Pastor’s Notes – Sunday, September 24, 2017

by | Sep 23, 2017 | Order of Worship, Pastoral Notes, Uncategorized

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.

Please remember Gloria Kling in your prayers. Gary’s funeral will be on Monday at noon at the church building.

Ginger, Lorna, and I will be leaving on Tuesday. Please pray for safety as we travel and for a good visit with Rex and Becca and their family.

We will have two professors from Mid-America preaching for our morning services in my absence: the Rev. Dr. Mark Beach will preach for us next Sunday morning, followed by the Rev. Mark Vander Hart — while in the evening service we will have the Rev. Matthew Barker of Grace Reformed OPC in Walkerton on October 1, followed by Joel on October 8.

Sermon Series
In the morning service, I am preaching through the book of Exodus. After finishing Exodus, I will preach Philemon in October and then Book Four of the Psalms from November-January.

In the evening I am preaching through Lamentations and then Daniel (Joel will continue preaching once a month during the school year).

Lamentations is especially appropriate as we consider the sorrow and suffering of so many in our world — and in our own community. It also has a particularly appropriate connection to the end of the book of Exodus: Exodus 40 tells us how the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle — as the LORD came to dwell with his people. Lamentations mourns over the departure of the LORD — and particularly how the LORD scorned his altar, disowned his sanctuary. Together, both passages demonstrate our need for Jesus — because only in Jesus do we find a temple that God will never disown!

Prayer Requests

  • For rulers and those in authority
  • For the spread of the gospel
  • Missionaries
    • Will Traub (Dundee, Scotland)
    • Jamie & Julia Thornton (Ukraine)
    • Nell (France)
    • C family (that place over there)
    • Bruce and Pat (France)
    • Markus & Sharon Jeromin (Uruguay)
    • Lee & Emma DeHoog (North Africa)
  • PCA Ministries
    • Mission to the World, Mission to North America, Reformed University Ministries, Interchurch Relations, Christian Education & Publications, Covenant College and Seminary, etc.
  • Great Lakes Presbytery
    • Pastor Wallace serves on the Mission to North America Committee (church planting & Reformed University Fellowship)
    • Mark Hanson serves on the Administrative Committee (reading session minutes, stewardship, and nominating members for committee service)
    • Joel Irvin serves on the Candidates & Credentials Committee (examining and overseeing candidates for the ministry)
  • Michiana Area Churches
    • Grace Reformed OPC (Walkerton) — Pastor Matt Barker
    • Elkhart RPCNA (Elkhart) — Pastor Wade Mann
    • Grace Fellowship Church (Bremen) — Pastor Jon Hueni
    • Grace Baptist Fellowship (Warsaw) — Pastor Aaron Hoak
    • Fulkerson Park Baptist Church (Niles) — Pastor Brian Hedges
    • Hillsdale OPC — Pastor Everett Henes
    • New City EPC (South Bend) — Pastor Luke Potter
    • Greater Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church (South Bend) — Pastor Earl Hairston
    • All churches where Christ is preached.
  • Pastor Peter and pastoral intern Joel
    • Preaching Christ faithfully
    • Discipleship and imitating Christ (as husband, father, and pastor)
    • Writing and teaching projects
  • MCPC Elders and Deacons
    • for wisdom in leading the congregation
    • praise for cash offer for the former LaPorte church building
    • Elders: Jay, Mark, Rex, Joel, Stephen, and Jacob
    • Deacons: Hugh, Mihkail, Jake, Dan, Matthew, and Bob
    • That we would be salt and light in our community
  • For those who are suffering, pray both for relief and for grace to endure in the midst of trials hurricanes in the southeast and wildfires in the northwest
  • In our community
    • Patty (Jamie Irvin’s mother) — recovery from transplant
    • Myrle Rowley’s great-grandson, Isaac (leukemia)
  • In our congregation
    • Bob Taylor (traumatic brain injury)
  • Loss of loved ones
    • wisdom that we might always number our days
  • For students, wisdom to prepare effectively for future service
  • Students away from home:
    • Immanuel Deliyannides (Calvin)
    • Olivia Deliyannides (Calvin)
    • Lena Wallace (Bethel)
  • For those who are looking for employment, that God would provide them with gainful employment so that they might provide for their households and be useful in the kingdom of God:
    • Alli Smiley
  • For teachers, wisdom to train students for that service
  • For the Michiana Covenant Academy as we seek to provide assistance to home schoolers
  • For other area Christian (e.g., Covenant, Elkhart, and Granger Christian Schools) and public schools
  • For home school teachers and students
  • For husbands and wives; parents and children
    • Lynns — with Audrey’s transition
    • Longs — living in Germany, Maria’s schooling
  • For those who desire children
    • Irvins (fostering)
  • For pregnant mothers
    • Margaret McMillan
    • Margaret McCarthy
  • For those seeking to adopt
  • For singles, both wisdom to devote themselves fully to Christ’s service and also (for those who desire it) a godly spouse
  • For those preparing for marriage

If you would like a particular prayer request to appear in the Pastoral Notes, please let me know.

