February 21, 2021
Upcoming Events and Notices
This week San Diego Country remains in the highest COVID-19 risk category of Purple/Widespread. The State of California guidelines for San Diego County states that all worship services should be conducted outdoor. And given the challenges of weather and logistics, we will continue to hold our Lord's Day worship service online only.
Please join us 10 AM, February 21, 2021, for worship. You can participate in this week's service via YouTube here. You can find the order of worship and songs here.
You can find the sermon from the February 14, 2021 service here.
Please join us as we read another collection of great books for the year 2021. You can find the list here.
February 21 (Lord's Day 11:15 AM): Please join us for fellowship after the worship service via Zoom: Meeting ID: 879 4595 5692 — for meeting passcode please text pastor Ken.
February 24 (Wednesday 7 PM): Please join us for for "Knowing God" Zoom study. This week's study will cover chapter 18 — "The Heart of the Gospel." Meeting ID: 831 0828 6050 — for meeting passcode please text pastor Ken.
Thank you for your continued support of Grace Fallbrook (PCA). Your loving support makes the proclamation of the gospel and the building up of the saints possible. Please continue to mail in your gifts and offerings to our church treasurer, Bruce Summers. In addition, our church website now features online giving. Please visit the church website and click on "Give" which you will find in the upper left corner of our church's website. When you click on "Give Online Now" button on that page, you will be directed to the PCA Foundation where you can give towards Grace Fallbrook (PCA).
Before We Worship
"I want to feel closer to God." We have all heard people say this. We have also said it ourselves. Indeed, what Christian does not desire a deeper fellowship with God? We all want to be nearer to God. And thus we are grateful that Psalm 73 teaches us what it means to be near God as a way of a contrast.
The psalmist first speaks of those who "are far from you". They "shall perish", for God will "put an end to everyone who is unfaithful". Next, the psalmist speaks of being near God: "But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works." Those who are far from God are unfaithful to him, and will perish. And those who are near God, in contrast, are the faithful ones. And they are faithful because they make God their refuge.
But who seeks a refuge if not those whose souls are hard pressed? Only people who are fleeing from their foes and hardship desire a place of refuge. We usually think being near to God as an experience of ecstasy. Yet those who are near to God are often hard pressed and feel the ache deep in their hearts of unmet needs. They are troubled by their weakness and cling to God as their only refuge. Ironically, these are the circumstances that often make us think God is distant from us. Perhaps we need to learn to think differently. We are nearer to God in weakness and poverty than when we are satisfied with life and see no need to flee to God. Can you see that the hard circumstances of your life are actually your Father drawing you near him?
And, one day, ecstasy will come: "I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works." God does not copy and paste. He is doing something unique and different in each one of his children. And one day, every one of his children will have some unique way of praising God's work. We will praise God eternally for the singularly unique ways he has loved and blessed us. And that is something to look forward to!