April 10, 2022
Sunday School
As we have progressed in our Basics of the Reformed Tradition Sunday school series, we have looked at many teachings of Scripture, some that are distinct to our Reformed tradition and some that are not. Recently, we have been considering the doctrine of salvation (soteriology), which is often taught through the structure of the Ordo Salutis (“order of salvation”) and can be summarized in the biblical doctrine of Union with Christ. This coming Sunday we will be taking a look at a related doctrine, the doctrine of the Atonement. What is the Atonement, you ask? A very basic definition could be – the Atonement is Christ’s reconciling of sinful man to his perfect self through his death on the cross by paying the full penalty for our sins so that we are enabled to be in good relationship with the Triune Godhead. Within this broad definition there are a number of important distinctions that we will briefly cover on Sunday morning.
Sunday Worship
What does a changed heart look like? Scripture gives us many examples of people who see the love and glory of God and are utterly changed by it. Matthew 26:6-13 is a portrait of a woman who has seen not only that Jesus is powerful, or that he is an incredible teacher, but that he loves and cares for her specifically. This realization completely upends what she values as important in her life and leads her to show sacrificial love towards him, so sacrificial that it prompts bewilderment and scorn from those who don’t share her love for Christ. Do our lives show a similar shift in our loves? Do our lives prompt those around us to wonder what could be driving us to act so strangely? One of Paul’s statements of his experience of Christ’s love for him is in Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Do we really believe at the core of our being that Christ loves us? Easter is a chance for us to remember the love of our King for us, shown in choosing to die in our place.
This Sunday, we will be singing the song the choir sang this past Sunday,
"The Power of the Cross" as part of our worship.
We recommend listening to the recording (linked below) prior to Sunday so that you are familiar with the tune and can worship without the distraction of having to learn it in service.