Topics

Guest User 5/24/22 Guest User 5/24/22

Top 5 Reasons to Celebrate Ascension Thursday

Christ Reformed DC is celebrating its first Ascension Day service this Thursday. Since this is a new practice for us we thought it would be wise to give the top five reasons to celebrate the Ascension in worship.

The Ascension of Christ is Neglected Today

If you, like me, did not grow up in a Dutch Reformed context, I would wager you have a 4/5 experience of celebrating the Evangelical Feast Days (see #3 below). Not only is this Christ Reformed DC’s first Ascension service, but it will also be the first Ascension worship service for many, if not most, of our members. As a correction to this imbalance we should follow the emphasis of our Savior in his Word, as Michael Horton noted:

“Jesus Did not downplay his ascension, but comforted his disciples with the promise of the Spirit and his Word.”

— The Christian Faith, 534

We should not downplay Christ’s ascension but rather “play it up” in our churches. And an Ascension Thursday service is one traditional way to do so.

2. The Ascension is a vital Part of Christ’s Work as summarized in our Creeds and Confessions

Out of our Creeds and Confessions, all but the Canons of Dort mention the Ascension. This distinct point was codified in the creeds. The brief creeds, short enough for recitation in worship at Baptism or Communion, all include the Ascension. It was not omitted from a single one in deference to brevity. Again Michael Horton is helpful:

“The Ascension is not merely an exclamation point to the resurrection, but a distinct event within the history of redemption.”

— The Christian Faith, 533-34.

Part of being a Confessional and Creedal church is to recognize that the Ascension is its own distinct event, and that it has a place in the Reformed tradition.

The Catechism has four questions on the Ascension of Christ. The Ascension is, and always has been, a part of the life and teaching ministry of the Church. To neglect it now is to our detriment. As C.S. Lewis said,

“Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books.”

— Introduction to "On the Incarnation"

If I may apply Lewis’ observation to ascension Thursday: Ascension Thursday is a chance for us to challenge our modern assumptions about what is important about Christ’s work and see afresh what the scriptures and the church have seen as vital.

3. It is one of the Evangelical Feast Days

It is important to remember that the Reformation was a reformation of worship and practice, no less than it was a reformation of doctrine. Yet the Reformed churches on the continent retained five evangelical (read, gospel) feast days: Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. We readily grasp the other feasts days and their importance. And many churches, even from traditions that at one point eschewed these days, recognize 4/5 (see #1 above). Ascension Thursday is retained because there’s Gospel in it, because it is a biblical event. Ascension Thursday is no “feast of Saint X,” it is no procession of relics. It is a celebration of a gospel event.

4. Ascension Thursday is a Chance to Sing Psalms and Hymns

Like reading old books, Ascension Thursday gives us the chance to sing old ( though sometimes new to us) songs through a new lens. We can sing Ascension Psalms like 47, “God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.” (v. 5, ESV) 68, “You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.” (v. 18, ESV) and others that might be appropriate.

If you use the Trinity Psalter Hymnal Hymns 370-373 are for the Ascension. You can sing old Latin hymns, like one from the Venerable Bede “A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing.” Or the Anonymously penned “Christ, above All Glory Seated” When we (and our Children) sing Psalms and Hymns celebrating the Ascension, it reminds us that the Ascension of Christ is important enough to ring out in the church’s praise.

5. Having more worship services is a good thing

Unlike some of our reformed and presbyterian brothers and sisters we believe in celebrating worship services on days other than Sunday. We also believe this is a good, beneficial, practice. While we are more restrained than Anglican, Catholic, and Lutheran communions in the amount of days celebrated, we nevertheless believe it is important to mark the historic works of Christ in Worship.

While we typically preach continuously through one book at a time(lectio continua), we also preach through the catechism in keeping with our church order in the URCNA. This is a type of doctrinal or topical preaching. As an extension of the commitment to both models, our services honoring the “evangelical feast days” provide an opportunity for us to preach through the significant events of the Christian faith. Because Christ was, born, died, was raised, ascended, and poured the Spirit out on the church on real days in history. By his work he bridges the spiritual and eternal with history.

Given the above, you are invited to Church this Thursday to hear the Good News Proclaimed about our ascended Lord. We’ll meet at 6PM.

Guest User 1/19/22 Guest User 1/19/22

Preaching The Nicene Creed

This Past Sunday we began a new series in our catechism service on the Nicene Creed. We are proud to be a creedal and confessional Church at Christ Reformed DC (you can find our Creeds and Confessions at threeforms.org). When the Churches of the Reformation sought to reform and restore the Church they turned to Scripture as the only infallible rule, but they turned also to the Church Fathers and the creeds as faithful summary of Scripture. You can see this respect for history in the Belgic confession where it commits to willingly accept the Ecumenical Creeds: Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian. It does this because they are faithful to Scripture and summarize it well.

““And so, in this matter we willingly accept the three ecumenical creeds—the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian—as well as what the ancient fathers decided in agreement with them.” ”

— Belgic Confession, Article 9

We also have in our tradition, from the time of the reformation, the practice of catechetical preaching. Ordinarily, this service is an evening service. We believe that viewing catechesis, doctrinal teaching and preaching, as worship is a strength of our tradition. The ordinary practice is to teach through the Heidelberg Catechism, which is fittingly divided up into a year.

“At one of the services each Lord’s Day, the minister shall ordinarily preach the Word as summarized in the Three Forms of Unity, with special attention given to the Heidelberg Catechism by treating its Lord’s Days in sequence.
”

— Church Order of the URCNA, Article 40

We just wrapped up a year through the catechism which you can find (here). In the catechism we teach through the Apostle’s creed (Lord’s Days 7-22). And in addition, a few years ago we did a series through the Athanasian Creed at Advent. Now we are beginning a new series through the Nicene Creed.

