Scripture Reading:
#1. You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1)
#2. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered (2 Chronicles 31:21)
Prayer of Praise to God: Refer to the verses above and hymn below.
V1. Hallelujah, praise Jehovah, from the heavens praise his name;
praise Jehovah in the highest, all his angels, praise proclaim.
All his hosts, together praise him, sun and moon and stars on high;
praise him, O you heav'ns of heavens, and you floods above the sky.
Refrain: Let them praises give Jehovah, for his name alone is high,
and his glory is exalted, and his glory is exalted,
and his glory is exalted far above the earth and sky.
V2. Let them praises give Jehovah, they were made at his command;
them forever he established, his decree shall ever stand.
From the earth O praise Jehovah, all you seas, you monsters all,
fire and hail and snow and vapors, stormy winds that hear his call.
Refrain.
V3. All you fruitful trees and cedars, all you hills and mountains high,
creeping things and beasts and cattle, birds that in the heavens fly,
kings of earth and all you people, princes great, earth's judges all,
praise his name, young men and maidens, aged men and children small
Refrain.
Reading of the Law: Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; gas the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:12-14)
Silent Confession of Sin/Confession of Sin: Most High God, we have sinned; we are alien to you; our heads are deceitful and wicked; our minds an enemy to your law. Yet in our lostness you have laid help on the mighty one, Jesus Christ, and he comes between us, our mediator, whose blood is our peace, whose righteousness is our strength, whose condemnation is our freedom, whose Spirit is our power, whose heaven is our heritage. Grant that we may feel more the strength of your grace. Amen.
Reading of the Gospel: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Heidelberg Catechism: Lord’s Day 12
Question #31
Q. Why is he called “Christ,” meaning “anointed”?
A. Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher who fully reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our deliverance; our only high priest who has delivered us by the one sacrifice of his body, and who continually pleads our cause with the Father; and our eternal king who governs us by his Word and Spirit, and who guards us and keeps us the freedom he has won for us.
Question #32
Q. But why are you called a Christian?
A. Because by faith I am a member of Christ and so I share in his anointing. I am anointed to confess his name, to present myself to him as a living sacrifice of thanks, to strive with a free conscience against sin and the devil in this life, and afterward to reign with Christ over all creation for eternity.
Prayer of Thanksgiving: Thank God for all the blessings Christ has won for us.
Prayer of Supplication: Pray for the member of our church using the church directory.
Bible reading and commentary:
Read: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24
Paul, having established the principle that the gospel does not require Christian converts to change their marital status, now applies this same principle to circumcision and human vocation. As a general rule, Christians should remain in the state to which God has called them. The Reformation brought back the principle that all lawful vocations are honoring to God and therefore are legitimate callings.
God has assigned to each Christian an order and manner of living in the world for the purpose of bringing glory to God and serving the common good. This calling includes family roles (wife, husband, mother, father, parent, child), human occupations (accountant, janitor, doctor, nurse, etc.), and even where we live. Our callings are where we daily express our faith in Christ and live out our discipleship.
There are times when it is good to change jobs or where we live, but we must not give up our callings and our God-given responsibilities because of trouble, idleness or “not loving our jobs”.
Paul also makes the point that it is not external matters, like circumcision or uncircumcision, that make us holy or unholy, nor are they a hindrance to our faith in Christ. Faith makes everyone equal before God.
Martin Luther: Callings Are Great Gifts Of God. Age, sex, and callings differ greatly in this life. One teaches the church; another serves the government; still another instructs the youth; a mother busies herself with the care and upbringing of children; and the husband is concerned with providing an honest living. In the opinion of the world these are not very grand and impressive works. But if you look at the Word, that heavenly adornment and divine glory, why should you not act proudly over and against Satan, and why should you not give thanks to God for such great gifts? For these are not bare works; they are adorned with the Word of God, since they have been enjoined on you by God.
From the Works of William Perkins: The common good of all human beings stands in this: not only that they live but also that they live well, in righteousness and holiness and consequently in true happiness. And to attain this, God has ordained and disposed all callings (vocations), and in his providence designed persons to bear them.
Giovanni Diodati was a Genevan-born Italian Calvinist theologian and translator. He was the first translator of the Bible into Italian from Hebrew and Greek sources. From his Pious Annotations: Paul confirms the exhortation made to servants, that they should bear their condition with mildness, finding comfort from their spiritual freedom from the curse of God, sin, the devil, and death ----- all through Jesus Christ . . . [For free persons] are not the masters of themselves, nor of their wills and actions. They are subject to Christ their Lord. So in Christ all servants and other distressed persons have reason for comfort, and those who are free and live at ease have reason to be humble and submissive.
Closing Hymn: The Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen. Amen.
Closing Scripture: Grace and peace be yours in abundance, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (2 Peter. 1:2)
The Lord’s Prayer (together): Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.