anchors us in his grace is through his people, and he does that in a unique way when his people gather to worship. What we do each Sunday is a call to forsake idols and sin, and instead to love, worship, and follow Jesus, who seals our hearts until we see him face to face.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 51:1-14.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

January 1st, 2023

The start of a new year is a sort of natural time to remember and celebrate what God has done and to look ahead at what we anticipate him doing in the next year. Fundamentally, that means reorienting ourselves towards the gospel, remembering that we are a people formed and empowered and driven by the gospel. Everything about us - who we are, what we do, what we want - flows from the reality of God’s grace to us in Christ. This Sunday, as we gather for the first time in 2023, we’ll corporately root ourselves in the gospel as we read and sing about Christ’s work for us. We’ll read that we have been chosen and redeemed to the praise of God’s glorious grace, and then we’ll join our voices to celebrate that grace. May God make us a people who know, treasure, and advance the gospel this year in greater ways than ever before, to the praise of his glory.

To prepare for Sunday, read Ephesians 1:3-14.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

December 22nd & 25th, 2022

At Christmas, we sing a song that goes back to the night of Christ’s birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Most of the songs we’re going to sing tomorrow evening include some iteration of that song recorded in Luke 2 that angels sang to declare the birth of Christ. There’s something really incredible about that, I think. Perhaps it shouldn’t even come as a surprise! The arrival of the Son of God in human flesh and bones as a tiny baby, born to a humble family in Bethlehem, is about as earth-shattering an event as possible! So, we join our voices with Christians around the world, and with the angels who worshiped as Jesus was born, adoring the newborn King.

There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening this week, especially as we worship together for the first time in our new building. But, fundamentally, we’re part of a people who have been believing and preaching and singing the same things for the last 2000 years! We are the people of God, looking back with wonder at God incarnate, who came to earth to be with us, that he might redeem us and that we might be with him for all eternity.

To prepare for our services this week, read Luke 2:1-20.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

December 18th, 2022

One of my favorite lines in any Christmas hymn (and perhaps any hymn at all) is the very last line of “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus”. It says, “By thine all sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne.” The story of Christmas is the story of redemption; it’s about God becoming like us to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. As much as it pains our little self-reliant hearts to admit, we can never merit God’s favor or grace. We cannot overcome the devastating effect of sin on our relationship with God. But the gospel assures us that we don’t have to worry about that. It’s not on us to earn God’s favor, because Jesus has already done that for us.

Maybe you feel the weight of your sin, the condemnation of who you’ve been, and wonder, “Can God really love me or use me?” Christmas answers with a decisive, “Yes!”, because the One who was born in a manger went on to live and die and rise in our place.  Christ secures our salvation, seating us with him in the heavenly places, raising us to his glorious throne.

To prepare for Sunday, read Luke 1:46-55.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

December 11th, 2022

The wonder of Advent - what the Bible calls “the great mystery of godliness” - is the God of the universe born in a stable as a helpless little baby. That Jesus, the Word who made everything and sustains it by his power, would enter so humbly into the world he created to save people who had rebelled against his rule, is astonishing! Yes, the manger scene is idyllic and sweet, and there is something beautiful in its portrayal of heaven come to earth in an adorable baby. But the tiny baby is the Lord of the whole universe, arriving on a rescue mission. As the angels celebrate peace on earth to those on whom God’s favor rests, they declare the gospel: that we who were enemies of God can now be reconciled to him, because the Savior came as a baby to live and die for us. Let’s not lose sight of the wonder and grace of Christmas. Let’s stand amazed at the love of God, seen in the Word made flesh, and let’s bow down on our faces in worship as we consider his glory and grace.

To prepare for Sunday, read Colossians 1:15-23.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

December 4th, 2022

Often in our services, we say things like, “No matter who we are, whether we’ve been a Christian for 50 years or are not a Christian, whether our circumstances are good or bad, we all need Jesus.” The Christmas season reminds us of this really poignantly. For some of us, Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year; we’re excited to see the lights and decorations, gather with family and friends, and take part in holiday traditions. For others of us, the Christmas season is painful; we’re reminded of things lost, hopes dashed, relationships broken. Whether you find yourself excited or hurting or somewhere in between, the reality of Christ’s incarnation beckons us to look heavenward, to the Light that has broken into our darkness. Make no mistake - there’s still a lot of darkness. He hasn’t yet done away with it (although that’s coming!), but he has broken through it.

So, if you’re brimming with the joy and excitement of the season, praise God for a little taste of the Light breaking through. Earthly joys foreshadow the unspeakable, unending joy that Christ will bring when he comes to earth a second time and does away with all darkness forever. But don’t let the gifts overshadow the giver. Lift your eyes to the source of true joy - to Jesus who lived and died for us. And if you feel the darkness of the world around you, remember that the darkness cannot overcome the Light. Lift your eyes to the One who walked with us and knows our pain. He may not remove the pain, and you might not enjoy the season like you have before, but in Christ there’s peace and joy that goes beyond human understanding.

At the end of the day, wherever we are, whatever we’re experiencing, we need Jesus. Let’s run together to him this Advent season.

To prepare for Sunday, read Isaiah 9:2-7.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

November 13th, 2022

We revisit Isaiah 6 fairly regularly in our services, because it’s a passage that shapes our gatherings. As Isaiah sees God’s glory and faces his own sinfulness, an angel, in a symbolic act, touches his mouth with a burning coal from the altar and tells Isaiah that, “his guilt is taken away, and his sin atoned for.” This is a foreshadowing of exactly what Pastor Matt preached last week: being made right with God is entirely God’s work, and not at all our own. Isaiah does nothing other than acknowledge his desperate situation, and he is forgiven. That’s the gospel! Christ’s life and death secure our salvation. As we heard on Sunday, we believe, and it’s counted to us as righteousness.

The holy God of the universe, against whom we have rebelled, and before whom we have no ability to acquit ourselves, has reached down to us in his Son. Christ atoned for our sins and offered us his righteousness as a gift. Who we’ve been, what we’ve done, and even who we are and what we will do, does not shift our standing before God. We are eternally safe in Christ. That is almost too good to believe! And, sometimes, we struggle to believe it. I certainly do! That’s why we constantly need to look at Jesus. As Robert Murray McCheyene said, “For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.” As we prepare to celebrate the gospel on Sunday, let’s take ten looks at Christ, our hope, our life, our joy, our rest.

To prepare for Sunday, read Isaiah 6:1-7.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

November 13th, 2022

Psalm 145 says that one generation will declare God’s mighty acts to another, as they meditate on his glory and works. That’s part of what happens every Sunday: a bunch of redeemed people get together, spanning generations and life experiences, and declare to God and to one another how great the Lord is, and how gracious and powerful are his works towards us. We actively participate in drawing one another into the rhythm of worship - revelation of who God is and what he’s done, and response of awe, gratitude, and praise. That’s the beauty and holy privilege of corporate worship, and one of the (many) reasons Christianity is not a solo effort. We need each other, and we need to gather on Sundays to sing the Bible to each other and to testify to God’s power and glory and the way he’s worked in and for us.

To prepare for Sunday, read Psalm 145.

 

Grace,

Pastor Joseph

*****

November 6th, 2022

The Bible tells us often that God is slow to anger and quick to forgive, because he “delights in steadfast love.” What an incredible character trait! Even the most kind and gracious human being, if the right buttons get pushed, gets pretty angry, pretty quickly - an