The Nicene Creed, like other creeds, has been used in conjunction with the sacraments. Whereas the Apostles’ Creed was developed from Baptismal creeds, the Nicene came to be used by some communions in connection with the Eucharist as a full statement of faith before communing members of Christ’s Church.

“in the East it incorporated the earlier baptismal Creed, and so became itself a baptismal Creed, it is more properly a Creed for the matured Christian, and has been used in the West as well as in the East as the appropriate Creed for the Eucharist. The Apostles’ Creed was a Creed the acceptance of which was necessary for baptism and incorporation into the Christian Church. The Nicene Creed was a test of orthodoxy, and necessary for full communion in the Church.”

— Charles Augustus Briggs, The Fundamental Christian Faith

Whenever we turn to our church’s creeds and confessions, we are mindful that they are not divinely inspired scriptures, but human documents produced as a result of particular historical controversies. Understanding this context is important for understanding not only what we confess, but why we confess it. In our series we will seek to be mindful of the long story that begins in Alexandria, Egypt, early in the fourth century, runs through Nicea, in 325, and reaches a climax of sorts at Constantinople in 381. Characters in this story include the Presbyter Arius, who believed that there was a time when the eternal Word did not exist, the Emperor Constantine, and Athanasius.

The Nicene Creed has much to teach us about who God is and what the scriptures teach when carefully considered. Join us Sunday mornings at 9:30 as we dive deeper into the Christian faith and into the message of a Trinitarian God who saves.

Guest User 9/16/21 Guest User 9/16/21

Catechism Preaching and Psalm Singing

The Reformed Church prominently features in its worship two things that seem odd to American Christians. First, we have a catechetical worship service where teaching and preaching our catechism and doctrinal standards is ordinary. Second, we sing primarily Psalms in our services. This is not a new thing, but as old as the reformation itself, if not older.

As a pastor, this creates an interesting challenge. It might be easy to name a hymn for a given doctrine or Lord’s day, but what about Psalms? Enter this index from Het Boek der Psalmen nevens de Gezangen bij de Hervormde Kerk van Nederland (Amsterdam, 1773). What follows is a keyed index to help a minister, parents, and others choose fitting Psalms to sing with Catechism lessons, when teaching on Doctrinal topics, or when studying through the Apostles’ Creed, Ten Commandments, or Lord’s Prayer.

(Note that in the following historical list, decimals such as “73.2” or “119.4” don’t refer to verse numbers. They refer, instead, to different stanzas or parts of the psalms. The precise reference in modern psalm settings is difficult to determine, but the numbers can still be a rough guide to the section of the psalm that addresses the relevant topic. In general “.2” refers to the second half of the psalm, and decimals for Psalm 119 refer to stanzas in that long acrostic poem.)

Lord’s Day 1 “What is Your Only Comfort?”— Psalm 73.2

Part 1: Misery

Lord’s Day 2 “Our Knowledge of Misery out of the Law”—Psalm 19.2
Lord’s Day 3-4 “The Source of Our Misery”— Psalms 51; 5; 49

Part 2: Deliverance

Lord’s Day 5-6 ”The Mediator”— Psalms 25; 36; 130
Lord’s Day 7 “What is True Faith?”— Psalm 2.2

Beginning of the Apostles’ Creed

Lord’s Day 8 “Doctrine of God”— Psalms 139; 145
- “Trinity”— Psalms 33
Lord’s Day 9 “The Creation of All things”— Psalms 115.2; 136
Lord’s Day 10 “The Providence of God”— Psalms 33; 104; 147
Lord’s Day 11 “The Name Jesus”— The Hymn of Mary
Lord’s Day 12 “The Name Christ”— Psalms 2; 89
- “The Name Christian”— Psalms 45.2; 72.2
Lord’s Day 13 “God’s Only-begotten Son”— Psalms 2.2; 45.2; 72.2
Lord’s Day 14 “The Savior’s Conception and Birth”—The Hymn of Mary
Lord’s Day 15 “The Savior’s Suffering”— Psalm 42
Lord’s Day 16 “The Savior’s Death, Burial and Descent to Hell”— Psalm 22
Lord’s Day 17 “The Savior’s Resurrection”— Psalms 16; 118.3
Lord’s Day 18 “The Savior’s Ascension”— Psalms 47; 68.3
Lord’s Day 19 “The Savior’s Sitting at God’s Right Hand”— Psalm 110
- “The Savior’s return in judgment”— Psalm 96.2
Lord’s Day 20 “The Holy Spirit”— Psalm 119.3
Lord’s Day 21 “The Church”— Psalm 48
- “The Communion of Saints”— Psalm 133
- “The Forgiveness of Sin”— Psalm 32
Lord’s Day 22 “The Resurrection of the Body”— Psalm 49.2
- “The Life Eternal”— Psalm 73.2

End of the Apostles’ Creed

Lord’s Day 23 “Justification”— Psalms 32; 103; 130
Lord’s Day 24 “The Insufficiency of our good works before God”— Psalms 19.2; 143
Lord’s Day “The Sacraments”— Psalm 111
Lord’s Day 26 “Baptism”— Psalm 51
Lord’s Day 27 “Infant Baptism”— Psalms 71.2; 87
Lord’s Day 28 “Lord’s Supper”— Psalm 23
Lord’s Day 29 “The Rejection of Transubstantiation”— Psalm 119.4
Lord’s Day 30 “The Popish Mass”— Psalm 115
- “The Requirements of Lord’s Supper participants”— Psalms 25.2; 26.2
Lord’s Day 31 “The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven”— Psalms 15; 24; 65

Part III: Gratitude

Lord’s Day 32 “The Necessity of Good Works”— Psalm 119
Lord’s Day 33 “Conversion or Repentance”— Psalms 119.9; 119.22

