2023 in Review

Who doesn't love a good year in review? I certainly enjoy seeing everyone's list of favorite books, music, memories, and moments from their year. I even love seeing your Spotify wrapped — though I still don't understand the Taylor Swift thing.

In the spirit of review, I wanted to offer some points of gratitude for how the Lord worked in our church over 2023.

1) Ministry at Ridgewood

2023 was our first full year in the building on Ridgewood Drive. We added 42 new members (!), baptized 14, launched new community groups (with plans to launch several more next year), and gave over $20,000 to missions.

Most notably, to me, however, was the launch of our Sunday night ministries back in January. This was a kind of experiment for us. Could we try some new ways of doing things and see how they go? The elders have been very encouraged by our two semesters of equip classes, RAs & GAs, and our student bible study. The excitement and investment in these ministries have just been so great to see (and, frankly, getting to volunteer with the RAs has been a blast).

2) Men of Ridgewood

Early one morning several months ago, I met one of our pastoral residents over coffee to discuss life and ministry plans. Midway through the conversation we looked up and spotted a Ridgewood guy. We offered a brief greeting, spoke for a few minutes, then let him go. A few minutes later, we spotted another, did the same thing, then continued our conversation. Then another Ridgewood guy came in. Then another. Then another. Over the course of the morning, we saw a dozen other Ridgewood men each coming in to meet with other Ridgewood men at that same coffee shop that very same morning. We couldn't help but laugh.

This was so encouraging to see; men taking the initiative to come together over God's word with other men! This year I have been absolutely blown away by the men of Ridgewood and their appetite for discipleship. From our Greenhouse residents to men who lead as elders to the men in the pews initiating with other men, we have been blessed with godly guys who want to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3:18). One sister said recently about our men, “you guys just make it so easy to follow your lead.” Praise the Lord!

3) Making Merry as Ridgewood

This could be a bit of recency bias speaking, but I was struck by how joyful this Advent & Christmas season was at Ridgewood. I always love this time of year, but this year felt unusually sweet. I loved singing of and celebrating Advent together, I loved getting to tell The True Story of the Whole World, (there's nothing better than getting to revel in the Second Coming on Christmas Eve), I loved our Christmas Eve service, and I personally loved celebrating with my family this year. My 10-year-old definitively pronounced on Christmas morning, “Best. Christmas. Ever.”

But part of what made this year's celebration so different was a sadness that seemed to hover over so many in our body. For whatever reason, we walked through an unusual number of hardships and disappointments with folks at our church this year. We could be tempted to be discouraged by that, to feel like our parties and treat trades were dampened by the sadness. But it actually seemed to make the season all the sweeter. Isn't that a perfect representation of what Christmas is, after all? The light coming into our darkness and the darkness not overcoming it (John 1:4). We are a people “sorrowful yet always rejoicing.”(2 Cor. 6:10) and Christmas is about the triumph of God's purposes over anything and everything the enemy intends for evil.

I was encouraged by the steadfastness displayed by the saints at Ridgewood to make merry even when things hurt this year.

Looking to 2024

As we look to a new year, I'm reminded of Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” We have lots of plans this year: our equip intensives, new community groups, and a discipleship weekend on gender & sexuality. I'm planning to cast vision for discipleship in 2024 next Sunday. We'll teach through 1 Peter over the spring. We're hopeful to expand the Greenhouse. We plan to do all this and more. But we know ultimately the future is in the hands of the Great Author, writing His story. We simply pray the Lord would continue to work in our midst as we labor to make Jesus known in 2024 and beyond.

The following is our prayer for Ridgewood this New Years Eve:

Father, Your Word tells us that Your steadfast love never ceases and Your mercy never comes to an end (Lam. 3:22). So many things end; relationships, lives, years. But not You. Neither Your love nor Your mercy. No, they follow us all the days of our lives (Psalm 23:6). Yours mercies are new every morning and every year! Great is your faithfulness. (Lam. 3:23)

As we reflect on 2023, we pray we would learn from mistakes, repent from sin, and continue to stumble upwards towards You. As we are tempted to fixate on regrets, give us deep rest in Your sovereign hand over our lives knowing that whatever happened this year is in accordance with Your good design for us. Help us fixate on neither yesterday nor tomorrow, but rather faithfulness today, as long as it's called today (Matt. 6:34).

Prepare us for the new year. Give us clarity on who You're calling us to be and the ministry You're calling us into. Give Ridgewood and her leaders wisdom Most of all, make us always people of hope, trusting in Your good, big, wise, sovereign care for us.

May we see and savor those newly minted daily, annual mercies. May Your faithfulness give us confidence to face whatever you have for us this upcoming year. May 2024 be filled with tasting and seeing your goodness in every area of our lives (Ps. 34:8). May Jesus be made known through us.

In the name of the Lord Jesus we pray, Amen.

Happy 2024, friends!

If you'd like to give to support the work of our church, you can do so here.

Trevor Hoffman

Teaching Pastor, Husband, Father, Narnian

Prayer Prompts for Ridgewood Church

On February 20, 2022 we gathered to pray for Ridgewood Church as the sanctuary inched closer to completion. We set up five stations in the lobby, office, sanctuary, stage, and nursing mothers room. At each of these stations were prayer prompts for body, our worship, our leadership, our families, and our neighborhood ministry. We also had the opportunity to write prayers and bible verses on the floor before the flooring was put down.

It is our hope that as progress on the building winds down our prayers will continue. Below are the prompts from each of the stations. Take some time to read and pray through these prompts in anticipation of ministry at Ridgewood Church.

Prayers for the Open Doors of Ridgewood Church

Pray that Psalm 67:1-5 would be accomplished through the work of our church

May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

that Your way may be known on earth,

Your saving power among all nations.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise You!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for You judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

Let the peoples praise You, O God;

let all the peoples praise You!

• Pray that we would be hospitable to all newcomers: the hurting, the lost and unbelieving, the sick, the elderly, and the poor.

• Pray for the neighborhood surrounding Ridgewood. Pray for the 200 homes and 521 people that live in this area and the several surrounding businesses. Pray that we would be eager to show the love of Christ and spread His gospel. Pray for salvations and baptisms!

• Pray specifically for Adam & Courtney Cochran, Andrew Bright, and Jacob and Bridget Ferrell, who each live in this area.

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Prayers for the Work of Ridgewood Church

• Pray our staff and elders would have the heart of Colossians 3:23–24 driving their labor.

  “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

•  Pray for the unity, holiness, and love of our elders (Josh, Zach, Jim, Aaron, and Trevor). Pray they would be godly examples to the flock.

• Pray for the elders’ shepherding and care, that they would be diligent in loving the body of Ridgewood.

• Pray for the unity, holiness, and love of our staff.

• Pray for the staff’s work, to be diligent in planning and executing the different events that will happen on these grounds. Pray for Hannah as she leads our Kids Ministry, Nic as he leads our Worship Ministry, and Jonathan as he leads our Media Ministry.

• Pray for our finances. Pray for Cassie (our office administrator) as she works diligently to keep our finances in order. Thank God for providing the money for this building and pray for our wise stewardship of this money.

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PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE OF RIDGEWOOD CHURCH

Pray that God would make Romans 12:9-13 true of RC.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” 

• Pray our life together would be rich in love, warmth, hope, and forgiveness.

• Pray for our burden-bearing. Pray that we would see and respond to the needs of our church family.

• Pray for our members meetings. Pray that God would use His Holy Spirit to guide our decision-making and that we’d be eager to “outdo one another in showing honor” even as we make big decisions.

• Pray for our community groups and group leaders, that they’d be a place of deep relationships and growth into Christ through the study of His word.

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PRAYERS FOR THE WORSHIP OF RIDGEWOOD CHURCH

Pray that Psalm 100 would be the theme of our worship gatherings here.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

Serve the LORD with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.”

