Worship 

Bulletin: August 26, 2018, Using the New Trinity Psalter Hymnal

  This Lord’s Day, we began using the new Trinity Psalter Hymnal, thanks to an anonymous donor from Immanuel’s United Reformed Church in Salem, Oregon. So I introduced this new songbook with a sermon from Psalm 118. I also discussed the new features and differences with the old Blue Psalter Hymnal during our Sunday School and before the worship service. A few did not like the changes, but Lord willing, everyone will get used to it. Change is always a process. So here’s the bulletin using the new song numbers…

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Good Friday Isaiah Sermons Worship 

Christ Despised and Rejected

  A Short Meditation on Isaiah 53:1-3 March 30, 2018 (Good Friday) · Download this article (PDF) In our meditations this Good Friday, we divided Isaiah 53 into three parts. In verses 1-3, the Suffering Servant is despised and rejected by his people. In verses 4-6, he bore the sins of his people in his sufferings and death. And in verses 7-12, by the will of the LORD, he is crushed but is victorious over his enemies. So let us read our texts for this first meditation: Isaiah 53:1–3: Who…

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Visiting Our Church Worship 

Corporate Confession of Sin: “It’s so ritualistic!”

I’ve heard comments – mostly negative – about our Corporate Confession of Sin in our worship service. “It’s not from the heart.” “It’s ritualistic.” “It doesn’t bless me.” “It’s too Catholic.” To these, I refer to a short post at Monergism.com. Corporate worship, as our local church understands it, is a time of joyful covenantal renewal which includes confession of sin, assurance of pardon, responsive prayers, corporate song, the preaching of the gospel and the covenantal climax of communion in the Lord’s Supper. To be frank, I previously never thought…

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Good Friday 

Joint Good Friday Service

  Big Springs Community Church invites everyone to our Joint Good Friday Service with Montague Reformation Church and Lake Shastina Community Bible Church. Date and Time: April 14, 2017 • 6:00 PM Place: Big Springs Community Church, 7220 Highway A12, Montague, CA 96064 Contact No.: 530.598.7584 The service will have seven Scripture lessons, followed by a meditation and song on each lesson. Each Lesson and Song takes us from an Old Testament prophecy about the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ to its fulfillment in the New Testament.…

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Worship 

Liturgy for December 25, 2016

On this Lord’s Day, which happens to be Christmas Day as well, I’ve incorporated into the worship service a Festival of Lessons and Carols. The service will be the same as our regular service every Sunday, but will have seven lessons consisting of Scripture readings with short introductions to the readings, followed by hymns related to the first coming of Christ. Here’s our bulletin. Click the image to enlarge it.

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Hebrews Sabbath Sermons Worship 

The Necessity of Not Neglecting the Lord’s Day Worship

  Exodus 20:9-11; Hebrews 10:19-25 October 4, 2015 (Big Springs Community Church) • Download this sermon (PDF) Dear Congregation of Christ: The book of Hebrews is a model sermon, just as Paul’s epistles to the different churches are sermons. The Preacher, as the writer of Hebrews is often called, starts with the doctrine of God and Christ. Christ is better than the angels, better than Moses, better than Aaron the High Priest. God’s new covenant of grace in Christ is better than the old covenant under Moses. In this new…

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Worship 

Pastoral Prayer Based on Our Lord’s Prayer

  Today, I used the Lord’s Prayer as a pattern of the long prayer in our worship service. The Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 116 gives us a summary of why prayer is necessary for Christians: Q. Why is prayer necessary for Christians? A. Because it is the chief part of thankfulness which God requires of us, and because God will give His grace and Holy Spirit only to those who earnestly and without ceasing ask them of Him, and render thanks unto Him for them. And this is the prayer that our Lord Jesus…

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