Here is the order of worship for Sunday.

Blessings,
Pastor Peter

Morning Worship

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

*Call to Worship Psalm 148

Pastor: Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in all the heights!qPraise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!

People: Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created. And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

Pastor: Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and all birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children!

People: Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him!

All: Praise the LORD!

*Hymn of Approach PHSS 188 “Only-Begotten, Word of God Eternal”

Preparation for Confession

Prayer of Confession with Lord’s Prayer (From Psalm 80)
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead your people like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Stir up your might, and come to save us! Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! Do not be angry, Lord, but hear our prayer. For we have sinned against you and done what is evil in your sight. We have turned aside from your glory, and have walked in darkness, preferring the lies of the world, the flesh and the devil, to the light of your glorious truth. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved! Forgive us for our sins, through the blood of the righteous one, Jesus Christ, and grant to us your Holy Spirit, that we might more and more die unto sin, and live unto righteousness, through him who loved us and gave himself for us, even our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”

Declaration of Pardon

*Hymn of Praise Psalm 29 “Now Unto the LORD”

*Offertory Prayer

Offering

*Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise him all creatures here below! Praise him above, ye heavenly hosts! Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Amen

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…”

Old Testament Reading Exodus 38:21-40:38 (p. 60)

*Psalm of Response Psalm 68 “God Shall Arise” (stanzas 1, 2, 5, 7, 9)

New Testament Reading Matthew 17 (p. 1008)

Sermon “The Glory of the LORD” – Pastor Peter Wallace

1. The Records of the Tabernacle (38:21-31)

2. “As the LORD Had Commanded Moses”: Making the Priestly Garments (39:1-31)

  • The Ephod (v1-5)
  • The Onyx Stones of Remembrance (v6-7)
  • The Breastpiece (v8-21)
  • The Robe (v22-26)
  • The Garments for the Priests (v27-29)
  • The High Priest’s Crown (v30-31)

3. “Then Moses Blessed Them”: Final Summary of the Work (39:32-43)

4. The Assembly of the Tabernacle (40:1-33)

  • Tabernacle Before Priest: The LORD Explains the Process (v1-15)
  • “So Moses Finished the Work” – As the LORD Had Commanded (v16-33)

5. The LORD Dwells with His People (40:34-38)

*Hymn of Praise TH 598 “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”

“Now therefore, O LORD, let your word be confirmed…”

Congregational Prayer

*Nicene Creed (p.846)

Lord’s Supper

Exhortation & Blessing

Pastor The Lord be with you
People And also with you
Pastor Lift up your hearts
People We lift them up to the Lord
Pastor Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
People It is right to give him thanks and praise
Pastor prays: It is indeed right, and a good and joyful thing . . .

The Peace

Communion (We use wine as the element commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ. We provide grape juice in the outer ring for those who conscientiously abstain from wine.)

Prayer of Thanksgiving (From Martin Bucer)
Almighty, gracious, heavenly Father, we give you eternal praise and thanks that through your holy Gospel and Sacrament, you have again offered and presented to us your most precious treasure: the true bread of heaven and the food of eternal life, our Lord Jesus Christ. Grant, O Lord, that we may receive Him and partake of Him in true faith both now and forever, and so be nourished by his flesh and blood that we may be set free from all evil and increase daily in all goodness, to your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

*Closing Hymn TH 420 “At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing”

*Benediction

Evening Worship

*Call to Worship

*Prayer of Invocation

*Hymn of Praise – Psalm 75 “We Give You Thanks, O God”

Psalms and Hymns

Scripture Reading Lamentations 2 (pp. 531, 810)

Sermon “Grief, Guilt, and the Need for Prayer” Pastor Peter Wallace

1. The Fierce Anger of the Lord against Daughter Zion (v1-8)

  • Cast Down
  • Has Not Remembered
  • Swallowed Up
  • Broken Down
  • Cut Down
  • Withdrawn
  • Burned
  • Bent His Bow
  • Laid Waste
  • Scorned

2. The Distress of the City (v9-12)

  • Her Gates
  • Her King and Princes
  • Her Prophets
  • The Elders and Young Women
  • My Eyes Weep
  • as Babies Die

3. A Lament for You, O Virgin Daughter Zion (v13-19)

  • What Comfort?
  • Your Prophets Deceived You
  • Those Around You Mock and Rail Against You
  • The LORD Has Done What He Purposed
  • So Cry Out to the Lord for the Sake of Your Children!