• Pray that the people of Ridgewood would have a deep love for God’s word.

• Pray that we would be a people who delight in knowing God in prayer.

• Pray for our singing, that it would be glad-hearted and full of life! Pray for the logistics associated with sound, song planning, and volunteer scheduling.

• Pray that Jesus – not man, not the pastors or staff – would be glorified supremely at Ridgewood over and above all!

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PRAYERS FOR THE FAMILIES OF RIDGEWOOD CHURCH

Pray Psalm 127:3-5, offering thanks for the blessing of children at Ridgewood.

“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,

the fruit of the womb a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

are the children of one’s youth.

Blessed is the man

who fills his quiver with them!

He shall not be put to shame

when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” 

• Pray for the babies of Ridgewood Church, for their health and salvation.

• Pray for the marriages of Ridgewood. Pray that God would keep them faithful.

• Pray for the fathers of our church, that they would joyfully embrace the responsibility to lead their families in worship of God and would humbly serve their wife and kid(s).

• Pray for the mothers of our church, especially those that are pregnant right now. Pray for patience for young moms. Pray for our mothers as they disciple their children. Pray for our “empty-nester” mothers.

• Pray for the children. Pray that God would use these facilities and our efforts here to introduce many children to the good news of the gospel!

"Then Pealed the Bells More Loud and Deep..."

I was listening to a Christmas playlist featuring the likes of Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash last week when this version of “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” came on. I was struck, for the very first time, by what the lyrics actually say.

The song tells of the lyricist's experience hearing Christmas carols being played on church bells one Christmas day. It begins with the lyricist having a kind of nostalgic moment with the bells:

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

He hears and enjoys that familiar sound and it reminds him of that Great Christmas Pronouncement, “Peace on earth, good will to men.” He seems to be filled with a kind of nostalgia here, commenting on the "old familiar carols” being both “wild and sweet.” I can relate to the lyricist. I'm amazed at how quickly memories of childhood and Christmases of yesteryear are conjured up by those familiar tastes, sights, smells, and melodies.

But then, somewhat surprisingly, the lyricist is moved to despair by those bells:

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

The song was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow during The Civil War. As he considers what's happening in the States during those times, he says those Christmas bells and The Great Pronouncement they evoke are only cause for cynicism and despair. Peace on earth? Good will to men? That's rich. Take a look around! Reality “mocks the song.”

We can relate to that, too, I suspect. Looking around at everything we're so aware of these days, it makes it easy to scoff at any suggestion of “peace” and “good will”; such sentiments feel cheap, cliche, and trite. They only remind us of the harsh reality of how things are.

But watch how the song ends:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Though he sees wickedness and strife all around him -- and though the bells initially only aggravate his sense of how broken everything is -- he remembers: Christmas assures us that God will bring about His peace. God isn't indifferent or aloof to our suffering. No! On Christmas morning, God came to us and announced His intention: to reconcile the world to Himself through Jesus. God will right all wrongs and deliver His happy ending. The songwriter is restored to hope!

So maybe you also find these lyrics relatable.

Maybe your experience of Christmas was primarily sentimental; it was about saccharine songs and cookies and feelings of nostalgia and trying to recreate that perfect Christmas from childhood.

Then life sets in and you find yourself feeling more and more cynical about it all (often in reaction to those sentimental, sappy types). We've become embittered towards the holiday. What use is it singing about joy and hope and love when everything looks like…this? Peace and goodwill towards men? Give me a break. It's all become so commercialized and overdone. Yuck. And every carol you hear just presses the thorn further in.

But, like the songwriter, we then have passing moments where we're moved by “the bells more loud and deep;” it dawns on us that Christmas is the assurance that even in the darkness, the Light of Christ has and will overcome. We're freshly reminded that Christmas marks the beginning of God's eternal purpose to make right all things new, kick-started by that baby in the manger.

When we hear these bells, especially in light of how dark and dreary it all feels right now, let us be moved to merry-making. Not because all is right, but because Christmas tells the good news of all things being one day made right in Jesus.

Merry Christmas, friends!

Trevor Hoffman

Teaching Pastor, Narnian, Living every week like it’s Shark Week

Christmas Readings & Prayers / Dec. 25

HOW TO USE THIS RESOURCE

These posts will be organized around the four weeks of Advent, beginning November 28, 2021. There are five entries per week. Each day, you’ll read and mediate on an opening scripture and you’ll confess your sins with a guided prayer of confession and assurance. You’ll then read a Psalm, a selected Old Testament passage, and a New Testament passage. We’ve provided a question for reflection each day to help identify important threads in those scriptures. The scripture readings are intended to compliment the sermon from the previous Sunday.

We’ll also be reading the Apostles Creed and the Lord’s Prayer each day. Why do this? The Apostle’s Creed reminds us of the essence of our faith. We are believers who believe this. There is power in rehearsing over and over the Good News we’ve given our lives to.  In praying the Lord’s Prayer, we’re praying the very words Jesus gave to His disciples when they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Christians have been practicing this prayer daily for centuries. It’s good for us to pray as the Lord Himself prayed.

We’ve also provided prayer prompts and space for your own personal requests. As important as it is to pray the words of Jesus, scripture also invites us to “make our requests known to God” (Phil. 4:6). You can use this space to record and pray for any pressing issues in your life or the life of our church.

The final entry of this blog series will be for use on Christmas Day and it will be structured like the other days. You could use this the morning of Christmas before opening gifts or over Christmas dinner with your family or in the quiet, waning moments of Christmas night.

These posts are designed either for personal or family use. It’s our hope that the Spirit will use this to turn our eyes towards Jesus during Advent and Christmas, “the Everlasting Wonder” of the Incarnation -- instead of getting swept up in the parties and commercials and gift-buying and schedule-making and cookie-baking (as wonderful as those things can be).

May Jesus be made known to, in, and through The Church at Greer Station!

---

Read & meditate

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!

Luke 2:14

Confession of sin

We are those who sit in darkness, stumbling to find the way of peace. Like ones who lost faith while waiting for a promised king, we have forgotten your promises. We have groaned and grieved, believing that the holy covenant has somehow vanished. In the dark before the dawn, Christ, we struggle to live as children of light. We believe. Father, help our unbelief.

Because of the tender mercy of our God, the sunrise has come from on high. He gives light to those who sit in darkness; who sit in the shadow of death. Blessed be the Son who has shone his heavenly light upon us. You are the morning star, spoken of from old, shattering the night sky before lowly shepherds, and giving sight to those who were blind to their path of destruction. Blessed be the Son who has visited and redeemed his people, and who will return and redeem his people forevermore.

Written by Sarah Gilliam

ASsurance of pardon

To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:12-13

scripture reading

Psalm 46 / Isaiah 9:1-7 / Luke 2:1-20 / How does Jesus bring peace?

RECITE THE APOSTLE'S CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

      He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

      He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

      He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.

      He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

      He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

 I believe in the Holy Spirit,

      the holy catholic* Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the

resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

PRAY THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven,

      hallowed be thy Name,

      thy kingdom come,

      thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

      as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

      but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

      and the power, and the glory,

      for ever and ever. Amen.

Personal Prayer

• Petitions (requests for yourself – work, decisions, growth in Christ, fighting sin, etc.)

• Intercessions (requests for others – our church, the global church, our nation, family, friends, etc.)

• Mission (pray for lost friends & family, missionaries, unreached people groups, etc.)

• Thanksgiving (gratitude to God for health, blessings, salvation, etc.)

Concluding Prayer

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.

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*In saying we believe in “the holy catholic Church,” we are confessing our belief in the universal people of God across all times and places (lower-case "c" catholic), not the Roman Catholic Church (big "C" Catholic).