Beginning of the Ten Commandments

Lord’s Day 34 “God’s Law”— Psalm 1
- “The First Commandment”— Psalm 81.1
Lord’s Day 35 “The Second Commandment”— Psalm 115
Lord’s Day 36 “The Third Commandment”— Psalm 145.2
Lord’s Day 37 “Oaths”— Psalm 24
Lord’s Day 38 “The Fourth Commandment”— Psalms 63; 84; 92
Lord’s Day 39 “The Fifth Commandment”— Psalms 34.1; 78
Lord’s Day 40 “The Sixth Commandment”— Psalm 5
Lord’s Day 41 “The Seventh Commandment”— Psalms 50.2; 51.2; 119.5
Lord’s Day 42 “The Eighth Commandment”— Psalm 62.2
Lord’s Day 43 “The Ninth Commandment”— Psalm 120
Lord’s Day 44 “The Tenth Commandment”— Psalm 131
- “The Necessity of Preaching the Law”— Psalm 19.2

Beginning of the Lord’s Prayer

Lord’s Day 45 “The Necessity of prayer”— Psalms 65; 145.2
Lord’s Day 46 ”The Address of Our Prayer”— Psalm 103.2
Lord’s Day 47 “The First Petition”— Psalm 89
Lord’s Day 48 “The Second Petition”— Psalm 72
Lord’s Day 49 “The Third Petition”— Psalm 119
Lord’s Day 50 “The Fourth Petition”— Psalm 145.2
Lord’s Day 51 “The Fifth Petition”— Psalm 51
Lord’s Day 52 “The Sixth Petition”— Psalm 141.1
- “The Close of Prayer”— Psalm 5.1

Guest User 7/19/21 Guest User 7/19/21

Psalm and Hymn Sing || Thursday the 22nd

This Thursday, the 22nd, we will host our first midweek event at our new location (Capitol Hill SDA—914 Massachusetts AVE NE). To celebrate God’s faithful provision of a new place of worship and to inaugurate what we hope to be a regular practice, we will have a Psalm and Hymn sing in the evening from 7-8. The doors will be open at 6:30. We look forward to seeing you there. Don’t forget to tell your friends who like to sing.

Guest User 2/13/21 Guest User 2/13/21

New Wednesday Study || God's Pattern of Creation, by W. Robert Godfrey

God’s Pattern For Creation

New Study, 7PM on Wednesday

This Wednesday we’ll begin a new study. We’ll be reading and discussing Robert Godfrey’s book God’s Pattern For Creation: A Covenantal Reading of Genesis 1. You can pick up a copy here. This coincides with our ongoing sermon series through Genesis 1-11.

There has been a glut of books on creation. So why are we reading this one? There are a handful of reasons. One is that Dr. Godfrey is writing to a group just like ours, reformed Christians comprised mostly of lay people. He is writing for an astute reader, but not a trained theologian.

Another is that Dr. Godfrey is writing constructively. His book builds a case for a particular reading of Genesis 1 by looking primarily to scripture. His work is not seeking to settle any debate, or to serve as a rejoinder to any other work. Instead, Godfrey wants us to look closely at scripture, and leads us there again and again. Many books among the gallons of ink spilled on this topic are quite polemical. They are seeking to prove their case against some other case. Dr. Godfrey avoids this pitfall by focusing on scripture and treating other views both generously in tenor and sparingly in practice. His focus is on understanding the written word of God, not on the debate of the age.

Lastly, we’re working through this book so that we might all pay closer attention to Genesis. Dr. Godfrey connects Genesis 1 to the rest of the book, and helpfully draws out principles for interpreting Genesis 1 that will serve all of us as readers of the whole of the Bible.

*What is in it?*

The book is brief and simple. There’s an introduction and three chapters. The first chapter covers days one through three, the second days four through seven, and the third chapter and conclusion draw the threads of the close interpretation of Genesis 1 into what it is and isn’t teaching us.

Guest User 7/17/20 Guest User 7/17/20

The Form for the Ordination of Ministers of Word and Sacrament

We are a liturgical church, in keeping with our Dutch Reformed tradition. In this post, we continue our series of blog entries providing commentary on the United Reformed Church’s liturgical forms contained in our Book of Forms and Prayers. All of these forms, including the form for the Ordination (or Installation) of Ministers of Word and Sacrament, can be found online at formsandprayers.com.

Ordination of Ministers is an essential work of the church, and this liturgical form, though infrequently used, contains a rich vein of instruction for Christ’s church. It is a valuable practice for the congregation to read through this form before an ordination service, that they might benefit all the more from the instruction they will receive during the ordination service.

Congregation of Jesus Christ, the Council has made known to you the name of our brother _________, who is now to be ordained to the ministry of the Word and sacraments (or: installed in the ministry to which he has been called).

The form begins by naming the “brother” to be ordained, because the United Reformed Churches of North America (URCNA), in keeping with the teaching of the word of God and the ancient practice of the Christian church, ordain only men to the office of Minister of Word and Sacrament. This is far from a universal practice today and definitely founded upon counter-cultural claims God’s work makes about the very nature of God’s creation and our humanity. God’s word clearly teaches that we are created “in the image of God,” “male and female.” Men and women thus equally reflect the image of God, and share in equality of nature (Genesis 1:26-27), but not without a diversity of callings and roles that is taught throughout scripture.

It is far outside the scope of this blog post to fully address the many issues related to gender, but it is important to reflect on how these issues are reflected in a church’s practice and teaching about ordination. It is important to note that the biblical teaching about the ordination of ministers throughout teaches that men are uniquely called to this office, and the bible furthermore teaches that this diversity of callings within the church is grounded in the creation order itself (1 Timothy 2:8-15). While many women played a crucial role ministering to the Lord during his earthly ministry (Mark 15:41) and served as the first witnesses to the resurrection (Mark 16:7), Christ called twelve men to serve as his Apostles (Mark 3:13-14). Paul’s teaching in 1 Timothy clarifies that this is not merely due to the cultural biases of his time, but is grounded in the creation order itself.