4. A Plea from Zion for Her Children (v20-22)

Congregational Prayer

*Apostles’ Creed (p.845)

*Hymn of Praise Psalm 79 “LORD, the Nations Have Invaded”

*Benediction

Psalm 16 – ph

by | Mar 12, 2014 | Psalms, Psalter Hymnal, Uncategorized

Psalm 16

I concur with the proposed Sing Psalms text with “Leominster” (as edited by MCPC). I am not familiar with “Stirling” (a recent tune found in the BPW).

Text: Sing Psalms, 2003, alt. MCPC, 2013 (SMD)

1 Preserve me, O my God; you are my refuge true.
2 I say, “O LORD, you are my Lord: I have no good but you.
3 The godly in the land, for holiness renowned,
they are the finest ones, in whom all my delight is found.

4 The ones who chase false gods will multiply their pain,
I will not sacrifice to them; I will not speak their names.
5 O LORD, you are to me my cup and portion sure;
the share that is assigned to me you guard and keep secure.

6The land allotted me is in a pleasant site;
my beautiful inheritance is surely my delight.
7 I bless the LORD my God, whose counsel guides my choice;
and even in the night my heart recalls instruction’s voice.

8 Before me constantly I set the LORD alone.
Since he remains at my right hand, I won’t be overthrown.
9 And so my heart is glad; my tongue with joy will sing.
My body too will rest secure in hope unwavering.

10 For you will not forsake my soul unto the grave,
nor will you leave your Holy One to see the tomb’s decay.
11 The path of life you show; your presence is full joy;
at your right hand, O LORD my God, are pleasures evermore.

Tune: Leominster (George William Martin, 1826; arr. Arthur S. Sullivan, 1874)

Commentary

Psalm 16 is titled, “A Miktam of David.” We do not know what “miktam” means.

Psalms 14-16 belong together. Psalm 14 declares that “there is none who does good.” Psalm 15 declares in reply that some may still dwell in God’s presence. And Psalm 16 shows how.

“Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to Yahweh, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

The first point is that the only way to avoid Psalm 14–the fool who says there is no God, is through trusting in Yahweh. The only way to become the blameless man of Psalm 15, is through trusting in the Lord. All that is good, I owe to you.

And because I take refuge in you, I also delight in your people: “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” In other words, I do not delight in the counsel of the ungodly. I do not sit in the seat of the scornful. I delight to share in the communion of saints–the fellowship of God’s people. Psalm 15 had said that the man who may dwell in God’s tent is the man who despises a vile person, but who honors those who fear Yahweh. Now Psalm 16 fleshes this out: I delight in the saints, but I will not join with those who run after other gods. Therefore, taking refuge in the Lord also means delighting in the fellowship of his church. Worship and fellowship are intimately bound up together. They cannot exist in isolation.

With God as his portion, David delights in the beautiful inheritance that is his. Yes, trials and temptations may surround us, but we must never forget the glory that is set before us. Because the Lord is his portion, the Psalmist declares, “I bless Yahweh who gives me counsel; in the night my heart also instructs me.” The nearness of the Lord brings counsel and instruction. And because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Why is the Psalmist glad? Why does his “whole being” (or glory, in the Hebrew) rejoice? Why does his flesh dwell secure? Because “you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” God had not yet revealed the details of the resurrection, but he gave to David a glimpse of the joy of eternal life. And Psalm 16 shows us that the road to eternal life leads through death. Israel had to understand that the route to glory led through suffering. David sees that Sheol (the grave) is in his future. He knows that one day he will die. But he prophesies that God will not abandon his soul to Sheol, nor will He allow his holy one to see corruption.

Peter understood what this meant. Once Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, and has poured out the Holy Spirit, Peter realized that this was what David was talking about. On the Day of Pentecost (the feast of firstfruits–as all Israel is bringing the portion for the priests and Levites) the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the church. The firstfruits of the Kingdom of God comes upon the people of God. And Peter realized that this meant that Psalm 16 was about Jesus!

