1. How is the sabbath to be sanctified? A. The sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be...

Dear Congregation,   

This week’s Pastoral Notes are being sent by the Pastor’s wife!

Peter is spending the next few days with Rex in Yushu, and can’t send the notes from there. I’ll let him tell of his experience when he returns. Becca and I are hanging out at...

Dear Congregation, The Great Lakes Presbytery had a profitable meeting in Traverse City last weekend. It was especially good to see how the wives of the pastors and elders have been building connections. I am hopeful that this will also help us develop better our connections across the presbytery.

Pl...

Q. 56. What is the reason annexed to the third commandment?A. The reason annexed to the third commandment is that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment.

Deuteronomy 28:58,59 If you are not...

Dear Congregation, It will be good to have some time to relax together at the Fall Retreat tomorrow and Saturday. One advantage of the retreat format is that many of the distractions of daily life are set aside (maybe someday we’ll ban electronic devices as well!). The weather is looking...

What is forbidden in the third commandment?A. The third commandment forbids all profaning or abusing of anything whereby God makes himself known

Leviticus 19:12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.

James 5:12 But above all, my brothers, do not...

Dear Congregation,The Deacons have asked me to announce that this Sunday’s diaconal offering will be devoted to relief efforts in Houston after Hurricane Harvey.

Breckinridge Update

Tonight at Village I will be making my first presentation (out of four) on R. J. Breckinridge that are designed...

Morning Worship

“You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God…”

*Call to Worship (from Psalm 115)

Pastor: Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and...

Dear Congregation,   

We heard back from Lilly and we did not receive a grant from the Clergy Renewal Program. But as the session talked about it, we agreed that we didn’t care for the part of the sabbatical that would send the Wallace family away for four...

A. These words “before me” in the first commandment teach us that God, who sees all things, takes notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other god.

(Psalm 44:20, 21; Romans 1:24, 25)

The post Q. 48 What are we specially taught by these words before me in the...

By Lena Wallace

Some people think Beauty is Youth Perfection Flawless skin Shining locks of hair, no gray to be seen Perfect health Perfect makeup Perfect smile Perfect body, smooth, shining… Do you know what Beauty is?

I know elderly women Who wear their gray hair like silver crowns Their...

Reading Genesis 32-36 in Family Worship

Genesis25:19-37:1  (The Generations of Isaac)

This week we are looking at part three of the “Generations of Isaac.” The “Generations of Isaac” can be seen in three basic movements:

Genesis 25:19-28:22 — Jacob and Esau

Genes...

Reading Genesis 29-31 in Family Worship

Genesis25:19-37:1  (The Generations of Isaac)

This week we are looking at part two of the “Generations of Isaac.” The “Generations of Isaac” can be seen in three basic movements:

Genesis 25:19-28:22 — Jacob and Esau

Genesis...

Reading Genesis 25-28 in Family Worship

Genesis25:19-37:1  (The Generations of Isaac)

Why do we hear so little about Isaac? No sooner does the story of Abraham end (the Generations of Terah), then we move on to the story of Jacob (the Generations of Isaac). There is no section called “the...

By Elizabeth Sunshine

A few weeks ago, for the second time I had the tremendous privilege of introducing a child to my church in Chinese. The Lynn family, who are members of our church, just adopted a daughter from China. Her name is Audrey. Since I studied Chinese in college and used it regularly...

Reading Genesis 20-25 in Family Worship

Genesis 20

Genesis 20 functions as something of an interlude. The story of Abraham and Abimelech sounds something like a repeat of the story of Abraham and Pharaoh. It is particularly striking because Sarah is now nearly 90 years old — at least, if the...

Reading Genesis 12-19 in Family Worship

We are back to our regular family worship with Genesis 12-19 this week. With all the things happening over the last couple weeks (band concert, congregational meeting, etc. — along with sickness) we didn’t do much family worship.

On the one hand,...

Reading Genesis 6-11 in Family Worship

At some point in these early chapters, I call attention to the literary structure of the book of Genesis. The phrase “These are the generations of…” signals a new section of the book. And as the phrase suggests, the following story is about...

Family Worship

I have been thinking about how to encourage family worship. So over the next few weeks (months? years?) I will walk you through our family practice — which I hope will be helpful for you in your homes. I started this practice as a bachelor, so I trust that it can be fruitful for...

You Are What You Love — Liturgy and Habit

“The mall is a religious site, not because it is theological but because it is liturgical. Its spiritual significance (and threat) isn’t found in its ‘ideas’ or its ‘messages’ but in its rituals. The mall...

This is the question in the minds of many parents of small children as they struggle to parent in the pew. The answer to this question is pretty simple: those parents were YOU at one point. Those children were not born quiet and obedient!

A child’s natural, normal behavior is somewhat like a...

Looking for the Resurrection of the Dead: The Starting Point for Finding the “Lost Boys”

[The following guest post from Ryan Davidson (a former deacon at MCPC) advances the conversation started by Samuel Jamesand Carl Truemanregarding the “Lost Boys.” — Peter Wallace]

&...

“Persons Act, Natures Are” – Maximus the Confessor and the Trinitarian Debate

Peter J. Wallace

It was good to see Lewis Ayres comment today. I had some of the same concerns about the blithe use of “Nicene” – and a tendency on the part of many participants to talk as though all of the words we are using here are

“Persons Act, Natures Are” – Maximus the Confessor and the Trinitarian Debate

Peter J. Wallace

It was good to see Lewis Ayres commenttoday. I had some of the same concerns about the blithe use of “Nicene” – and a tendency on the part of many participants to talk...

In my preaching I have often distinguished between repentance and apology: repentance is where you turn from sin to God and admit your fault, while an apology is an attempt to defend yourself. I have usually said that an apology is appropriate for a mistake, whereas repentance is appropriate for sin.

But in 2 Corinthians 7:10-11, Paul commends the