While many in our age may disagree strongly with our practice, we are convinced that we must submit to the clear teaching of the Word of God on this matter. Furthermore, we should not abandon lightly this teaching of Christ and the Apostles which has been the longstanding practice of the church.

Note that a minister is only “ordained” once. When he takes up the office of Minister in a new church, he is “installed” in that office. This form is used for both of those services.

The Holy Scriptures teach us that Christ Jesus gathers, protects, and preserves for Himself a church out of the corrupt race of men for life eternal and gives to His church such teaching and care that she may grow in faith, love, and service. For this work, Christ, by a particular grace, uses men, appointing them to the preaching of the gospel and for the building up of His body. The apostle Paul solemnly charged Timothy to “preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2), and our Lord Jesus charged His disciples to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19–20). The apostle Paul declares that the Lord Jesus Christ has given “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12). For this reason, the church has recognized the distinct office of the minister of the Word.

The work of ordination is the work of Christ himself. It is his work of growing and building the church, which is uniquely the place of his saving activity in this fallen world. So our understanding of ordination is first grounded upon our understanding of the church itself. For a fuller appreciation of what we confess about the church, see our Belgic Confession, Articles 27 – 35).

A man may not and cannot set himself apart from this work. Because ordination is Christ’s work, it is not merely the work or credential of the man being ordained. Rather, Christ is through the church making a “solemn approval of and attestation to a man’s inward call, his gifts, and his calling by the church” (Book of Order, XX.2, Orthodox Presbyterian Church).

The URCNA, along with most Reformed churches which had their roots in continental Europe, understand the Minister of the Word to be a distinct office from Elder, as opposed to a “Teaching Elder” that is a subset of this office. While this is not a major difference, it is reflected in our form.

The minister of the Word is called by the command of God to preach the gospel of His kingdom. This preaching has the twofold object of calling sinners to reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ and nurturing believers in the faith and life of the kingdom of God. Ministers are called “ambassadors for Christ,” as though He were pleading by them, “Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20). Therefore, this preaching must be addressed to all people. The preaching of the gospel must especially be addressed to the gathered congregation for the nurturing of Christian faith and life and for strengthening them against all error. Paul charged Timothy “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus …: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:1-2). And he charged Titus that a minister “must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). The minister of the Word is called to administer the sacraments which the Lord has instituted as signs and seals of His grace. Christ gave this charge to His apostles, and through them to all ministers of the Word, when He commanded them to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19), and when He said of the Lord’s Supper: “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11:24-25). The minister of the Word is called to the service of prayer. In speaking of their calling, the apostles say, “We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). So, too, it is the calling of all God’s ministers to lead the people of God in “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings … for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

The first calling of the minister is to preach to the gospel of the Kingdom, which has a twofold object. The minister must address sinners outside the church, calling them to faith in Christ and reconciliation with God. Further, the minister must nurture believers In their faith and life in the Kingdom.

As suggested by the title of this office, “Minister of Word and Sacrament,” the minister is also called to administer the sacraments. The Apostles were commanded to baptize and to “do this in remembrance of me” with regard to the Lord’s Supper. John Calvin called the sacraments “a visible word,” and their administration is the special charge of the minister because the sacraments depend upon the preaching of the word. They cannot be celebrated apart from the ministry of the word, and the proper celebration of the sacraments entails the instruction of the Word. They are Christ’s sacraments, and therefore, to be administered by his ministers.

Finally, the minister is called to prayer. This includes both prayer for God’s people and the leading of prayer with God’s people. The pastoral prayer, though sadly a fading practice in the Christian church, is a crucial ministry of Christ among his people here at Christ Reformed Church.

The minister of the Word is called, together with the elders, to shepherd the people of God in their Christian life, giving guidance and counsel in all that they need, exhorting them to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), and keeping the church of God in good order and discipline. They are pastors, appointed to shepherd the church of Christ, which He purchased with His own blood, in keeping with the Lord’s command: “Feed my lambs.… Feed my sheep” (John 21:15,17). They, together with the elders, watch over the house of God for the right and fruitful ordering of the faith and life and worship of the people of God. In their exercise of the keys of the kingdom, what they “bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,” and what they “loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18:18).

While all believers have a duty and obligation to care for one another in the church, the body of Christ, ministers along with elders have a special obligation to do so. They must know their sheep, their needs, their burdens, their weaknesses, so they may care for them faithfully. They also exercise the keys of the kingdom, with discipline being one of the marks of the church (Belgic Confession, Article 29). When the minster spreads the Lord’s table for a member of Christ’s church, he is publicly affirming that this individual believer is, according to their known doctrine and life, a child of God and a member of the body of Christ.

At this point, the Ordination Form provides different paragraphs for different offices unto which ministers may be ordained:

As a pastor of an established congregation
A foreign missionary
A home missionary (or church planter)
A teacher of theology (in a theological school or seminary)
Someone called to another task, such as a chaplaincy

Here we will look at the portion of the form dealing with a man called to pastor an established congregation.

We now proceed to ordain [or: install] brother _______ as a minister of the Word and sacraments in this congregation. We rejoice that the Lord Jesus, in His faithful love, has provided a minister to serve as pastor and teacher to this people, and also as their leader in the missionary calling of this church. We receive this servant of our Lord from the hand and heart of the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. We are grateful that our Savior has committed preaching, teaching, and pastoral care to the office of the minister of the Word, and that He will continue to use sinful men for such high and holy purposes until the day of His return.
No one is able to fulfill this holy ministry in his own strength; therefore, we set our hope on Jesus Christ our Lord, who said: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

I love how we are reminded yet again that the minister is received “from the hand and heart of the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.” Furthermore, ministers are sinful men. Their ordination does not reflect superhuman piety or gifting. They are members of the body of Christ, like every other believer, but they have been called and set apart for a special task. Ministers are like the Levites in the Old Testament, who didn’t receive an inheritance in the land — that is, a common calling of farming and laboring in the world — but rather were set apart to guard and keep the temple and worship of the Lord.