Advent Readings & Prayers / Week 4 (Dec. 19 - Dec. 24)

HOW TO USE THIS RESOURCE

These posts will be organized around the four weeks of Advent, beginning November 28, 2021. There are five entries per week. Each day, you’ll read and mediate on an opening scripture and you’ll confess your sins with a guided prayer of confession and assurance. You’ll then read a Psalm, a selected Old Testament passage, and a New Testament passage. We’ve provided a question for reflection each day to help identify important threads in those scriptures. The scripture readings are intended to compliment the sermon from the previous Sunday.

We’ll also be reading the Apostles Creed and the Lord’s Prayer each day. Why do this? The Apostle’s Creed reminds us of the essence of our faith. We are believers who believe this. There is power in rehearsing over and over the Good News we’ve given our lives to.  In praying the Lord’s Prayer, we’re praying the very words Jesus gave to His disciples when they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Christians have been practicing this prayer daily for centuries. It’s good for us to pray as the Lord Himself prayed.

We’ve also provided prayer prompts and space for your own personal requests. As important as it is to pray the words of Jesus, scripture also invites us to “make our requests known to God” (Phil. 4:6). You can use this space to record and pray for any pressing issues in your life or the life of our church.

The final entry of this blog series will be for use on Christmas Day and it will be structured like the other days. You could use this the morning of Christmas before opening gifts or over Christmas dinner with your family or in the quiet, waning moments of Christmas night.

These posts are designed either for personal or family use. It’s our hope that the Spirit will use this to turn our eyes towards Jesus during Advent and Christmas, “the Everlasting Wonder” of the Incarnation -- instead of getting swept up in the parties and commercials and gift-buying and schedule-making and cookie-baking (as wonderful as those things can be).

May Jesus be made known to, in, and through The Church at Greer Station!

---

Read & meditate

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:2

Confession of sin

Have mercy on us, Father, for we have grown disinterested in the truest love story-- of a merciful savior descending from on high to rescue his people. We have forsaken our first love. Our duty is evident but our affections for you have dulled, and we are known not by our love. We are hoarders of the grace and mercy that has been lavished upon us, keeping it all for ourselves. We heralded your first coming, the fulfillment of all of our longings, yet we have neglected to herald your second coming.

Spirit, awaken us to the glorious news of the Savior who is Immanuel from on high. Soften our “scroogely” hearts to your loving-kindness, which did not begin when you transformed our hearts, or when Christ suffered wrath on the cross, or even the night a long awaited king was born with no place to lay his head. Your loving-kindness, Lord, is from eternity past and your kingdom of peace will know no end. Compel us Christ, with your love.

Written by Sarah Gilliam

ASsurance of pardon

Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:1-2

scripture reading

Day 1 - Psalm 95 / Genesis 49 / John 1:1-18 / How has and does God speak to us?

Day 2 - Psalm 96 / Deut. 18:15-22 / John 1:19-34 / The Lord comes to judge the earth (Ps.96:13). How does this fit with the coming of “Lamb who comes to take away the sins of the world"?

Day 3 - Psalm 97 / Jeremiah 23:1-8 / John 5:19-37 / How is Jesus the completion of the promise in Jeremiah 23?

Day 4 - Psalm 98 / Micah 5 / John 10:1-21 / What marvelous things (Ps. 98:1) has the Lord done in Christ?

Day 5 - Psalm 100 / Zeph. 3:14-20 / John 18:25-33 / Who does the singing in this Psalm and Zephaniah? What is the basis of our singing?

RECITE THE APOSTLE'S CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

      He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

      He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

      He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.

      He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

      He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

 I believe in the Holy Spirit,

      the holy catholic* Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the

resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

PRAY THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven,

      hallowed be thy Name,

      thy kingdom come,

      thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

      as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

      but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

      and the power, and the glory,

      for ever and ever. Amen.

Personal Prayer

• Petitions (requests for yourself – work, decisions, growth in Christ, fighting sin, etc.)

• Intercessions (requests for others – our church, the global church, our nation, family, friends, etc.)

• Mission (pray for lost friends & family, missionaries, unreached people groups, etc.)

• Thanksgiving (gratitude to God for health, blessings, salvation, etc.)

Concluding Prayer

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.

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*In saying we believe in “the holy catholic Church,” we are confessing our belief in the universal people of God across all times and places (lower-case "c" catholic), not the Roman Catholic Church (big "C" Catholic).

Advent Readings & Prayers / Week 3 (Dec. 12 - Dec. 18)

HOW TO USE THIS RESOURCE

These posts will be organized around the four weeks of Advent, beginning November 28, 2021. There are five entries per week. Each day, you’ll read and mediate on an opening scripture and you’ll confess your sins with a guided prayer of confession and assurance. You’ll then read a Psalm, a selected Old Testament passage, and a New Testament passage. We’ve provided a question for reflection each day to help identify important threads in those scriptures. The scripture readings are intended to compliment the sermon from the previous Sunday.

We’ll also be reading the Apostles Creed and the Lord’s Prayer each day. Why do this? The Apostle’s Creed reminds us of the essence of our faith. We are believers who believe this. There is power in rehearsing over and over the Good News we’ve given our lives to.  In praying the Lord’s Prayer, we’re praying the very words Jesus gave to His disciples when they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Christians have been practicing this prayer daily for centuries. It’s good for us to pray as the Lord Himself prayed.

We’ve also provided prayer prompts and space for your own personal requests. As important as it is to pray the words of Jesus, scripture also invites us to “make our requests known to God” (Phil. 4:6). You can use this space to record and pray for any pressing issues in your life or the life of our church.

The final entry of this blog series will be for use on Christmas Day and it will be structured like the other days. You could use this the morning of Christmas before opening gifts or over Christmas dinner with your family or in the quiet, waning moments of Christmas night.

These posts are designed either for personal or family use. It’s our hope that the Spirit will use this to turn our eyes towards Jesus during Advent and Christmas, “the Everlasting Wonder” of the Incarnation -- instead of getting swept up in the parties and commercials and gift-buying and schedule-making and cookie-baking (as wonderful as those things can be).

May Jesus be made known to, in, and through The Church at Greer Station!

---

Read & meditate

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

Confession of sin

Almighty Father in Heaven,

We your people have felt the burden of our sin,

both against you and against others.

In shame, we have given way to temptation

And pursued the desires of our flesh.

With anguish, we have endured regret and remorse

Because of our lustful appetites and disordered desires.

In tears, we have seen the effects of our waywardness

And pursuit of that which is unholy.

Our Lord,

We pine for your mercy and forgiveness

Through the power of Christ.

In anticipation, we hope for our redemption in the

Name of Jesus, our Lord.

With lowliness, we pray for respite from our wickedness

And the wickedness of others.

In restlessness, we beg you to give us clean hearts

And forgive us our sins

Written by Brent King

ASsurance of pardon

Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 1:5-6

scripture reading

Day 1 - Psalm 2 / Isaiah 2 / Philippians 1 / Why is the kingship of Jesus good news?

Day 2 - Psalm 18:31-50 / Isaiah 7 / Philippians 2 / Why did the Word (the Second Person of the Trinity) have to become a man?

Day 3 - Psalm 20 / Isaiah 11 / Philippians 3 / In what ways does Jesus fulfill and embody His description in Isaiah 11? Can you think of specific instances?

Day 4 - Psalm 72 / Isaiah 40 / Philippians 4 / How can we take comfort (Is. 40:1) and rejoice (Phil. 4:4) in the Lord?

Day 5 - Psalm 110 / Isaiah 53 / 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 / How is Jesus both our Great High Priest and our Sacrificial Lamb?

RECITE THE APOSTLE'S CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

      He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

      He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

      He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.

      He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

      He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

 I believe in the Holy Spirit,

      the holy catholic* Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the

resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

PRAY THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven,

      hallowed be thy Name,

      thy kingdom come,

      thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

      as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

      but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

      and the power, and the glory,

      for ever and ever. Amen.

