Parish Presbyterian Church

Light of the anxious heart, Jesus, Thou dost appear To bid the gloom of guilt depart and shed Thy sweetness here. —Bernard of Clairvaux Just as Paul warns his readers in 1 Corinthians 7 to be "free from anxieties," the hymns we sing this morning develop themes of setting aside worldly fears in favor of the rest we have in Jesus' finished work. My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less and My Trust Is In Th...

Teach us, then, by humble means, whether rich or poor, In times of hunger help us lean upon the gracious stores, Christ our gracious store. —Nathan George In today's sermon text, we find Paul encouraging us towards contentment: "…let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him" (1 Corinthians 7:17). This message is a needed counter to our materialis...

The very first promise of redemption comes immediately after the Fall of Adam and Even in the Garden. There, God declares that the "seed of the woman" would "bruise the head of the serpent" (Genesis 3:16). In the earliest churches, this great promise was artistically represented by mosaics of dragons on floors—upon which everyone in the congregation could step and jump and stomp. We don't have a m...

The palm tree and palm leaves appear again and again throughout the Bible as symbols of integrity, honor, righteousness, holiness, godly authority, and royal glory. The palm was used in the carved decorations of the temple, usually associated with the Cherubim, but also with the regal lion and the flower in full bloom. In addition though, throughout the entire ancient Near East palm branches were...

I hope that over the past five weeks you have enjoyed learning and singing Do You Decree, O Earthly Gods (Psalm 58) . This is certainly one of the more unusual texts in the psalter, in which David details the corruption of earthly rulers who "go astray from birth, speaking lies" (vs. 3), have venom like serpents (vs. 4), and "deal out violence on the earth" (vs. 2). He then pleads with the Lord to...

During our Wednesday night Lententide devotions, we have been walking through passages from the Gospel of John, highlighting not just the details of Jesus' passion and death ("what" and "how), but why He had to die. Likewise, in this morning's text from 1 Corinthians it could be easy to focus on the prohibitions Paul places on sexuality and miss the "why" of the passage: we glorify God in our bodi...

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. In this morning's sermon text from 1 Corinthians, Paul pulls no punches regarding the "unrighteous" who will not inherit the Kingdom. He very clearly names these unrighteous behaviors and lifestyles, even pointing out that some of these had been practiced by the C...

Last week, all of the snow shoveling I had to do gave me ample time to catch up on some podcasts. I was listening to a discussion on worship, in which one of the guests was critiquing certain hymns and songs for excessive use of the first- person perspective. He argued that too many instances of words like "I" and "me" could promote a self-focused or individualistic approach to worship. Glancing a...

This Sunday marks the beginning of the Lenten season, which is traditionally a time of prayer, fasting, and repentance leading up to Easter, observed by Christians since the days of the early church. Several elements of the service have been adjusted to fit the character of this season. We will begin each Sunday by singing What Wondrous Love Is This (reflecting on Jesus paying the penalty for our...

In 1 Corinthians 4:6, Paul gives the Corinthian Christians a warning "not to go beyond what is written." As Pastor Brian preached last week, their foundation was laid on things other than the Word of God. By contrast, every element in this morning's service drives us back to the Scriptures. Passages from Matthew 4, Psalm 19, Isaiah 40, and Psalm 119 remind us of several truths—that we live by the...

Crown Him the Lord of peace, whose power a scepter sways, From pole to pole, that wars may cease, and all be prayer and praise… —Matthew Bridges Amid a long season of intense social, cultural, and political division, it isn't uncommon to hear repeated calls to put differences aside for the sake of unity. I'll confess that this sometimes strikes me as disingenuous. In today's climate, it often seem...

"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth …" —John 14:16-17 This morning's service will place particular emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit as our helper and teacher. Take a look through the bulletin, and notice how many times in our hymns we ask for help. We'll ask for help to sing ("tune my heart to sing Thy grace"— Come, T...

The Scripture passages which open this morning's service set forth two important declarations: that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Psalm 111:10), and that this wisdom is greater than the wisdom of the world (1 John 4:4). This contrast between heavenly and worldly knowledge is at the heart of Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 1 and can be found in several of the hymns we sing as well. In H...

The hymns we sing this morning come in pairs, each responding to a different aspect of Paul's call for unity in the church in 1 Corinthians 1. We begin the service with a vision of the name of Jesus compelling "every heart and tongue" to "join the sacred song" ( To Our Redeemer's Glorious Name ), and close with a declaration that all our Father's works shall bless Him ( Joyful, Joyful We Adore The...

In the opening of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul emphasizes the idea of "calling": he identifies himself as "called by the will of God" (vs. 1) and refers to his readers as those who are "called to be saints together" (vs. 2). This reminder of our identity in Christ, a powerful appeal for Christians to "remember who they are," can be found throughout this morning's service as well. All Hail T...

God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. —1 John 1:5 Light has been a consistent motive found in Christmas celebrations throughout history. From the legend of St. Lucy's candle headdress which enlivens the winter solstice in Scandinavia, to the "star singer" processions of central Europe where children re-enact the visit of the Magi while singing hymns, these images remind us that Christ ca...

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. —Matthew 2:16 December 28 (or in our case, the Sunday closest to it) has traditionally marked the observance of Childermas . Also called th...

One of the joyous difficulties of the Advent season is finding a way to include in the service all the wonderful hymns and carols that we only get to sing during this time of year—an impossible task, for sure. Today, we will get to sing one of the more obscure members of the Christmas carol tradition. Come All You Worthy Gentlemen is also called the SOMERSET CAROL, named for the region of England...

Psalm 24:3-6 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.   Marvel n...

Q. How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet? A. Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by His Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. —Westminster Shorter Catechism Have you ever noticed how many Advent hymns and carols are based on texts from the Old Testament prophets? This morning, we'll sing from Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming , "Isaiah t'was foretold it...

Psalm 23:1-6 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the...

  Psalm 19:7-14 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even...

Psalm 19:1-6 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leavin...

Psalm 2:1-12 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in...

Galatians 6:1-18 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast wi...