"There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God." --Psalm 46:4

My Photo
Serving God with His people at Faith OPC has been a great joy and blessing. When I grow up, I want to umpire Little League Baseball. I will revel on that day when I can say to a 10-year-old boy after four pitched balls, "Take a walk in the sunshine." My wife of 30+ years, Peggy, consistently demonstrates the love of Christ and remains my very best friend. Our six children, our four lovely, sweetie-pie daughters-in-law, and our four grandchildren serve as resident theologians.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Observing Advent with a Cheer Conscience


Faith OPC stands in the Evangelical and Reformed stream of historic Christianity. The matter of observing Advent, the coming of the Lord, though not being a matter of explicit command is, in our session’s judgment, a sound scriptural application of the teaching of the Bible. Israel learned from the creation account, Genesis 1:14, that God marks time, days and seasons by the sun, moon and stars, and the Lord provided a way of marking particular acts of His saving power, like in the setting up of the stones near Gilgal by the Jordan River after Israel crossed into the land of promise (Josh. 4:19-24).

All of the Old Testament historic signposts of grace, the days of offerings, feasts and memorials, are clearly fulfilled in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus on the Lord’s Day (Matt. 28:1-11; Col. 2:14-17). Faith’s session gladly leads the congregation to celebrate the grace and truth of the life, death and resurrection of Christ with the weekly memorial of the Lord’s Sabbath. But as an application of God’s work in history, we, along with other Reformed churches, place an emphasis for teaching and discipleship on the great gospel-based events of history: Advent, Good Friday, Christ’s Resurrection, His Ascension and Pentecost.

One example of Reformed application of such teaching, is stated by the Second Helvetic Confession of 1566 (XXIV): “Moreover, if the churches do religiously celebrate the memory of the Lord’s Nativity, Circumcision, Passion, Resurrection, and of his Ascension into heaven, and the sending of the Holy Spirit upon his disciples, according to Christian liberty, we do very well approve of it.”

This Advent season, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, and on Christmas Day, the session will lead in worship, teaching and preaching with:

Nov 30 Christmas Through the Eyes of the Angels (Sumpter)
Dec 7 Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph (Sumpter)
Dec 14 Christmas Through the Eyes of Zecharias (Jeromin)
Dec 21: Christmas Through the Eyes of Mary (Sumpter)
Dec 25: Christmas Through the Eyes of TBA (Jeromin)

G. Mark Sumpter
Posted by at
Labels:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

One Potato, Two Potato