What though my joys and comforts die? The Lord, my Savior, liveth; What though the darkness gather round? Songs in the night He giveth. —Robert Lowry Over the course of the previous two chapters, the prophet Habakkuk has cried out to God in despair over his people’s condition. The Lord answers his cry with a vision of judgement, both for…
In Habakkuk 2, the Lord responds to the prophet’s questions with a harrowing description of the judgement He is preparing for Babylon. This passage gives us a picture of God as our judge, lawgiver, and king (Isaiah 33:22), imagery which you’ll find throughout our service this morning. The Call to Worship from Psalm 50 portrays the Lord surrounded by fire…
Over the next three weeks, Pastor Grant will be leading us through the book of Habakkuk. This prophet, like his contemporary Jeremiah, was writing on the cusp of one of the climactic moments in Old Testament history: the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah and the Babylonian captivity. He begins his oracle (what the King James Version poetically renders as…
Many of the hymns we have sung over the past four weeks have had an “Easter” flavor, focusing on Jesus’ resurrection as discussed in 1 Corinthians 15. This week, as Paul brings his letter to a close with some personal greetings and encouragements, the hymns shift focus to our own callings as Christians. We ask for Christ’s love and power…
Jesus came to vanquish the final enemy, death itself—and He must win the battle. He is triumphant over the grave and lives that death may die. He is a mighty conqueror, who overthrows death and hell. We can boast in His death and resurrection because His wounds paid our ransom. Because of His atoning sacrifice, we receive great spoils from…
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. —1 Peter 2:2-3 All through the month of July we’ve been singing a new setting of Psalm 34 (BETHESDA), and I hope the experience has been a blessing. This psalm, written by David…
Reverend Michael Fennema grew up in Chicago, IL in a faithful Christian home. He is a graduate of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. A few years following graduation from college, Mike married his wife Stephanie in 2006. He pursued his Master of Divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL. After seminary training, he had the opportunity to serve…
Here at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul returns to the theme of the bodily resurrection of Jesus: Christ really, physically died and rose again. You’ll probably notice that many of the hymns we sing this morning are associated with the Lenten or Easter seasons. While we typically encounter Christ The Lord Is Risen Today, Man Of Sorrows, Alas!…
In the second half of 1 Corinthians 14, Paul makes a strong case that God is deeply concerned not merely that we worship Him, but also how we worship Him. As our confession states, “…the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Him, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be…
The language of hymnody is filled with imagery related to speech and communication (“speak,” “sing,” “voice,” “tongue,” “mouth,” as well as related concepts like “listen,” “hear,” etc.). In the psalms, we are commanded to sing cheerfully with our voices (All People That On Earth Do Dwell—Psalm 100) and to listen to a mouth speaking wisdom (Hear Me, All You People—Psalm…