Now, in order that it may appear that you, ______, are willing to accept this office, you are requested to stand, and in the presence of God and His church give your answer to the following questions:
1. Do you believe that in the call of this congregation you are called by God Himself to this holy ministry?
2. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice, and do you reject every doctrine in conflict with them?
3. Do you promise to discharge the duties of your office faithfully, to conduct yourself worthily of this calling, and to submit yourself to the government and discipline of the church?
Answer: I do so believe and promise, God helping me.

The ordinand here publicly testifies of their personal agreement with the call of God in and through the call of the congregation. In speaking of the call to ministry, we distinguish between the subjective call and the objective call. A minister’s call isn’t merely a feeling he has of a personal purpose and opinion of his own gifts. Indeed, a call isn’t real until it is received “in the call of the congregation.”

Furthermore, the ordinand indicates their agreement with God’s word and rejects all doctrines in conflict with them. URCNA Church Order Article 6 makes clear that at this point in the service, “before the laying on of hands,” the ordinand is to sign the Form of Subscription. Those who sign the Form of Subscription not only commit to teach and defend the doctrine of Scripture and the confessions, they also commit themselves to reject all errors that militate against it. This includes admitting to one’s elders any disagreements with the church’s doctrine which may arise at any time and submitting honestly to the review of the church.

The officiating minister shall then say (in the case of ordination: with the ceremony of the laying on of hands, other ministers present participating):
May God, our heavenly Father, who has called you to this holy office, enlighten you with His Spirit, strengthen you with His hand, and so govern you in your ministry that you may be engaged in it faithfully and fruitfully, to the glory of His name and the coming of the kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The laying on of hands is not a magical act that transfers power from one individual to another. It is an apostolic practice that symbolizes that the ordination comes not from Christ through his ministers (Acts 6:6,13:3, 1 Timothy 4:14,5:12). Christ’s servants, the ministers in the church, express their agreement and approval of this call, and the qualifications and gifts necessary to fulfill the call. This is why Paul instructs us to “not be hasty” in this act. Furthermore, it reflects the fact that Christ himself is calling this man to ministry through the entirety of the visible church, especially when visiting ministers and elders from other churches are able to participate in the act.

The officiating minister shall address the congregation:
Dear people of God and members of this church, since this solemn act involves obligations also on your part, I ask you before God:
1. Do you, in the name of the Lord, welcome this brother as your pastor?
2. Do you promise to receive the Word of God proclaimed by him and to encourage him in the discharge of his duty?
3. Will you pray that he may, in the power of the Spirit, equip you in the work of advancing God’s kingdom for the honor of Christ our Lord, the building up of His church, and the salvation of men?
To these questions, what is your answer?
Answer: We do, God helping us.

The local congregation has a role to play in the ordination of the minister as well and takes vows to fulfill this work. They will welcome him as their pastor, receive God’s word proclaimed by him, encourage him, and pray for him. Our Church Order stipulates that the Council of the local church can only call a man after having received the advice of the congregation, who therefore plays a crucial role in the selection of their pastor. Classis, the regional body, also plays a role, having examined those who become candidates for a call.

After the completion of the vows, an elder or minister issues a charge to the minister:

Beloved brother and fellow servant in Christ, take heed to yourself and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you a guardian, to feed the church of the Lord which He obtained with His own blood. Love Christ and feed His sheep, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, and not domineering over those in your charge, but humbly serving all. Set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Attend to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching, and to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have. Take heed to your teaching. Be patient in all trials. Be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will obtain the unfading crown of glory.

The ordination service is not only a milestone in the life of the church, it is a milestone in the life of the minister. It is his ministerial birthday. The charge impresses the significance of the call of Christ upon the new minister, echoing much of the language we see in Paul’s letters to Timothy.

It is followed by a corresponding charge to the congregation:

And you, beloved Christians, receive your minister in the Lord with all joy, and hold him in honor. Remember that through him God Himself speaks to you. Receive the Word that he, according to the Scripture, shall preach to you, not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the Word of God. Let the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, and bring the good news, be beautiful and pleasant to you. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Heb. 13:17). If you do these things, the God of peace shall enter your homes. You who receive this man in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet’s reward, and through faith in Jesus Christ, the inheritance of eternal life.

Moderns Christians, and particularly Modern American Christians, are rugged individualists. We don’t take well to authority. The charge reminds us that, while Christ’s yoke is easy, and his burden is light — it is still a yoke. The Heidelberg Catechism’s teaching on the fifth commandment reminds us that we are to bear patiently with the failings of those God puts in authority over us (Heidelberg Catechism, 104).

Finally, the form closes by calling on God in prayer, which includes a congregational recitation of the Lord’s prayer.

No man is of himself sufficient for these things. Let us call upon the name of God:
Merciful Father, we are thankful that it pleases You by the ministry of men to gather Your church out of the lost human race to life eternal. We acknowledge the gift of this, Your servant, sent to this people as a messenger of Your peace. Send now the Holy Spirit upon him. Enlighten his mind to know the truth of Your Word. Give him the ability to make known the mystery of the gospel with boldness. Grant him the wisdom to care for and guide the people over whom he is placed. Through his ministry, build up Your holy church, and grant her increase in number and in virtue. Give Your servant courage through Your Spirit to fulfill his calling against every difficulty and to be steadfast to the end. We pray that this people will receive him as having been sent by You. May they receive his teaching and exhortation with all reverence, and believing in Christ through his word become partakers of eternal life. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Your dear Son, in whose name we pray:
The congregation shall say:
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

Almost all of our liturgical forms close in prayer. Many believers today don’t appreciate the value of form prayers, but they are an important part of our Reformed tradition, and our book of forms and prayers is full of them. There are prayers for use in corporate worship and for personal use in the home. I commend these prayers to you, as they are a rich vein of instruction, and using them with regularity can deepen and strengthen our own prayer life, not to mention serve as excellent training for when we are called upon to pray in public.

