May 27, 2018
Before We Worship
Contentment often eludes us. Well, that is just a nicely sanitized way of saying we are seldom happy with who, what, and where we are. So our waking hours are filled, from the moment we rise to when we go to bed, with misgivings about various aspects of our lives. This sense of being unsettled even disturbs our sleep. Can you even remember the last time you had a good night’s sleep?
Psalm 131 shows David found rest for his soul in the Lord. David’s trusting contentment became the goal for the pilgrims making their journey to Jerusalem. It is also the Spirit-inspired picture of maturity we aspire to.
David says, “O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.” David’s heart, his inner and true self, is not occupied (or preoccupied) with untamed ambition or unrealistic aspirations. This does not mean that David had no aspirations, or that he was simply coasting through life. It means that he has learned to live with situations that defy his understanding, with unanswerable questions. He was, so to speak, comfortable in his own skin.
How so? Note how David describes himself. “But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” A nursing child has a different relationship with his mother than the weaned child. A nursing child looks to her mother primarily as a source of satisfying her immediate felt-needs, such as hunger. But a weaned child is growing into a deeper relationship with his mother. He is learning to enjoy his mother’s company and presence outside of meeting his immediate needs. Whereas a nursing baby could only cry when faced with hunger, a weaned child does not resort to crying as its first response. The child trusts the mother to provide. He knows he is safe in her keeping. Such was David’s contentment in the LORD. He knew he was safe with him. And although he continues to have unanswered questions, he is not driven mad or tortured by them. He waits on the LORD. And he invites others do the same: “O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.”
How, and why, was David so content? How, and why, would we content like him? Simply put, David knew in whom he trusted. Ps 131 builds on the picture of God we see in Ps 130. There we learned he is the God of forgiveness (130:4), of steadfast love (130:7), and of redemption (130:7). In other words, God meets our deepest needs (forgiveness), with an everlasting affection for us (steadfast love), and will spare no expense (redemption). In the end, contentment is not something that happens to us when we are no longer unsettled about life and the many questions that remain unanswered. Rather, we can be content because we know God, before whom all questions are answered.
Call to Worship
‡ Psalm 131 (Trinity Hymnal p. 833)
‡ Trinity Hymnal #692 “To You, O Lord, I Fly”
Trinity Hymnal #731 “Doxology”
Prayer of Invocation
The Reading and Exposition of the Law
2 Timothy 1:13–14 (p. 995)
Prayer of Confession
The Proclamation of the Gospel
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Ephesians 1:3–4)
Trinity Hymnal #691 “It Is Well with My Soul”
The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) — Lord’s Day 21
Presentation of Gifts and Offering
Pastoral Prayer
The Proclamation of God’s Word
John 15:26 (p. 902)
The Comforting Spirit
Rev. Ken Han
The Sacrament of The Lord’s Supper
We participate in the Lord’s Supper weekly. We welcome to the Lord’s Table all baptized believers who have sincere faith in Jesus Christ, and regularly worship in a Reformed or evangelical church.
The Lord’s Supper is a sign and a seal of the new covenant blessings. When we participate in the Lord’s Supper with faith, it strengthens our bond with our covenant Lord, Jesus Christ. Thus we participate properly when we come to our Savior with faith and repentance as we renew our resolve to forsake sin and live for his glory.
The Lord’s Supper also renews our bonds with God’s covenant community, the body of believers in the local church. As we receive the Lord’s Supper, we renew our pledge to give ourselves away in loving service.
During the distribution of the bread we will sing Trinity Hymnal #534 “O for a Closer Walk with God” stanzas 1–2, and stanzas 3–4 during the distribution of the cup.
Trinity Hymnal #607 “Thy Loving-kindness, Lord, Is Good and Free”
Benediction
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Growth Resources
Family Devotion for the Week
The May 20, 2018 sermon was not recorded edue to equipment malfunction. But you can catch up on older sermons from our Sermon page. You can also subscribe to sermon podcast here.
The Shorter Catechism lesson of the week is posted here: Q. 36.
We have some new resources for you at the information table, including several new CCEF mini books, as well as other edifying books. Be sure to check them out!
Upcoming Events and Notices
Every Lord’s Day 10:15 AM: Please join us for Hymnsing, a time of preparing our hearts for worship in praise, and for learning new hymns for worship.
Join us for “12 for 18” as we read 12 great books in the year 2018. For May we are reading “Martin Luther: A Spiritual Biography” by Herman Selderhuis. For June, David Murray, “Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture.” Please let Janny Ligtenberg know if you would like to order a copy of the book.
May 27: (Lord’s Day): The children’s catechism lesson (Qs. 99–100) will meet.
May 27 (Lord’s Day): Come and join us as we discuss “Martin Luther: A Spiritual Biography.”
June 3 (Lord’s Day): The children’s catechism lesson (Qs. 101–102) and the adult Shorter Catechism lesson (Q. 37) will meet.
Nursery Volunteers
(Nursery meets in the Conference Room)
May 27: Yoori Han
June 3: TBA