Happy New Year!

Here's wishing you all a blessed and happy 2009!

We plan on ushering in the new year by relaxing at home, watching some DVD's, and eating a variety of snacks (shrimp and cocktail sauce, cheese in a can with crackers, Ruffles potato chips, french onion dip, and Newman-O's).

Bible Reading Plans

Tomorrow being the first of the year, I would highly encourage you to consider committing yourself to reading through the Bible in 2009.  Crossway, the publishers of the English Standard Version, have a page on their website listing 10 different Bible reading plans.  You can find it here.  Since I just picked up my copy of the ESV Study Bible a few weeks ago, I plan on using the one listed in the back of the Bible.

This Sunday (January 4th)

Morning Service

Songs

#4 (Red hymnal)

#94 (Blue hymnal)

#282 (Blue hymnal)

#381 (Blue hymnal)

#306 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 Peter 5:1-11:  "Shepherds & Sheep"

Evening Service

Songs

#165 (Red hymnal)

#251 (Blue hymnal)

#373 (Blue hymnal)

#231 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Romans 16:1-6:  "Ministry in the Church"

This Sunday (December 28th)

Lord willing, the weather will clear this weekend and we'll be able to worship twice on the Lord's Day.  We will be privileged to witness the baptism of one of the new covenant children in our church.  Here are the songs and sermon texts for this Sunday:

Morning Service

Songs

#304 (Blue hymnal)

#257 (Red hymnal)

#366 (Red hymnal)

#176 (Blue hymnal)...familiar tune

#204 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Psalm 37:  "Trust in the Lord"

Evening Service

Songs

#119 (Red hymnal)

#120 (Blue hymnal)

#229 (Blue hymnal)

#310 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Romans 15:22-33:  "Pray for Me"

This Sunday (December 14th)

Morning Service

Songs

#337 (Blue hymnal)

#129 (Blue hymnal)

#42 (Blue hymnal)

#338 (Blue hymnal)

#488 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Scripture:  Luke 2:1-20:  "Gloria in Excelsis Deo"

Evening Service

Songs

#324 (Blue hymnal)

#120 (Blue hymnal)

#229 (Blue hymnal)

#310 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Scripture:  Romans 15:22-33:  "Pray for Me"

Reformed Piety

What I have often found is that those coming out of non-Reformed churches have a poor or deficient ecclesiology (or doctrine of the church).  I know that this was certainly the case for myself.  I had spent many years in contexts that emphasized the importance of "personal devotions" and very little time on the public "means of grace" (preaching and the sacraments).  Here is a great little post by Scott Clark on this very subject.

Twice on Sundays

Excellent article here by Iain Campbell, pastor in Scotland, on why we worship twice on the Lord's Day.

This Sunday (December 7th)

Morning Service

Songs

#85 (Blue hymnal)

"In Christ Alone"

#682 (Red hymnal)...to the tune of "Amazing Grace"

#339 (Blue hymnal)

#299 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Luke 1:56-80:  "Benedictus"

Evening Service

Songs

#218 (Red hymnal)

#122 (Blue hymnal)

#121 (Blue hymnal)

#204 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Romans 15:14-21:  "The Heartbeat of Paul"