Conclusion

Congratulations if you are still reading! The Form for the Ordination of a Minister is not a brief or an insignificant affair. I like to think of our liturgical forms as topical sermons, and it is wise to preach a shorter sermon on this occasion that merely complements the material contained in the form.

The form’s length and the instruction contained in it reflect the centrality of the church and the ministry of word and sacrament in the Reformed tradition. The ordination of a man to this ministry is a great celebration in the life of the church, and a momentous occasion in the life of the minister. It is not to be taken lightly.

Guest User 7/9/20 Guest User 7/9/20

Themes in Psalm 119

IntroDUCTION

At Christ Reformed in DC we have been studying Psalm 119 together on Wednesday nights via Skype. It’s been beneficial to take a deep dive together on an often neglected song cycle. We’ve been listening to a series of chapel messages from Hywell Jones at Westminster Seminary California (my Alma Mater). As our church’s resident Hebraist I have also been reading the Psalm in Hebrew as we have gone through it. I also spent some time reflecting on the vocabulary of these 22 stanzas to produce a small reference for our members for the synonyms for legal words, as well as some others in Psalm 119. This extended time with the Psalm has caused me to see it in a new and better light after some reflection. This has inspired this post, which is a broader summary of the themes which are prevalent in the Psalm.

One of the ways we can grow in our understanding of the Psalm is to look at semantic domains. A semantic domain is a way to group words which relate to one another. For example, a recliner, stool, and a barstool all belong in a broader domain of “single person seats.” That “single person seats” category is a domain with other words underneath it. They all share the commonality that they are words for single person seats, but they also have distinct attributes that make them differ for one another. One of the ways Hebrew poetry works is to use these domains to expand on the meaning of the poem and cause the reader or listener to meditate.

When we see the Psalm through these prevalent word domains we see that God’s word to us in Psalm 119 is bigger than we probably realize. The themes of Psalm 119 can be explored by looking at the words which occur and how they occur in the Psalm.

Word and Law

This is the first and perhaps most dominant set of words that define the poems of Psalm 119. This domain can negatively influence our perception of this poetic cycle. Our thoughts of Psalm 119 are often of an idealized life; or of someone who loves something that we find burdensome. I think our impression of these poems are often entirely law based. We think the message is only “do this and live.” And this conception has kept us from seeing the gospel in the Psalm. We find instead when we read the Psalm that the Word of God is not only law, but also gospel:

On two occasions, (vv. 18 & 27) we find the word niplāɂôt translated as “wondrous works” or “wondrous things.” In the first instance the wondrous things are in the Torah, the law as we often translate it. And in the latter it is parallel to the “precepts.” Now these wondrous works are things like the miraculous plagues on Egypt (Ex. 3:20) or to the exodus itself, (Judges 6:13, Micah 7:15, & Neh. 9:17).

Now why would I mention these wondrous works? Well the first thing to note is that the Word of the Lord in Psalm 119 is not just a list of rules. But also recounting the miraculous deliverance that God makes for his people. The declaration and praise God’s word is not only praise of requirements.

Another way we see this is the word ɂimrāh translated as “promise” or “word.” Half of the occurrences of this word are in Psalm 119. It is not the usual way to say “word.” It mostly refers to God’s word in the bible with only a handful of exceptions. In Psalm 119 it is always God’s word.

We see it in three ways, in some verses it isn’t clear from context if requirement or promise is in view, and perhaps one can view these as just invoking revelation in general (vv. 11, 38, 123, 140, 148, & 162). In other places it is very clear that this word is “kept” by behaving correctly, (vv. 67, 133, 158, & 172). In these verses it is often translated “word” instead of “promise.” Lastly, there are the verses where one see that God’s word is the object of trust, or petition, (vv. 41, 50, 58, 76, 82, 116, 154, & 170). In these uses God’s word is a comfort, it gives life, it is something to which the Psalmist can cling; to which we can cling.

These words about God’s revelation fit together in covenant. On the first level, a covenant with God, imposed by God and his messengers, is revelation of God. In the Mosaic covenant we see God’s standard revealed. We see the standard to which he holds all men in the Ten commandments.

But also, in this covenant the beginning and the end is God’s saving action. This parallels the history of Israel, God saves his people in the Exodus, and this is the people whom he brings to Sinai. He first reveals himself as their saving God, then he gives them another covenant, with requirements and sanctions (as a type of the covenant of works). And the works aspect of the covenant is not something his people can keep, so in that covenant he promises a second Exodus (cf. Deut. 30:1-10),

If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. And the LORD your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
DEUT. 30:4-6

This is only an excerpt, but we see that the Exodus and the conquest form the pattern for future action of God to deliver his people again.

Recently when teaching on the covenant of works, I used the metaphor of Adam and Israel’s story rhyming. Israel is given the land, not salvation itself but types of it, conditionally. A condition they can’t keep. This is why there is need for a second Exodus, because the covenant is breakable. You can think about Jeremiah 31, the difference in that passage between the New Covenant and the Old (Mosaic) covenant is conditionality. The Mosaic gift of the Land is conditioned on Israel’s obedience, the gift of Salvation in Christ is a free gift (Rom. 5) based on Christ keeping the conditions of the law (Gal. 4:4).

