June 2013

Hymn #334 is our hymn of application this Sunday, and it is a prayer to the Holy Spirit for His influence in our lives. The word “Spirit” in Hebrew and Greek is the same word as “breath” or “wind”, leading to the hymn writer using this figure. The Scripture text in the Trinity is John 20:22, where Jesus breathes on the disciples, symbolizing the gift of the Spirit. Frequently in the Old Testament, the promise is made that one day the Spirit of God would be poured out on God’s people and that the result would be that their sinful natures would be changed andRead More →

Hymn #353 in the Trinity Hymnal is our hymn of the month for June. As we focus on the Lord’s Supper this month, we have selected a hymn that expresses our joy and gratitude at being part of the kingdom of God. The Psalms often praise God for Israel or for Zion or Jerusalem. Sometimes this is phrased as praising Jerusalem itself; Psalm 50 for example calls Zion the “perfection of beauty” and Psalm 48 says that Zion is the “joy of the whole earth.” In one sense this might be disturbing, since on the surface it might appear that the Psalm is praising men,Read More →

Catechism question #60 has always been one of the most beloved questions in the catechism. “Question 60. How are thou righteous before God? Answer: Only by a true faith in Jesus Christ; so that, though my conscience accuse me, that I have grossly transgressed all the commandments of God, and kept none of them, and am still inclined to all evil; notwithstanding, God, without any merit of mine, but only of mere grace, grants and imputes to me, the perfect satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ; even so, as if I never had had, nor committed any sin: yea, as if I had fully accomplishedRead More →

In the Old Testament law, people could offer gifts to God as part of vows that they made. These were usually promises made to God as acts of thanksgiving for some blessing God had given. There were restrictions on what could be offered as such an offering: nothing torn, broken, maimed or sick. They were taught to offer God only their best, as should we. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon says, “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed– Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.” (EccRead More →