FAMILY WORSHIP SUPPLEMENT MAY 2021 Hymn of the Month Trinity Hymnal #94 – How Firm a Foundation The authorship of How Firm a Foundation is a mystery. The lyrics were originally published in a hymn book collection by John Rippon, but he attributed it to someone with the single initial K. Though the writer of […]
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April Family Worship Supplement
FAMILY WORSHIP SUPPLEMENT April 2021 Hymn of the Month Trinity Hymnal #252 – When I Survey the Wondrous Cross Originally published by Isaac Watts in 1707 as a communion hymn, When I Survey The Wondrous Cross offers rich imagery and a biblical reflection on the death of Christ. The first, second, and fourth verses detail […]
March 2021 – Family Worship Supplement
FAMILY WORSHIP SUPPLEMENT MARCH 2021 Hymn of the Month Trinity Hymnal #75 – O Father, You Are Sovereign The hymn O Father, You Are Sovereign, is a relatively modern hymn, written in the 20th century by an elementary school teacher who wrote hymns as an overflow of her ongoing study of the Word. Her […]
February 2021 – Family Worship Supplement
FAMILY WORSHIP SUPPLEMENT February 2021 Hymn of the Month Trinity Hymnal #302 – Come, Christians, Join to Sing Written by Christian Henry Bateman in 1843, this month’s song was originally titled “Come, Children, Join to Sing” and was written with uncomplicated lyrics and the often repeated “Alleluia, Amen” making it easy for children to learn […]
January 2021 – Family Worship Supplement
FAMILY WORSHIP SUPPLEMENT JANUARY 2021 Hymn of the Month Trinity Hymnal #92 – A Mighty Fortress Is Our God – This hymn, referred by some as the Battle Hymn of the Reformation, was originally composed in German by Martin Luther in the late 1520s. The words were written to be loosely based off of Psalm […]
Introducing: Family Worship Supplements
Spheres of Christian Worship As a church we acknowledge the necessity of individual worship – that you and I are called as single souls to live a life of repentance and faith – and to joyfully marvel in God for saving and blessing us with every spiritual blessing in Christ (cf. Mark 1:15; Ephesians 1:3). […]
Loving My Neighbor – Practically
Planning to Love Our Neighbor In my previous post, I noted that we want to be a church that serves the city of Kalamazoo, not by simply showing acts of love, but by developing a loving heart towards our neighbor which will manifest itself in acts of love. As we ended I challenged us to […]
Wrestling with Hard Passages
Seeking Understanding Jesus’ disciples did not always understand what he was saying. Perhaps this is how you feel sometimes after you read the Bible. As Peter said about Paul’s writings, the Bible can be hard to understand! While the gospel is gloriously clear, not every passage in the Bible is equally clear. So, I thought […]
How to Escape when Entangled by Temptation
Temptations of Various Kinds Every Christian faces temptations of various kinds. They may originate externally from circumstances or spiritual opposition, or they may originate internally from our own sinful desires. The best defense against temptation is to avoid it altogether, which is why our Lord teaches us to pray not to be led into it. […]
From Faith For Faith
Romans 1:16-17 Most Christians are familiar with Paul’s bold declaration in Romans 1:16–17: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for […]