Covenant put in proper perspective that God’s revelation comes to us as both Law and Gospel. Covenant theology also shows us how Law and Gospel relate. The law drives us to Christ, to God’s action to save us. We cannot save ourselves. The Psalmist recognizes this and finishes his cycle, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments” v. 176. It is the action of the God who seeks that he hopes in, that God will seek out his servants according to his promise.

At the same time the “good life” is firmly for the Psalmist the life of following God’s law. This aspect is what we will discuss in the next section.

Path and Way

The idea of law and rules have an associated metaphor; the idea of being on a road. That our behavior is a road on which we travel. Or even broader, that our lives have a direction and a path that we set them on by our choices. Another way to say this is that we are pilgrims, travelers. Jesus himself uses this imagery in Matthew 7,

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
MATT. 7:13-14

Psalm 119 reminds us that we are on a way. One way or the other. Every morning we wake up and out feet take us somewhere. Jesus reminds us that the path is difficult and small that leads in the direction of life. Psalm 119 reminds us that our path is illuminated by God’s word (v.105). The way of life, the way of following Jesus, is hard but we can see it clearly in God’s word. It points us to Jesus.

There are three roads in Psalm 119, God’s (v. 3), the psalmist’s (v. 5), and false roads (v. 29). The psalmist reminds us that he is torn between the false way and the way of God (vv.37 & 101). Surely here is an image with which we can sympathize. We certainly feel the pull between mortification and vivification, between the way of the flesh and that of the Spirit. We may be uncomfortable with the language of the law being “the way.” After all isn’t Jesus the way? My old Seminary professor J. V. Fesko might be able to square this circle for us,

The law in its normative use is not the actual road upon which we travel, but the guardrails on either side of the road. The road on which we travel is Christ. Like guardrails, the law shows us where the path of righteousness lies and keeps us traveling on it.
J. V. FESKO, GALATIANS, LECTIO CONTINUA COMMENTARY SERIES, ON GAL. 3:19-22.

Christians know that ultimately the “word” which is a lamp is Christ. Christ who is the way in which we walk. Christ is the one who gives us his righteousness as a new creation, a new man (Col. 3; 2 Cor. 5:16-21). One of the ways we see Christ in the Psalm is that he is the Word, he is the sinless savior who perfectly loved and kept God’s law for us. The law shows us what it looks like to conform to Christ. The “guardrails” of the law show us the edges of the way which is Christ, who perfectly kept the law.

When we see the way of God in Psalm 119 we know that we are seeing Christ concealed in the Old Testament. He kept the law, he did not stray like the Psalmist. In another manner when the Psalmist struggles or desires to follow one path and not the other we are seeing the fight between the dying old man and the life of the new man in Christ.

Lament and Persecution

Perhaps most surprising to those of us who have an idealized picture of Psalm 119 is to see the language of lament and persecution in Psalm 119. We can remove the humanity from the Psalmist if we think that the Psalm is solely, only, a praise of God’s Law. We disconnect it from our human experience. We will be surprised to find that often the Psalmist praises and petitions God from the standpoint of affliction and persecution. Often for the Psalmist’s love for God’s word, he is persecuted.

The Psalmist loves God’s word in the midst of affliction. In fact it is the promises and word of God that is a comfort to the Psalmist. Think about vv. 114-116,

You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.

Depart from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commandments of my God.

Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,
and let me not be put to shame in my hope!
PS. 119:114-116

Evildoers are around the Psalmist and he hopes in God’s word, God’s words of promise and comfort. The Psalmist finds God’s word a hiding place, and fortress protecting him from evildoers. He finds the promise of God as a shield that protects him from assaults of the world. That is why he loves God’s word, it comforts him in the midst of the turbulence of life. In a world that seems to not work as it should, in a broken world the Psalmist understands that a promise from God is firm. That he can bank his whole well being on the foundation of God’s word.

Or consider these verses from Psalm 119,

The wicked ones set a snare for me
And from your precepts I have not strayed.

I inherited your testimonies forever
for they are joy for my heart
PS. 119:110-111—(translation mine)

We see that the Psalmist is being hunted, they’ve set a snare. They are luring him into danger. But he sees clearly the path he should take, he doesn’t stray. The way is hard, persecution is making it harder, but he knows the way to go.

These verses remind me of the story of Daniel. Daniel was trapped by other officials. They exploited his convictions against idolatry. They set a snare by making Daniel choose between faithfulness to his God and to the country he served. Ultimately Daniel is sentenced to the lions den for not committing idolatry. God preserves Daniel in this story. Ultimately, we know that even if God does not shut the mouth of the lions in this world, the fangs of death have been removed by Christ (Isa. 25, 1 Cor. 15).

Returning to the Psalmist, his love for God’s word isn’t conditioned by blessing but refined by trials and persecutions. He isn’t living in some unreal world where he gets everything he wants because of his love for God’s word. Instead, he lives in a dangerous world, with the world, the flesh, and the devil trying to lead him down the path that ends in destruction. This is the real world, our world, and in this world we too have the joy of the testimonies, the word of God’s salvation.

These testimonies, refer to the stipulations of a covenant. The psalmist inherits an eternal relationship with his creator. This document, these provisions, though they may seem distant, are a joy to the Psalmist. These testimonies are written down and they are the Psalmist joy in the midst of trials. We too can point to God’s work in Christ, to the new covenant and our place in it in Christ as our source of comfort and joy, and this new covenant has testimonies written for us in a New Testament (or another translation, a new covenant).