Personal Prayer

• Petitions (requests for yourself – work, decisions, growth in Christ, fighting sin, etc.)

• Intercessions (requests for others – our church, the global church, our nation, family, friends, etc.)

• Mission (pray for lost friends & family, missionaries, unreached people groups, etc.)

• Thanksgiving (gratitude to God for health, blessings, salvation, etc.)

Concluding Prayer

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.

---

*In saying we believe in “the holy catholic Church,” we are confessing our belief in the universal people of God across all times and places (lower-case "c" catholic), not the Roman Catholic Church (big "C" Catholic).

Advent Readings & Prayers / Week 2 (Dec. 5 - Dec. 11)

HOW TO USE THIS RESOURCE

These posts will be organized around the four weeks of Advent, beginning November 28, 2021. There are five entries per week. Each day, you’ll read and mediate on an opening scripture and you’ll confess your sins with a guided prayer of confession and assurance. You’ll then read a Psalm, a selected Old Testament passage, and a New Testament passage. We’ve provided a question for reflection each day to help identify important threads in those scriptures. The scripture readings are intended to compliment the sermon from the previous Sunday.

We’ll also be reading the Apostles Creed and the Lord’s Prayer each day. Why do this? The Apostle’s Creed reminds us of the essence of our faith. We are believers who believe this. There is power in rehearsing over and over the Good News we’ve given our lives to.  In praying the Lord’s Prayer, we’re praying the very words Jesus gave to His disciples when they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Christians have been practicing this prayer daily for centuries. It’s good for us to pray as the Lord Himself prayed.

We’ve also provided prayer prompts and space for your own personal requests. As important as it is to pray the words of Jesus, scripture also invites us to “make our requests known to God” (Phil. 4:6). You can use this space to record and pray for any pressing issues in your life or the life of our church.

The final entry of this blog series will be for use on Christmas Day and it will be structured like the other days. You could use this the morning of Christmas before opening gifts or over Christmas dinner with your family or in the quiet, waning moments of Christmas night.

These posts are designed either for personal or family use. It’s our hope that the Spirit will use this to turn our eyes towards Jesus during Advent and Christmas, “the Everlasting Wonder” of the Incarnation -- instead of getting swept up in the parties and commercials and gift-buying and schedule-making and cookie-baking (as wonderful as those things can be).

May Jesus be made known to, in, and through The Church at Greer Station!

---

Read & meditate

I was glad when they said unto me, “We will go into the house of the LORD.”

Psalm 122:1

Confession of sin

God you are the One high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy. A righteous judge who feels indignation every day, you whet your sword for those who refuse to repent, declaring, “There is no peace for the wicked.”

Our thoughts, words, and actions condemn us. We idolatrously covet power or pleasure. Our hearts harbor filth that erupts in curses and words of wrath. We show partiality by snubbing your children.

Lord, we repent. We turn to you who have proclaimed yourself “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, . . . forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sin.” We rest in you, graciously justified through faith in Jesus Christ.

Written by Ben Estelle

ASsurance of pardon

We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved

Ephesians 2:3-5

scripture reading

Day 1 - Psalm 40 / Exodus 1-2:10 / Hebrews 3 / What similarities are there between Jesus and Moses?

Day 2 - Psalm 141, 142 / Exodus 2:11-24 / Hebrews 4:14-5:10 / How does God know and respond to our groanings?

Day 3 - Psalm 143 / Exodus 3 / 2 Peter 1 / What does God promise to the Hebrews and how is our redemption better?

Day 4 - Psalm 144 / Exodus 15:1-21 / 2 Peter 2 / How is God both Savior and Judge?

Day 5 - Psalm 145 / Exodus 34 / 2 Peter 3 / How is it that God can forgive iniquity but not clear the guilty?

RECITE THE APOSTLE'S CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

      He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

      He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

      He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.

      He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

      He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

 I believe in the Holy Spirit,

      the holy catholic* Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the

resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

PRAY THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven,

      hallowed be thy Name,

      thy kingdom come,

      thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

      as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

      but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

      and the power, and the glory,

      for ever and ever. Amen.

Personal Prayer

• Petitions (requests for yourself – work, decisions, growth in Christ, fighting sin, etc.)

• Intercessions (requests for others – our church, the global church, our nation, family, friends, etc.)

• Mission (pray for lost friends & family, missionaries, unreached people groups, etc.)

• Thanksgiving (gratitude to God for health, blessings, salvation, etc.)

Concluding Prayer

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.

---

*In saying we believe in “the holy catholic Church,” we are confessing our belief in the universal people of God across all times and places (lower-case "c" catholic), not the Roman Catholic Church (big "C" Catholic).

Advent Readings & Prayers / Week 1 (Nov. 28- Dec. 4)

HOW TO USE THIS RESOURCE

These posts will be organized around the four weeks of Advent, beginning November 28, 2021. There are five entries per week. Each day, you’ll read and mediate on an opening scripture and you’ll confess your sins with a guided prayer of confession and assurance. You’ll then read a Psalm, a selected Old Testament passage, and a New Testament passage. We’ve provided a question for reflection each day to help identify important threads in those scriptures. The scripture readings are intended to compliment the sermon from the previous Sunday.

We’ll also be reading the Apostles Creed and the Lord’s Prayer each day. Why do this? The Apostle’s Creed reminds us of the essence of our faith. We are believers who believe this. There is power in rehearsing over and over the Good News we’ve given our lives to.  In praying the Lord’s Prayer, we’re praying the very words Jesus gave to His disciples when they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Christians have been practicing this prayer daily for centuries. It’s good for us to pray as the Lord Himself prayed.

We’ve also provided prayer prompts and space for your own personal requests. As important as it is to pray the words of Jesus, scripture also invites us to “make our requests known to God” (Phil. 4:6). You can use this space to record and pray for any pressing issues in your life or the life of our church.

The final entry of this blog series will be for use on Christmas Day and it will be structured like the other days. You could use this the morning of Christmas before opening gifts or over Christmas dinner with your family or in the quiet, waning moments of Christmas night.

These posts are designed either for personal or family use. It’s our hope that the Spirit will use this to turn our eyes towards Jesus during Advent and Christmas, “the Everlasting Wonder” of the Incarnation -- instead of getting swept up in the parties and commercials and gift-buying and schedule-making and cookie-baking (as wonderful as those things can be).

May Jesus be made known to, in, and through The Church at Greer Station!

---

Read & meditate

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:2

Confession of sin

Father, Spirit, Son, you are the everlasting, triune I Am. All-wise and all-powerful you spoke into existence this majestic, astonishingly varied universe. Who are we that you think on us?! That you dance and sing over us?! That you planned our redemption before the foundations of creation?!

Frail and fallen, we have failed to hope in you. We confess we have hoped to find freedom in our decaying possessions, limited intelligence, and feeble strength. Forgive us. Sustain us in your unwavering love. Help us to hope in you above all in this season of longing. As we meditate on your fist advent, deepen our hunger and thirst to see you face to face.

Written by Ben Estelle

ASsurance of pardon

Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke 7:49–50

scripture reading

Day 1 - Psalm 8 / Genesis 1 / Hebrews 1 / How and why is man unique in God’s creation?

Day 2 - Psalm 78:1-18 / Genesis 2 / Hebrews 2 / How is the author of Hebrews using Psalm 8?

Day 3 - Psalm 78:19-40 / Genesis 3 / Romans 5 / What is the result of The Fall and how does Paul present Jesus as The Remedy?

Day 4 - Psalm 78:41-72 / Genesis 4 / Romans 6 / What is the unique role of both our heart and bodies in our growth in holiness?

Day 5 - Psalm 79 / Genesis 6 / Romans 8:18-39 / What hope is there for the Christian in light of all the evil & suffering in the world?

RECITE THE APOSTLE'S CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

      He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

      He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

      He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.

