Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, who, like me, His praise should sing?
—Henry Francis Lyte
When we become aware of the enormity of God’s greatness—His holiness, His creative power, His faithfulness to rescue His people from troubles and forgive their sins—how are we to respond? Throughout the Scriptures (and throughout this morning’s service)…
Henry Haffner
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. —1 John 1:9
This morning’s service focuses on the terrible reality of our own sinfulness and the incredible faithfulness of our Savior to forgive. The Call to Worship from Psalm 85 declares…
refuge noun
shelter or protection from danger or distress.
a place that provides shelter or protection.
something to which one has recourse in difficulty
(“refuge.” Merriam-Webster.com, Merriam-Webster, 2025.)
As you read, listen, and sing through the worship service this morning, notice how many times the word “refuge” occurs, and…
The Book of Psalms for Worship, published in 2009 by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA), has provided several of the psalm settings we’ve used for this summer’s series. It’s the source of O Lord Teach Me To Follow You—Psalm 27, which this congregation has sung for many years, along with favorites like…
Unlike the previous psalms in this series, which present conflicting emotions and difficult situations, Psalm 29 is fairly straightforward. In this psalm, David describes God’s majesty and power, particularly the awesome creative power of His voice. The psalms and hymns that we sing in this morning’s service follow along the same path. We’ll declare that…
Since we were first planted, Parish Presbyterian has been a church that has prioritized singing the psalms. The section of our worship service called “God speaks to His people through His Word” usually includes at least one psalm, and often we’ll sing several more psalms throughout the morning (this week, we sing from Psalm 32…
In this morning’s service, we’ll celebrate the wonderful works that God has done for His people: forgiving their sins, healing their wounds, and bringing them into His house, even when they were far off. We’ll read several times from Isaiah, in which the prophet declares that “All flesh shall know that [He is] the Lord”…
In staff meeting this past Monday, I asked Pastor Brian if he had any particular insights on this passage from Acts 13 that he would be preaching through this morning. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Well … it’s straight gospel.” Given an audience in the Antioch synagogue, Paul immediately takes his listeners to the…
Whenever the gospel goes forth, it will face opposition—as Jesus warned His disciples upon first sending them out, “you will be hated by all for My name's sake” (Matthew 10:22). Paul and Barnabas experience fierce opposition from false prophets in Cyprus in Acts 13, just as we saw the church facing persecution from the Jewish…
It says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God.—James 4:6-7
Acts 12 presents us with two contrasting scenes: the chapter begins with Peter’s persecution, imprisonment, and miraculous rescue at the hands of an angel, and ends with Herod meeting a swift and violent end after attempting to claim God’s glory…