Priesthood and Ritual

One of the things we discussed a bit in our study of Psalm 119, was the lack of any priestly language. Instead of seeing the psalmist write about keeping the temple, in his Psalm the laws and word of God are kept. Instead of bringing offerings of rams and sheep, there are freewill offerings of words:

Please accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Yahweh
and your judgements, teach me.
PS. 119:108—(translation mine)

The offerings that the Psalmist offers God are words. In response to the sure words of God the Psalmist offers his words. A freewill offering is something you offer as thankful praise, after freely fulfilling an obligation like a vow. It is gratefulness to the Lord for his care and provision. Out of the thankfulness of the Psalmist’s heart words overflow in praise.

Another time we see such praises is in the final stanza,

My lips will gush Psalms
for you teach me your statutes

My tongue will sing your word
for all your commandments are right.
PS. 119:171-172—(translation mine)

Ultimately the Psalmist’s thankfulness overflows with singing and declaring God’s word. Because the Lord taught him, for the Lord taught him commandment which are right.

Some translations obscure the force of these verses, in v. 171 the word is the same as the title for the “Psalms.” And in 172, the tongue sings God’s word. There is no indication that the Psalmist is singing “about” God’s word, or “of” God’s word. These Psalms where made to be used in the Old Covenant people of God and they continue to have their home in the worship of God’s new covenant people. These Psalms are our words of prayer, praise, lament, confession words that we, like the Psalmist, can sing back to God.

Instead of the sacrificial system, the psalm is focused on the word. Surely God’s word contains instructions for the temple and sacrificial system; the sacrifices are a crucial part of the teaching of that word. But, it is not the focus here, the Psalmist is appealing directly to God to keep him from straying, the Psalmist understands that the temple, and the sacrifices pointed him to his relationship with the God of Israel.

This song cycle of Psalm 119 is placed between two collections that are focused on sacrifice and temple. Before Psalm 119 there are the Hallel Psalms (113-118), associated with Passover. After Psalm 119 begin the Psalms of Ascent (120-134). Passover features the sacrifice of a Lamb, and a meal remembering God’s salvation in the Exodus. The Psalms of ascent are pilgrimage Psalms for approaching the temple.

Yet, Psalm 119 at very best has allusions to these realities. One possibility is that this Psalm was written when the types were taken away, the temple destroyed, and Judah was exiled. There is great comfort in a record, a contract, with the true God. How much more would someone exiled cling to the word, when the types were taken away. In fact from history we know that synagogues developed as places for study of the Hebrew Scriptures. The word was a great comfort and source of identity for the Psalmist. As it should be to us, we have the much fuller word in Christ. We should cling to the pages in which Christ speaks to us, and speaks “Do not be afraid.”

Zacharias Ursinus, one of the authors of the Heidelberg Catechism once commented on Q&A 1,

The design is, that we may be led to the attainment of sure and solid comfort, both in life and death. On this account, all divine truth has been revealed by God, and is especially to be studied by us.
URSINUS, ZACHARIUS, COMMENTARY ON THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM. LORD’S DAY 1, QUESTION 1.

Conclusion

This word of comfort is plentifully contained in Psalm 119, we see it revealed to us in the Word. We see the path our savior walked, the narrow way, in the words of the law. We see that in the midst of persecution, we can lament this persecution but also trust in the promise of God to deliver us in Christ. This promise is a great comfort in the midst of our own broken lives, full of lament. God is always near to us in his word, even as we live as “elect exiles” in this world (1 Peter 1:1). On our pilgrim journeys to a better country we can trust that Christ is near to us in his word, and that it testifies to us no one loves us more than he (Belgic Confession 26). Nothing else could motivate us towards clinging to this word and following Christ but gratefulness for such a great savior.

Guest User 7/1/20 Guest User 7/1/20

Christian Meditation

On June 24, we launched a new Wednesday Night study through Christian Meditation, by Edmund Clowney. This study follows on our recent in-depth study of Psalm 119, and compares and contrasts the biblical call to “meditate day and night” on the law of God (Psalm 1).

Clowney introduces his study by explaining to us how transcendental meditation and eastern religious and philosophical thought are a challenge to the Christian church. The book was first published in 1977, when eastern religious thought and meditation in particular were somewhat new on the American scene. As a result, the language he uses to describe meditation might seem somewhat dated. But the concepts he addresses are as timely as when Clowney wrote, especially in our age when meditation has morphed into “mindfulness” and become a widely adopted strategy for healthy living.

The strength of Clowney’s book is in recognizing that properly understood, meditation as contemplation is fundamental to biblical faith. He charts three vectors on which Christian meditation differs from its Eastern imposter: truth, love, and praise.

Christian meditation is grounded in the truth of God… it responds to the love of God… The truth and love of God lead us to worship him; Christian meditation is an exercise in praise.
CHRISTIAN MEDITATION, P. 12

This is a short book of under 100 pages, but by developing our understanding of Christian meditation, it helps us to engage more fruitfully with the great book of meditation and praise found at the center of our Bibles: The Psalter. As a Reformed church deeply anchored in the Christian tradition of psalm singing and committed to giving the psalms the primary place in our sung worship, we are looking forward to spending time with Edmund Clowney’s book.

Our Wednesday study meets at 7:00 pm in an elder’s home in Alexandria, Virginia. We also welcome participation via Skype for those members of our community who may not be able to join us in person.

Guest User 12/11/19 Guest User 12/11/19

Preaching Through the Athanasian Creed

A weekly Catechism Service is a distinctive practice of our church, during which we teach what we confess in our creeds and confessions. Currently, we are teaching a brief series on the Incarnation in the Athanasian Creed.

To listen to the sermons in this series you can click here or you can visit the series page at SermonAudio.

Guest User 12/10/19 Guest User 12/10/19

Preaching Through the Gospel of Mark

In Spring of 2019 we began preaching through the Gospel of Mark. We are seeking to echo Mark’s rapid pacing and spare style by moving rapidly through the book, and preserving Mark’s relentless focus on identity of Jesus Christ and his work at the cross.

An archive of our Mark sermon series can be found here on our website, or on our sermon audio page.