Eucharistic meditation, September 18

Joshua 10:26-27: Afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees; and they hung on the trees until evening. And it came about at sunset that Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, . . . . Continue Reading »

Ritual and Chaos

Frank Gorman says that ritual in Bible is means of maintaining order of world against chaos: “ritual must function as a means of ‘manipulating’ the orders of creation. It is the means by which the categories of ‘order’ and ‘chaos’ can be negotiated. Ritual . . . . Continue Reading »

Eucharistic meditation, September 11

Ephesians 5:18-20: “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus . . . . Continue Reading »

Who may do the sacraments? again

Thanks to Joel Garver for this reference: Charles Hodge points out that LC 158 claims that only those who are “sufficiently gifted, and also duly approved and called to that office” may preach. The requirements for sacramental presidency and preaching thus appear to be the same. And if . . . . Continue Reading »

Who may do the sacraments?

I was asked by the Pacific Northwest Presbytery to explain my views on whether an ordained minister must administer the sacraments, as the PCA Book of Church Order and WCF require. Here is part of my response to those inquiries. My overall position on this is as follows: I believe that it is best . . . . Continue Reading »

Eucharistic meditation, August 28

Ephesians 4:15-16: Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body . . . . Continue Reading »

Communion meditation, August 21

Ephesians 2:14: He Himself is our peace. Jesus is the one who brings peace between God and man. He has reconciled us to God, and brought near those who have been far off. But in our sermon text Paul is chiefly concerned with the peace that Jesus has brought between men. He is our peace, because He . . . . Continue Reading »

Eucharistic meditation, August 14

Ephesians 1:7, 13-14: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace . . . In Him you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy . . . . Continue Reading »

Eucharistic Meditation, August 7

Much of the following is inspired by David Hart’s Beauty of the Infinite . Deuteronomy 14:23, 26: “And you shall eat in the presence of Yahweh your God at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the first-born of the herd . . . . Continue Reading »

Exhortation, August 7

To many Christians, Reformed folk seem more than a little uptight about worship. Calvin left Geneva when the city council attempted to force him to adopt liturgical forms from the city of Bern, even though Calvin admitted he had little quarrel with the Bernese liturgy itself. Puritans made . . . . Continue Reading »