The Son of David literally did not see corruption!

“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried and his tomb is with us to this day.  Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.  This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.  Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.” (Acts 2:29-33)

And as Jesus has walked the path of life, as he has been made full of gladness in the presence of his Father, so now you and I may share in his life and in his joy. Jesus has entered his inheritance. And in Jesus, the whole of the new humanity comes into the inheritance of the new creation.

Israel was called to sing this eschatologically. They were called to sing of this future glory in the present. And so are we. We, who live in the last days, who have beheld the beginning of the age to come in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we must keep our hearts and minds fixed on the glory that will be revealed in the revelation of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As you meditate upon the death of Christ–in his suffering for us, and as you meditate upon his resurrection and glory at the right hand of the Father, you must see that his death and resurrection were the accomplishment of the last-days redemption promised through the prophets. And therefore, as you meditate upon the glory that will be ours in Christ Jesus, do not forget that the Holy Spirit is the downpayment of that inheritance. You already have a foretaste of heaven in the presence of Christ.

 

Structure:

The BPW opens its third stanza in the middle of verse 5, which does not lend itself to singing with understanding. The Sing Psalms text allows for greater clarity and understanding of the flow of the text.

 

Translation Notes:

My chief objection to the text that we have adopted is the replacement of “drink offerings of blood” (or “libations of blood”) with “sacrifices,” since it ruins the parallel in verse 5 with the LORD as my chosen portion and *cup.* But given the structural concerns outlined above, I would not wish to use the BPW text.

Many believe that Psalm 16 is not speaking of the afterlife, but simply that God will rescue him and save him from death. The key verses are v9-11.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being [lit., glory] rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption [lit., the pit].
11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Plainly the Psalmist has a confidence that pertains both to body and his soul. God’s holy one will not see the pit. Does this just mean: “I won’t die yet”? If so, then the whole Psalm becomes rather pathetic: “I’ve got a good piece of real estate, and God will let me live a little longer. Sure, then I’ll die and return to nothingness — but hey, I get to have some fun for a while!!”

The word translated “forevermore” (or evermore in our version) is *netsach* — which means “eminence, enduring, everlasting, or perpetual.” It is used 18 times in the Psalms, ordinarily to refer to things that either are (or seem to be) going on forever. If Psalm 16 is simply saying that “perpetual pleasures” are at the right hand of God — but that human can only enjoy them temporarily and then descend into the grave forever, then Psalm 16 makes no sense.

Put simply, Peter got it right in Acts 2 — and Paul in Acts 13 — when they affirm that David was speaking of the resurrection of the Christ. How well David understood this is an open question (2 Peter 1:21 says that prophets did not always understand what they were saying), but we must affirm that Psalm 16 speaks of the resurrection of Christ.

 

Tune Notes:

“Leominster” is used in the Trinity Hymnal with Psalms 16 (692) and 45 (169), “Not What My Hands Have Done” (461), “A Few More Years Shall Roll” (540). It is also used for Psalm 16 in the Trinity Psalter, and for Psalms 25 and 108 in the Book of Psalms for Singing/Worship.

I am delighted that Tim Shafer (professor of musicology at Penn State) has permitted me to share his musical comments from our committee’s work. This is what he said regarding Leominster:

“Leominster is an extended six phrase tune comprising two bar forms (mm. 1-8 a a1 b; mm. 9-16 c c1 d). Throughout the unfolding of these six phrases, the tune presents a slow progression from sedate assuredness to stately confidence subtly tinged with victory.

The opening pair of phrases are marked by the repeated note and slowly rising melody, yet the sequence is down a second. The abgesang phrase (the b phrase) responds with a confident triadic rise, while yet containing the repeated note motive.

The progress of assertion continues with the short c phrases of the second bar structure. Here, dotted rhythms are introduced, subtly cueing strength. The sequence of these two phrases, unlike the first pair, now ascends, and by a third. The d phrase climaxes the tune by continuing the sequence, rising a fourth higher to the tonic in the dotted rhythm and a slow scalar descent to conclude.

Leominster contains significant musical referents that support the affect of Psalm 16 and would make a very good choice of a familiar tune for this text.”

Conclusion

I think that Psalm 16 *needs* to have a really good tune. Leominster definitely has the chops to last.

My sermon on Psalm 16 can be found here.

For a recording of Leominster with Psalm 16, listen here (using the Trinity Psalter’s Yoda-ish text).

– Peter J. Wallace