      He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

      He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

 I believe in the Holy Spirit,

      the holy catholic* Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the

resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

PRAY THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven,

      hallowed be thy Name,

      thy kingdom come,

      thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

      as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

      but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

      and the power, and the glory,

      for ever and ever. Amen.

Personal Prayer

• Petitions (requests for yourself – work, decisions, growth in Christ, fighting sin, etc.)

• Intercessions (requests for others – our church, the global church, our nation, family, friends, etc.)

• Mission (pray for lost friends & family, missionaries, unreached people groups, etc.)

• Thanksgiving (gratitude to God for health, blessings, salvation, etc.)

Concluding Prayer

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.

---

*In saying we believe in “the holy catholic Church,” we are confessing our belief in the universal people of God across all times and places (lower-case "c" catholic), not the Roman Catholic Church (big "C" Catholic).

Resources on the Resurrection of Jesus

The bodily resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the lynchpin of the Christian faith. “If Christ has not been raised,” Paul the Apostle writes around 50 AD, “your faith is futile.”(1 Cor. 15:17)

Can we believe what the gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tell us about the resurrection? Are these fabricated stories to help explain the genesis of the Christian faith? Is this the most successful hoax in the history of the world?

Below you’ll find a few resources I gathered from the pastors that we’ve found helpful in getting answers to these questions.

•  For a 6-minute big picture explainer, check out this video from William Craig.

• For a more in-depth lecture (about 80 minutes total) that builds a fuller case for the reliability of the resurrection accounts, watch this series from Peter J. Williams.

• For a brief article, read this.

• For a longer article, read this.

• For an even longer essay, check out this.

• If you're interested in a book length treatment, read The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.

We hope this helps you as you seek to make sense of the incredible claim that the crucified and resurrected Jesus has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth!” (Matt. 28:18-20)

Trevor Hoffman

Teaching Pastor, Narnian, Living every week like it’s Shark Week

Resources on Slavery and Taking Risks

Friends,

As mentioned in the sermon on Sunday, June 6, I wanted to provide some resources on both slavery and taking risks to the glory of God.

First, below are two videos that have been helpful to me in understanding slavery in the Bible; moreover, these resources are beneficial in explaining the differences between slavery described in the Old and New Testaments and the chattel slavery of earlier American history (and many other civilizations).  

This first video is by Paul Copan (about 45 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyLpygp4eSE&app=desktop

This second video is a lecture by Peter Williams (about 75 minutes): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUOsBQYuZ9g

Second, below are the two resources I mentioned concerning taking risks to the glory of Christ.

This first link is to a sermon by John Piper (about 33 minutes) entitled “Risk and the Cause of God.” I was listening to this sermon this past week and was both challenged and encouraged:

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/risk-and-the-cause-of-god

This second link is to a short book entitled Risk is Right.  This book overlaps to some degree with the sermon above, but it elaborates more on the topic.  I commend it to you as well:

https://www.desiringgod.org/books/risk-is-right (simply click the “Download” button on the left sidebar to view a full (and free) PDF of the book)

I pray these resources are helpful to you.  It is a great privilege to serve the Body as an elder here at TCGS!

Josh Styles

Lay Pastor

Why Write Hymns?

Within the past year, I embarked on a journey in what, for me, was uncharted waters.  I sat down and wrote a hymn.  I never really imagined myself as a hymnwriter — or songwriter of any genre for that matter.  And I don’t feel like my method of writing was anything special.  I put pen to paper sporadically whenever words jumped to the level of my consciousness and often stopped in the middle of cooking dinner, reading a book, or driving down the road to scribble them down before they flew away again. Weeks often passed between verses, and I spent zero hours dressed in my nightshirt, burning down an enormous candle, and bent over a parchment while furiously dipping my quill in ink (which for some reason is how I imagine hymns being written). So the last thing I want to do is to write a “how-to” blog on songwriting.  But what I would love to do is to share a few reasons why I couldn’t help but write a hymn.

1) God’s people sing.

From the very beginning, God’s people have responded to God working through song.  God created Eve; Adam sang.  God delivered Israel; Moses sang. Samuel was born; Hannah sang. Jesus was conceived; Mary sang. Paul and Silas even sing from prison.  God’s people sing; it’s in our DNA.

And if singing is so central to the individual and corporate life of the believer, then songs have to be written.  Not just because we need something to sing – but because singing (and particularly singing new songs) in Scripture seems to burst out of the Christian life in a response to the Lord at work.  I love singing old, timeless hymns that have been sung by faithful saints and theological giants whose legacy we have inherited. But there is also something precious about a song that is birthed out of the life of our individual church.  

2) The gospel is worth beholding from every angle.

The gospel is beautiful.  Every word on every page of every book in every library would not be enough to exhaust the breathtaking, matchless wonder of God Himself assuming flesh and enduring a cross to rescue His creation.  Even men like Luther who wrote many words on many pages needed another outlet to revel in the gospel – so they wrote hymns! 

The Story never gets old. And God has given us so many ways to be preoccupied with Him.  The ways of the Lord are hardwired into the world we live in.  The rocks cry out, and the skies proclaim the work of His hands.  Science is worth studying, literature is worth reading, math is worth solving, sports are worth playing, and songs are worth singing because Jesus Christ is a) the King of the Universe and b) not dead.  Why would we not want to find every avenue possible to be obsessed with Him?

3) Biblical imagery demands it.

One of the main driving forces behind my hymn-writing was biblical imagery that was just too compelling to sit idle.  If someone hands you a beautiful, pristine ribeye, you don’t take a picture of it.  It demands to be seasoned, marinated, grilled, and savored.  It’s like a sunset that compels you to take a photo or paint a picture.

In Revelation 5, John weeps because no one in heaven or earth has been found worthy to enact God’s plans and purposes.  But when all seems lost, behold the Lion of Judah enters stage left.  And John sees a Lamb who stands as if it had been slain.  Now killed things don’t usually stand.  But this is Jesus – slain yet standing. When all is said and done, He lives, and He stands upon the earth.  His victory becomes His people’s victory.  He has bought them and made them a people set apart for His own possession.  And though the nations rage against the Lord and His Anointed, Jesus hold His people fast.  So much so that even in the face of their accuser, the martyrs of Revelation 12 conquer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony for they loved not their lives even unto death.

This is our Story. How could we not be gripped by it? Why not sing? Why not write hymns? Why not explore every nook and cranny of God’s good world to savor and glory in the gospel every minute of every day by any means that we can? And oh, for the day when we can throw ourselves whole-heartedly and headlong into that pursuit and never exhaust the riches of God’s glorious grace! Further up and further in!

---

Messiah’s On His Throne

Bryce Harrison

Verse 1:

All seemed to be lost

Too great was the cost

A rescue nowhere to be found

When Christ, Satan’s bane

Came standing though slain

Armed with a sword and

Adorned with a crown.

Verse 2:

Though affection is frail

and efforts all fail

Rejoicing, this song we will sing

Our redeemer He lives

Our pardon He gives

Hidden safe in Christ the King

CHORUS

Hallelujah for Messiah’s on His throne

Come to ransom and reclaim His own

Even death has lost its sting

To our prophet, priest, and King

Eternal Word made flesh and bone

Messiah’s on His throne

Verse 3:

Bought with a price

Built up into Christ

Our Head and our cornerstone

A kingdom of priests

Giv’n riches and feasts

A people set apart as His own

Verse 4:

Though nations all rage

Like wounded beasts caged

And sorrow blankets the land

All soon will be right

And darkness made light

When in victory, the Risen King stands

Verse 5:

In life or death

‘Til that last breath

By the blood of the Lamb we endure

For chained to the grave

Both stricken and slave

The blood of the Lamb was our cure

The blood of the Lamb was our cure

---

Bryce Harrison

Church Planter, Aspiring Bluenoser, Not bad for a running back

What is Forgiveness?

