The Promise Keeper’s New Year’s “Resolutions”

December 29, 2014December 29, 2014 BigSprings

Ezekiel 36:24-29a (text); John 3:5-8 December 28, 2014 • Download this sermon (PDF) Introduction Congregation of Christ: A recent survey of Americans published these statistics: 45 percent make New Year’s resolutions, but only 8 percent accomplish them—maybe; 47 percent make resolutions related to self-improvement or education, 38 percent related to weight, 34 percent related to money, and 31 percent related to relationships.1 These are not bad resolutions, but what is the focus of all these? It is self: “I will do this thing. And I will do that thing.”…

Christmas Sermons

Our Only Comfort and Joy

December 24, 2014December 24, 2014 BigSpringsConsolation of Israel, Heidelberg Catechism, Isaiah 40, Luke 2, Song of Simeon

Readings: Isaiah 40:1-5; 42:5-7; Luke 2:22-35; 2:29-32 (text) December 24, 2014 • Download this sermon (PDF) Finally, the promised Seed of the Woman, the Offspring of Abraham who would be the Blessing to All Nations, the Prophet greater than Moses, the Son of David who would be the Everlasting King, has come! He was born of a woman, but conceived by the Holy Spirit. Although “in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Col 1:19), because of God’s love for his people, he came down from…

Christmas Church Blog KSYC Program

The Shepherd-King from Bethlehem

December 21, 2014December 21, 2014 BigSpringsBethlehem, Christmas, Good Shepherd, Isaiah 40, Matthew 2, Micah, prophecy, Psalm 23

Micah 5:2-5 (text); Psalm 23:1-6; Matthew 2:1-11 December 21, 2014 KSYC (Yreka, CA) • Download this meditation (PDF) “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days… And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD” (Micah 5:2-4). This Sunday before Christmas we will focus on the little town of Bethlehem and the wise…

Christmas Church Blog Worship

Liturgy for December 21, 2014

December 18, 2014December 18, 2014 BigSpringsAdvent, canticles, Christmas, Luke 1, Psalms, Reformed worship, Song of Zechariah

Welcome and Announcements Coming into God’s Presence * Song of Praise and Adoration: “O Come, All Ye Faithful” #193:1-3 (Brown Hymnal) * Call to Worship: Psalm 148 * Opening Prayer * Invocation: Psalm 124:8 Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. * God’s Greeting: Galatians 1:3-5 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever…

Christmas Worship

A Festival of Lessons & Carols

December 17, 2014December 19, 2014 BigSpringsAdvent, canticles, Christmas, Luke 1, Psalms, Reformed worship, Song of Zechariah

Welcome to our Festival of Lessons & Carols on December 21, 2014 • 12:30 – 1:30 PM. Download this liturgy (PDF) Through readings from God’s Holy Word, we will recount the dramatic history of salvation. We will survey the whole panorama of redemptive history from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2-3, through the promises to the Patriarchs, the Prophets, the Psalms, and to their climactic fulfillment in the Gospels: the Incarnation of the Eternal Word. Finally, we look forward to the return of the God-Man to this earth in…

Christmas Sermons

“To Remember His Holy Covenant”

December 15, 2014December 15, 2014 BigSpringsAbraham, Adam, covenant, Genesis 15, Luke 1, Moses, Psalm 105, Zechariah's Song

Psalm 105:8, 9; Luke 1:72-75 (text) December 14, 2014 • Download this sermon (PDF) Introduction Dear Congregation of Christ: Last Lord’s Day, we began our study of the Song of Zechariah in Luke Chapter 1. Zechariah prophesied that “a horn of salvation” promised by the prophets of old would come to visit and redeem God’s people. This “horn of salvation” is Jesus, the cousin of his yet to be born son, John the Baptizer. In our lesson for today in verses 72-75, Zechariah’s prophecy continues with God sending this “horn of…

KSYC Program

Of Christmas Trees and the Tree of Life

December 9, 2014 BigSpringsChristmas, Christmas tree, Genesis 2, paradise, Tree of Life

Genesis 2:8-9, 15-17; 3:22-24 (text); Galatians 3:13-14; Revelation 2:7; 22:2, 14, 19 December 7, 2014 • KSYC 103.9FM (Yreka, CA) • Download this devotional (PDF) Every Christmas season, we never stop hearing naysayers that Christmas is a pagan holiday, or at least originated as a pagan festival. They argue that December 25 as the birthdate of Jesus was an adaptation of the pagan celebration of the winter solstice called Saturnalia or the Sol Invictus festival to encourage pagans to convert to Christianity. But is this historically true? Many scholars have…

Christmas Sermons

“A Horn of Salvation”

December 7, 2014December 18, 2014 BigSpringsAdvent, canticles, Christmas, Luke 1, Psalms, Reformed worship, Song of Zechariah

Psalm 18:2; Luke 1:67-71 (text) December 7, 2014 • Download this sermon (PDF) Dear People of God: When you hear of horns, what do you most often think of? Of course, you think of horned animals such as bulls, bucks, male sheep, or even unicorns. But Christians also think of a person who has horns, a red cape and a pitchfork: Satan the devil. In the ancient world, horns usually symbolized power, sexual prowess and fertility, so their gods usually had horns. In Egypt, Isis had a headdress horns and…

Schedule of Sermons, Scriptures and Songs for Christmas Series

December 3, 2014July 8, 2017 BigSpringsAdvent, canticles, Christmas, Luke 1, Psalms, Reformed worship, Song of Zechariah

Everyone in the area is invited to join us for a joyful and reverential worship of God the Father and His Son Incarnate on December 7, 14 and 21. December 7: “A Horn of Salvation” Psalm 18:2; Luke 1:67-71 Song of Praise and Adoration: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” #169:1-4 (Brown) Hymn of Confession and Assurance: “Now Blest Be Isr’el’s Lord and God” (Azmon) Hymn of Application of the Word: “Angels, from the Realms of Glory” #340:1-4 (Blue) Doxology: “Angels, from the Realms of Glory” #340:5 (Blue) December 14: “To Remember His…

KSYC Program

Mount Sinai: The LORD Gives His Law to His People

December 1, 2014December 1, 2014 BigSpringsceremonial law, civil law, Law, moral law, Mount Sinai, Ten Commandments, third use of the law

Scripture Readings: Exodus 24:1-18 (text); Hebrews 9:11-22 November 30, 2014, 7:45-8:00 AM • KSYC 103.9FM (Yreka, CA) On Christmas Day, December 25, Hollywood will release yet another movie, entitled “Exodus: Gods and Kings.” Like all Hollywood movies about Bible stories, including “Noah,” “Son of God,” and “The Passion of the Christ,” this movie will be the unbelievers’ and cynics’ version of a Biblical story. Ridley Scott, producer of “Exodus,” speculates that two earthquakes and two tsunamis on opposite ends of the sea, parted the waters. Christian Bale, a big, strong 39-year-old…