Parish Presbyterian Church

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  2  For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,  3  if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.  4  For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be f...

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. Key Words:...

In Matthew 16 Jesus tells His disciples, "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." The Christian walk is not easy —as Paul writes to the Corinthians, we are afflicted in every way, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. The Christian life requires us to continually lay down our lives in order to become more like Christ. We must take up Christ's cro...

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4...

In this morning's sermon text, Paul continues his contrast between the Old and New Covenants. Because of Jesus's coming, the veil that Moses used to hide the evidence of God's glory is removed (v. 16), and we can behold the glory face to face (v. 18). But we don't merely see it, we are transformed to be like it. This imagery of veils and faces can be found in many of the hymns we sing this morning...

At the beginning of 2 Corinthians 3, Paul presents a series of contrasts: stone and human hearts (vs. 3), the ministry of death and the ministry of the Spirit (vss. 7-8), the ministry of condemnation and the ministry of righteousness (vs. 9), that which is coming to an end and that which is permanent (vs. 11). If the former of each of these pairs, which is analogous to the old covenant, was glorio...

In his autobiography Confessions, St. Augustine recounts how his heart was hard and the things of the Lord were despicable to him. Before he understood the beauty of the Gospel, Christ's work was a stench to him. But when the Lord softened his heart to His voice, Augustine says, "You were radiant and resplendent. You put to flight my blindness. You were fragrant, and I drew in my breath and now pa...

Presbyterian minister Henry van Dyke wrote Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee , an ecstatic celebration of Christian unity, in 1907. He intended the poem to be sung to the melody of the final movement of Beethoven's Symphony no. 9 in D minor, which was itself a setting of an earlier poem by Friedrich Schiller called "Ode to Joy." The Ode uses flowery and somewhat utopian eighteenth-century language to p...

He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it. —1 Thessalonians 5:24 This morning, the Scriptures we read and the psalms and hymns we sing point us to the reliability of God's promises— we can trust that He is faithful to do what He says. The service opens with a Call to Worship from Psalm 111 that declares, "The works of His hands are faithful and just; all His precepts are trustworthy." Bec...

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed… —1 Corinthians 15:51 In this morning's sermon text, Paul continues his theme of comfort by recounting some of his trials, trials so burdensome that he "despaired of life itself." But he urges the Corinthians to set their hope on "God who raises the dead." We face affliction, just as Paul did, but we have his same ho...

Much like last week, the emphasis in this morning's service can really be captured in a single word—where last Sunday it was "salvation," this week it is "comfort." The two readings from Psalm 46, which refer to God as a "fortress" and "a very present help," promise that He will make wars to cease and assure us that we have nothing to fear when He is in our midst. In the sermon text from 2 Corinth...

This morning's service focuses on a simple, foundational theme: Jesus Christ comes to save His people, and to save them completely. Each of our Scripture readings is taken from the book of Isaiah, where the Lord promises to save "all the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 45) and to clothe us with the garments of salvation (Isaiah 61). He becomes a Savior (Isaiah 63) even to people who did not seek Him (I...

The feast of Epiphany (literally "appearance," or "manifestation") commemorates the visit of the wise men to the infant Jesus, and more broadly the revelation of Christ as "the true light" (John 1:9) and "a light for revelation to the gentiles" (Luke 2:32). Light is a consistent theme in traditional celebrations of Epiphany, and you'll find that this morning's service follows suit. The Scripture r...

December 28 (or in our case, the Sunday closest to it) has traditionally marked the observance of Childermas. Also called the Feast of the Holy Innocents, this is a day of remembrance and mourning for the children of Bethlehem murdered by the order of King Herod. Along with Stephen, whose feast day (December 26) is also observed during the week after Christmas, these "infant martyr flowers" are co...

Today's Scripture reading from Matthew recounts the story of the "wise men from the east" who come to Judea to worship to the newly born Savior. Though featured in countless popular Christmas scenes along with Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds and angels from Luke 2, the Magi and their gifts are more properly associated with the feast of Epiphany. But even though it isn't January quite yet, we can s...

Many popular Advent and Christmas traditions come to us from the German-speaking world—the Advent wreath, the Advent calendar, the Christmas tree—and the hymnody of the season is no exception. Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming , written in a monastic community in Trier in the Rhineland-Palatinate, refers to Jesus as a flower much in the same way as the book of Isaiah does ("… a shoot from the stump of J...

In this morning's sermon text from the Gospel of Matthew, an angel appears to Joseph to announce that the miraculous child in Mary's womb "will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). Many of the elements in the service today likewise focus on Christ's coming as a Savior. Our Call to Worship is taken from Zechariah's prophecy in Luke 1 (known historically as the "Benedictus"), in which he...

O come to us, abide with us, our Lord, Emmanuel. —Phillips Brooks Advent is usually observed as a season of confession, preparation, and anticipation, looking forward to the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. You'll notice several added elements in the service this morning: lighting of candles during the Call to Worship, purple accents on the bulletin and the pulpit, and a time of silent prayer fol...

As we come to the end of the church year, it is appropriate that we look back on the year that has passed with thanksgiving. In a season that has certainly presented challenges in our world and our culture, the Lord has nevertheless poured out blessings on us—bringing new faces, new lives, and new opportunities here at Parish. We respond in song, proclaiming that we are a "thankful people" because...

"Justice" is a term that we often hear in our contemporary cultural moment. On social media posts, in high profile court cases, and even in the streets, our nation has been in turmoil over questions of justice. But who determines the standard for justice? Is justice simply what benefits my tribe or interest group? Or is it a shifting cultural consensus? As Christians, we have a different answer. O...

Dr. John Currie (DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) is Dean of Pastoral Theology, Professor of Pastoral Theology, and Director of the D.Min Program at Westminster Theological Seminary. Dr. Currie's academic interests  include expository preaching and pastoral leadership. Dr. Currie has extensive pastoral experience and is an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Before servin...

Today marks the 504th anniversary of Martin Luther's launching of the Protestant Reformation in 1517. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Western church was coming to the end of a long period of forgetfulness, corruption, and turmoil. Similarly, the book of Lamentations presents a picture of a people trusting in their own righteousness— which only brought disappointment, grief, fear, and sor...

As Pastor Grant put it last week, the book of Lamentations calls us to remember, repent, and return to the Lord. This week's sermon text focuses on that middle term—repentance—and specifically highlights the failures of the religious leaders in Judah: "Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions"; "This was for the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests" (Lamentatio...

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. —Psalm 77:11 Much of this morning's service centers around memory—remembering the things that God has done for us, and asking the Lord to remember us in our distress. The service begins with the hymn O God, Our Help In Ages Past (Psalm 90) , which speaks of God's faithfulness throughout history, and moves directly to...