We’ve been teaching through the biblical foundations of our church covenant over the last several weeks. A few Sundays back, I taught the third of our nine church covenant commitments: With humility and gentleness, patience and love, we will be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us

This covenant commitment is rooted in Colossians 3:1-13, where Paul exhorts the church at Colossae to “set your mind on things above” and to “seek things above.” Throughout the remainder of this section, Paul details what he means by this; that these Christian are to put to death what is earthly — “sexual immorality…wrath, malice, slander…”–– and put on traits that are heavenly, “compassionate hearts, patience, bearing one another, and forgiving as Christ has forgiven you.”

We said this third covenant commitment is really a commitment to heavenly-mindedness. Not a kind of distant, cold, dour, faux heavenly-mindedness we might assume; it's rather a warm, gentle, meek heavenly-mindedness that looks like The Occupant of heaven: the Lord Jesus himself. We are to be forgivers, as God, who has forgiven us in Christ, is a forgiver (Col 3:13).

The good news of the Gospel is we’re forgiven. But it's also that God’s Holy Spirit is at work within us, remaking us into agents of His grace and His forgiveness in the world.

And that's good and all… but for many of us, this talk of forgiveness raises this question: what even is forgiveness? What are we being commanded to do when Jesus tells us to forgive? What does forgiveness require of us? The following list comes from author Ken Sande. I've found these four commitments to be very helpful in working towards forgiveness in my own experience.

First, we're saying: “I will not dwell on this incident.” A person wrongs you. You replay the situation in your mind again. And again. And again. You prepare what you'll say the next time you see them. You spend 10 minutes every morning – without any intention of doing so – rehearsing the conversation in your “hypothetical argument simulator” (see right).

What's the problem with this? It's like picking a scab. Even if we earnestly wanted to be reconciled, replaying the wrong over and over is never going to allow ourselves to actually move back towards the one who wronged us. It only keeps the issue alive and the wound open. We must say: "I forgive you; I will not dwell on this incident."

Second, we're saying: “I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you.” All too often, when we're sinned against, particularly by someone close us, we unbox the mental rolodex and we recall all the instances in which this person has wronged us in this way. And we aim to let them know. “This is so typical of you… this is just like when you… I can't believe we're talking about this AGAIN…” We catalogue this hurt so as to always have some kind of leverage against the offender. But we must reject this. Paul tells us that "love keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Cor. 13:5). In forgiving someone, we are committing to put this situation away for good. We must say: "I forgive you; I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you."

Third, we're saying: “I will not talk to others about this incident.” Out of feigned concern for the offenders well-being, we often share our grievance with someone else. It's a way to scratch a kind of sick itch to recruit people to gang up on the offender. Often times, in the name of venting, we let all our frustrations be known to another and, rather than a vague “feeling better,” we feel even more hurt, and even more justified in our resentment. In nearly every situation, the wisest way forward is to confront the person who has wronged you, speak honestly about the situation, and resolve to work things out with them in private. We must say: "I forgive you; I will not talk to others about this incident.”

Finally, we're saying: “I will not let this incident stand between us or hinder our personal relationship.” We must be committed to reconciliation if at all possible, and I must be willing to do my part in restoring the relationship inasmuch as it depends on me.

But what about extreme situations? Aren't there situations in which a relationship is forever changed; instances of abuse or other grievous sins? There is no question. Some of us have been wronged in profoundly evil ways. It's the tragic reality of a fallen world. So what about these four commitments; do these four commitments still apply? I'd say yes, that they especially apply here.

In some ways, it's helpful to revisit our alternatives here. What else can be done? We could dwell on this/these offense(s). We could seethe with resentment towards the offender over this legitimate, awful wrong. But as one author has said, refusing to grant forgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Resentment feels like a kind of power, a way to “punish” the offender. But in actuality, it's a corrosive, embittering force that damages us far more than anyone else. Even in hard circumstances, we must forgive as Christ has forgiven us. No, more than that; we can forgive as Christ has forgiven us. We are given the supernatural ability from the Lord Jesus Himself to begin moving past deep wrongs committed against us. We're freed from sin in Christ; mine and others.

Of course, that isn't easy. Or automatic. Nor does forgiveness mean the shape of the relationship remains the same (in some instances, trust is so broken and the relationship is so damaged that the relationship must end). But in our hearts, so far as it depends on us, we must be willing to release resentment towards another and extend the same forgiveness Christ has extended to us.

May the Lord grace us with His supernatural mercy.

Trevor Hoffman

Teaching Pastor, Narnian, Living every week like it’s Shark Week

90 Days Through the Bible

Acts 17:11, speaking of the Bereans, says, “They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

1 Peter 2:2 contains a command from Peter: “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.”

When Jesus is tempted in the wilderness by Satan, he retorts with Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 proclaims, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

Starting today, our church gets the joy and privilege of feasting on God’s Word together. While we are going to be reading on our own, we know that we are joining dozens of others at TCGS in going through the Bible at a quicker pace than many of us have probably done before: 90 days. I know this is a big ask! To be totally honest, I attempted this Bible reading plan in early 2020 and got through about half of it before falling away and diving into other Bible studies that covered less Scripture each day. But I am excited for this time because of having the accountability and encouragement of other brothers and sisters like you.

Why are we doing this?

Donald Whitney says, "There simply is no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and meat of Scripture.... In the Bible God tells us about Himself, and especially about Jesus Christ, the incarnate God.... None of this eternally essential information can be found anywhere else except the Bible” (Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, 22-23). We want to be healthy Christians who gain a greater and greater understanding of this eternally essential information, not only for 90 days, but for the rest of our lives.

What are our goals?

1) Gain a greater understanding of the story of Scripture as whole

We are going to read fast. Hopefully this will allow us to make connections that we need to be reminded of or have previously not known due to slower study of the Word.

2) Form new habits

In spite of each of us having an abundance of availability to Scripture (copies on our bookshelves, every possible version on our phone or computer), many of us struggle to develop a habit of simply reading the Word. We all know it takes time to build new habits. I just googled “time to develop a habit” and the top answer was an average of 66 days. We are going to try to read the Bible for essentially 90 straight days. Hopefully we will see new habits form in our lives that will continue after the 90 days.

3) Learn to Read Big and Meditate Small.

We need to continue to grow in our understanding of the whole counsel of God, but my Bible is 1,547 pages long (it’s technically large print - I am getting older and it is easier to read!). In order to gain more knowledge of God (Col. 1:10), we must spend seasons ingesting larger chunks of Scripture. But we also want to avoid the pitfall that we have all experienced of just reading a chapter or two or fifteen (like we will do), closing our Bible, and having no clue of even one verse or idea that we just read in 45 minutes. My encouragement is to take 3-5 minutes at the end of each day’s reading and meditate on a phrase, verse or paragraph with a little more depth. If you read in the morning, the goal would be at the end of the work day, even if you may not remember all 13 chapters you read that morning, you know some of the big ideas and you could explain to a person how that phrase, verse or paragraph had an impact on you that day.

Aaron Markham

Discipleship Pastor, Arsenal Fan, Big Math Guy

Leaving Childcare Behind

Luke 6 says that our words flow from what is in our hearts. How we speak about things reveals what we believe about those things. This is why churches and all businesses spend so much time crafting language for their mission statement, core values, and vision.  Those who lead organizations want the words of those statements to clearly and effectively convey what they are about, what is important to them, and what they believe is the best way to practice those things.  Language creates a culture. It sets the tone for how things operate, how they are valued, and how they are perceived. Therefore, the words we use must be meaningfully and purposefully chosen. I have been so encouraged during my time at TCGS by the mindfulness of the words used by our leadership to speak about the ministry and life of our church. 

