May 25, 2025
You can find the order of worship and songs here.
= = =
"Bless me, Lord, bless me." Who among us hasn't prayed this prayer a million times? Now, in so far as we recognize the Lord as the source of every good gift, seeking favor from the Lord rather than others is an act of faith and worship. That said, we should think about why we seek the Lord's blessing.
Psalm 67 begins with an echo of the high priestly blessing from Numbers 6:24–27. The Lord commanded Aaron and his sons to bless his people, saying, "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." The author of Psalm 67 is clearly thinking about these words of blessing and reflecting on what that blessing actually means. Thus the psalmist discovers the reason why we should pray, "Bless me, Lord, bless me."
And the reason is profoundly God-centered and God-glorifying. "May God be gracious to us and bless us … that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations … Let the nations be glad and sing for joy … Let the peoples praise you … God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!" It is the mark of a sound mind to use the things of less value in order to enjoy the thing of greater value. So we use money for the benefit of our family, but do not sacrifice family for the sake of money. That some, perhaps many, people put money before family does not mean they are interchangeable. It rather indicates the people who do that have lost their minds.
That is, sanity — the truest form of it — is to recognize that God is not a means to some other end, someone to be used for the sake of enjoying some other pleasure. Rather, God is the highest end — "the chief end" — and the one who is most worthy of our pursuit. When we pray "Bless me, Lord, bless me," we are seeking his glory and praise. God blesses us so that the nations may discover God's glory and praise him. This is why we seek God's blessing.
= = =
Growth Resources
This year: Please see the full list of 2025 books as well as Bible reading plans on our church webpage.
In May we are reading "Esther and Ruth (Reformed Expository Commentary)" by Iain Duguid..
This week: We are reflecting upon Shorter Catechism Qs. & As. 18–19.
Everyday: Noted pastor and theologian Sinclair Ferguson posts a short reflection every day, each around 5 minutes long. "Things Unseen" cover various aspects of the Christian life, worship, and theological topics in a very accessible and edifying way. We encourage you to incorporate this into your daily life. Please see this page for more information. There you will find links to various podcast platforms as well as YouTube page.
Upcoming Events and Notices
May 25 (Lord’s Day): Please join us for Sunday School lesson from “Essential Truths of the Christian Faith” Ch. 50 “Sin.”
May 28 (Wednesday 7 PM): Join us as we study Exodus via Zoom. Meeting ID: 885 5287 2349 / Passcode: 711992. Also June 4, 11, and 18.
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 visit gracefallbrook.church/give and click on "Give Online Now." You will be directed to the PCA Foundation where you can give towards Grace Fallbrook (PCA).