There is specific language we as a staff have trained our tongues to use when speaking of our Kids Ministry. Sometimes, language can unintentionally be adopted that doesn’t accurately convey the heart that those words are flowing from; therefore, we have pushed back against the tendency to refer to Kids Ministry as “childcare” and have refrained from saying things like “Who is watching the kids on Sunday?” We have been vigilant to speak of it as Kids Ministry. 

What’s so wrong with calling it childcare or watching kids?  Well, if our words create a culture, what do we want the culture of our Kids Ministry to be? Do we believe the time children spend in our classrooms during our gatherings on Sundays is merely time to get them off of their parents’ hands? No; what happens in our classrooms on Sundays is more than just childcare. What our volunteers are doing in those classrooms goes beyond merely watching children. Discipleship is happening. Teaching is happening. Eternal seeds are being planted. We do not want the culture of our children’s ministry to lack purpose. We want to affirm with our words what we believe in our hearts: our time with children is a ministry. 

The mission of our Kids Ministry is to present the kids of TCGS mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28). This does not happen by accident. We aim to be thoughtful and purposeful with the precious time we have with the children in our classrooms. We seek to support parents in introducing their kids to Jesus through teaching, songs, and catechesis and discipling those who have come to faith. Much fruit comes from aligning our words with Jesus’ heart for children and how He desires children to enter His Kingdom. The fruit of this approach to Kids Ministry has been evident in our volunteers, parents, and children. 

Our Kids Ministry volunteers realize they are not just watching children; they are teaching children. Our volunteers are imparting biblical truths through stories and songs that have the power to change the kids’ hearts and shape their eternity.  They are committed to the role they play in presenting the kids of TCGS mature in Christ as aunts and uncles of the faith. Please pray that our volunteers will remain passionate about sharing the gospel with the kids of TCGS and will continue to grow in faith as disciples and examples to the kids. 

Our parents take the role of being the primary disciple-makers of their home seriously and it is such an encouragement. They recognize that their family is their first mission field and have answered the call to diligently teach their children about Jesus in their house, when they walk by the way, when they lie down, and when they rise (Deuteronomy 6:7). As a Kids Ministry, we also are committed to equipping and supporting parents in discipling their kids. When parents and the local church view their relationship as a partnership, a rich learning environment is made for kids where they are surrounded by those who love Jesus and want them to love Jesus, too. Please pray that our parents will continue to see themselves as the ones primarily responsible for discipling their kids and will make gospel living a natural part of their family rhythms.

Lastly, there is a significant difference in the fruit that comes from the hearts of kids in a Kids Ministry rather than childcare. We want to give them access to Jesus: the One who says, “let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”  Watching the kids of TCGS grow and move through our kids’ classes and seeing the simultaneous growth that is happening in their hearts as they grow in their knowledge and love for Jesus fills my heart with joy. We refuse to merely babysit and lose precious opportunities to introduce them to Jesus.  Pray that our children will come to know Jesus and will grow to love God’s church and desire biblical community. 

Let it be clear: at TCGS, we have a Kids Ministry. We have a Kids Ministry that is dedicated to presenting the kids of TCGS mature in Christ and we do not take that opportunity for granted. We are passionate about caring for our children primarily through caring for their souls.  

Hannah Koschel

Kids Ministry Director, Cookie Monster, [other noun that helps me sound interesting]

Lone-Ranger Christianity

I realized recently that I fundamentally misunderstood the appeal of those lone-ranger gunmen stories I remember my dad loving.

Last week I finished the powerfully-written little novel, The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout. The novel is about a legendary outlaw who discovers he's terminally ill with late-stage cancer. It's a reflection on life, death, and legacy, but ends with a profoundly beautiful display of self-sacrifice.

Last Wednesday night on the way to community group, I had an epiphany.

You'll often hear Christians speak against “lone-ranger Christianity.” This criticism is directed at a kind of individualism that refuses to be tied down and exists apart from any form of Christian fellowship. It's resistant to knowing and being known by others, it wanders from town to town (i.e., church to church), and it's a kind of proud, consumeristic, and self-centered posture towards others that is foreign to biblical Christianity. Christians bemoan our formation by a kind of rugged, individualistic American ideal typified in Westerns. There's obviously some truth to that.

But I suspect these Westerns say much more than that. I believe they speak to something profoundly true, that we know intuitively, and call us to something deeply meaningful.

In the Book of Job, after having been afflicted by God, a grief-stricken Job declares, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21) There's a sense of nakedness we experience in birth and death. We are born literally and figuratively naked. We own nothing, we brought nothing with us, we pass through the birth canal naked — all by ourselves. So it is with death. We take nothing and no one with us, not even our own glory (Ps. 49:17; 1 Tim. 6:7).

Of course, we're never alone in the strictest sense. We may have others physically at our side — the Lord Himself makes this promise (Matt. 28:20). But our individual experience is one of inescapable loneliness. It's as if every experience between birth and death is also marked by a sense of how alone we are. There's always a chasm between me and everyone and everything else. I feel on the outside. I'm not sure I could tell you what I feel on the outside of, but I feel it, nonetheless. It's as if I'm a lone ranger, a no-name drifter, but not by my choosing, wandering from town to town with no place to lay my head. We are born alone, we live alone, and we die alone. We pass to the other side single-file. The Preacher tells us, "that Same Event happens to the righteous and to the wicked.” (Ecc. 9:2). We all go riding off into the sunset alone eventually.

What do we do with this? What can we do with this? We could ignore it. But who can ignore something so crushing, so there? We could drown it out with noise and social media scrolling, but doesn't that only deepen it? We could try and crush it would a Cause or outrage, but that only makes us bitter and resentful.

So what can be done?

All the best of those stories go something like this: A no-named drifter wanders into town. It's not clear what his intentions are, either to himself or others. Maybe he's up to no good, maybe he's there for a drink and a night's rest, maybe he's there to collect a bounty — “You worry about your business, I'll worry about mine” they snarl, chewing scenery and a cigar.

Until inevitably a few ne'er-do-wells come to town. They're there to collect a dead man's debt from a helpless widow or exploit the townsfolk. The gunman, often reluctantly at the outset, applies his strength to that town or that widow or that baby Yoda, his ambivalence wears thin and he learns to love them.

And what could be more profound? A homeless, nameless, meaningless drifter discovering the beauty of obligating himself to the good of others.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”(John 15:13, KJV)

That's the compelling nature of these stories. No-name drifters making the burdens of strangers their own before riding off into the sunset is deeply meaningful; it's true, it's good, and it's beautiful.

There's an inevitable loneliness to things. You are a lone ranger. You are a no-named drifter. Naked you come, naked you are, naked you go. You will ride off alone into the sunset. What will you choose to do in the meantime? Will you can give yourself over to drifting, despair, or resentment? Or will you choose to learn the beauty of obligating yourself to others in those few short years before the sunset comes calling?

Indeed, this is where we find life.

"Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25)

Trevor Hoffman

Teaching Pastor, Narnian, Living every week like it’s Shark Week

Living Room Liturgy | August 9

Scroll to the bottom for kids lessons & song.

Call to Worship & Prayer

Read Psalm 22:20-26

• Praise, glorify and stand in awe of God, the one who is worthy to be feared.

• Thank God that He does not hide his face from the afflicted and that He does hear the voice of the one who cries to him.

• Pray that the Holy Spirit would help you to earnestly seek the Lord and find satisfaction in Him.

Confession & Assurance

Lord, often we dare your justice, mock your mercy, jeer your patience, slight your power, and show contempt for your love. We apologize to you insincerely and confess our sin flippantly. We plead for your help to own up carefully to how we have wronged you, to admit honestly how we have grieved you, to plead for your mercy and pardon. We beg for your forgiveness through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And this is God’s gospel promise:

To grant us forgiveness of sins and eternal life by grace because of Christ’s sacrifice accomplished on the cross.

Passing the Peace

Pray for two people in our body who are in your community group. Call or text them to let them know you prayed for them by name.

Song

Pastoral Prayer

Teaching

Missions Prayer

Kevin & Ashley Bouchillon are serving in Beirut, Lebanon with Cru. Their home experienced some damage after last week’s explosion in Beirut. They have two children.

Please pray for:

• Thanking God for sparing their lives.

• Asking God for help. This is a country on the brink of ruin and a people desperate. May God use this situation to open hearts to the hope of the gospel.

Benediction

Romans 15:5-6

Questions for Reflection

1. Am I willing to love my brothers and sisters enough to consider how may faults could be stumbling blocks?

2. In what ways do my actions set others up to sin?

3. Who can I ask to help me grow in self-awareness to learn how I come across to others?

4. Are there any brothers or sisters I despise or pass judgement on because of their differing convictions?

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Kids Song

Kids Lesson (Pre-school)

Kids Lesson (Grade School)

Living Room Liturgy | August 2

Scroll to the bottom for kids lessons & song.

Call to Worship & Prayer

Read Psalm 22:12-19

• Pray for the Lord to draw near when you feel surrounded.

• Thank the Lord that He comes quickly to our aid.

• Praise the Lord for the help He offers in Christ - the One whose hands and feet were pierced as His garments were divided.

Confession & Assurance

We have walked in ungodliness and worldly passions. We have been lawless.

We have lived for ourselves, pursuing various passions and pleasures, neglecting the blessed hope that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

However, the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. We long and wait for the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Passing the Peace

Pray for two people in our body who are in your community group. Call or text them to let them know you prayed for them by name.

Song

Pastoral Prayer

Teaching

Missions Prayer

Join us in praying for our teachers across our nation, in our community, and in our body. As the upcoming school year quickly approaches, many teachers are facing considerable uncertainty in response to the coronavirus.

• Pray that the Lord would provide teachers with wisdom and grace as they prepare for the upcoming semester.

• Pray for the health and safety of teachers and students as school begins.

• Pray that the Lord would continue to use teachers as a reflection of His love to those around them during this time.

Benediction

Psalm 131

Questions for Reflection

1. What is your legacy? What is our church’s legacy?

2. How is Jesus inverting the way we think of greatness?

3. How do Jesus’ words here shock you? Are you willing to be like a child?

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Kids Song

Kids Lesson (Pre-school)

Kids Lesson (Grade School)

Living Room Liturgy | July 26

Scroll to the bottom for kids lessons & song.

Call to Worship & Prayer

Read Psalm 22:6-11

Confession & Assurance

We, like all, have sinned and gone astray.  We were made in the very image of God, the maker of heaven and earth. Yet our sin corrupts even our humanity. "I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people."

All who see me mock me.

But we are not our own for we belong to Christ!

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.  

Passing the Peace

Pray for two people in our body who are in your community group. Call or text them to let them know you prayed for them by name.

Song

Pastoral Prayer & Teaching

Missions Prayer

Jill and Ali Can are living in the Middle East. Their main focus in this season is Ali Can’s translation of several 9Marks books and 100+ articles. Two books have already been published (What is the Gospel? and Who is Jesus?)!

We are doing well! Our main focus during this season has continued to be Ali Can's translation of several 9Marks books and articles. Two books have already been published!

• Pray for their translation ministry – that the Lord would use the materials they have produced to bring people to the Gospel!

• Pray for their monthly support needs. God has provided greatly over the past few months, but they still have a deficit of $860/month in order to meet their current needs. Pray for God to add generous givers to their support team.

• Pray for the Lord's favor in their visa processing. They are still waiting for the U.S. embassy to reopen in order to be able to get the paperwork needed to move to the U.S.

Benediction

Numbers 6:24-26

Questions for Reflection

1. What, if anything, do you do to prepare your heart for corporate worship?

2. How are you preparing yourself to arrive at your eternal destination?

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Kids Song

Kids Lesson (Pre-school)

Kids Lesson (Grade School)

Living Room Liturgy | July 19

Scroll to the bottom for kids lessons & song.

Call to Worship & Prayer

Read Psalm 22:1-5

• If you are holding onto any feelings of being alone and forsaken, take a moment to lament. Cry out to God if He feels distant.

• Reflect on evidences of God’s past faithfulness. Thank Him for being constant, resent, and true.

• Ask God to prepare your heart for worship.

Confession & Assurance

Lord, we have lived out our days with malice, ill will, and envy. We have hated others and been hated by others. 

Left in our sin, we are foolish, disobedient, led astray, and slaves to various passions and pleasures.

Pause and confess current sin in your own heart.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.

We have been saved by the regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us through Jesus Christ our Savior. We are justified by God's grace so that we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Confession taken from Titus 3:3-7.

Passing the Peace

Pray for two people in our body who are in your community group. Call or text them to let them know you prayed for them by name.

Song

Pastoral Prayer

Teaching

Missions Prayer

The Church at Greer Station exists to make Jesus known from Greer to the ends of the earth. In order to encourage and equip one another in this mission, we will hold an Evangelism Workshop on Sunday, July 26 starting at 8:00am at the church office. We will begin with some practical training on initiating and carrying gospel conversations and then put that into practice by splitting into groups and spreading out across Greer to seek out gospel conversations with our neighbors. We will end our time by gathering back together to share about those conversations over lunch.

"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'" (Luke 10:1-2)

Pray:

• For the harvest fields of Greer: God is already working in the hearts of your neighbors!

• For laborers: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news and proclaim salvation!

• To be sent: If you have been redeemed by Christ, God has already called you as a laborer for the harvest!

Benediction

Romans 12:9-13

Questions for Reflection

• Do I believe unity is possible?

• Who can I move towards today?

• With whom do I need to reconcile?

• How can I pray for unity in this body?

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Kids Song

Kids Lesson (Pre-school)

Kids Lesson (Grade School)

Living Room Liturgy | July 12

Scroll to the bottom for kids lessons & song.

Call to Worship & Prayer

Read Psalm 21:8-13

Confession & Assurance

We were dead in the trespasses and sins in which we once walked, following the course of this world and the spirit that is at work in those who disobey.

We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind. Our nature was to be children of wrath, like the rest of humanity.

BUT God is rich in mercy and deeply loves us. Therefore, even though we were dead in our trespasses, He made us alive together with Christ. 

We have been saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This is not our own doing but it is the gift of God. This is not a result of works, so that we do not boast in ourselves. Rather, we boast in He who has shown the immeasurable riches of His grace to us.

Passing the Peace

Pray for two people in our body who are in your community group. Call or text them to let them know you prayed for them by name.

Song

Pastoral Prayer

Teaching

Missions Prayer

Pray for the Harrison family. The Harrison family is preparing to move to Halifax, Nova Scotia to pursue church planting opportunities in the St. Margarets Bay area.  They will go next month for their official assessment with the North American Mission Board and plan to be sent out by TCGS next summer.

• Pray for the Harrisons’ upcoming assessment. Pray that the Lord would help them communicate their vision and passion for making Jesus known in Atlantic Canada.

• Pray for those who are already faithfully laboring for the gospel in Nova Scotia. Pray that the Lord would bless and sustain LifeBridge Community Church, PAXnorth church, and Community Bible Chapel.

• Pray for all those in Nova Scotia who have not heard and do not know the good news of Jesus Christ. Pray that the Lord would call many to Himself and that they would move from death to life.

Benediction

Hebrews 12:28-29

Questions for Reflection

• What extra practices can you incorporate into your daily worship to make it more meaningful?

• In what ways have you seen the Lord’s faithfulness in your own life?

• Why is corporate worship an essential part of the believer’s life?

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Is this your first time using our Living Room Liturgy? Are you looking for a church or curious to know more about Jesus? We would love to connect with you! Please click the button below and fill out the form.

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Kids Song

Kids Lesson (Pre-school)

Kids Lesson (Grade School)