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F E B R U A RY 2 , 2 0 1 2
HARP NOTES
I N F O R M I N G
T H E
R E F O R M I N G
OUR PURPOSE
It is the purpose of Huntersville Associate Reformed Presbyterian
Church to deeply CELEBRATE the person and work of our Savior, to
diligently COMPREHEND God’s word, to develop rich COMMUNITY
among our church family and to demonstrate practical
COMPASSION to a hurting world.
IN THIS ISSUE...
On Prayer
“God never gives us
discernment in order that
we may criticize, but that we
may intercede.”
- Oswald Chambers
SUNDAY PREP
During your personal studies
this week, meditate on the
words of the hymns and
scripture verses that will be
sung & preached.
Handbell Choir Rehearsals
Women’s Ministries Conference
The Song and the Story - In Christ Alone
Sanctity of Human Life Week - Baby Bottle Boomerang
Reading the Tea Leaves? By Harry Reeder
THIS SUNDAY’S VOLUNTEER TEAM
Sunday School Nursery Lia Jackson
Worship Nursery Karin & Erland Stevens, Andrew Evans
Children’s Church Renee Maddox
Deacon Rotation: Erland Stevens (Lead), Patti Snyder, Mike
Ingram, Jill Gazzaway
SUNDAY’S HYMNS
I. Holy, Holy, Holy
II. In Christ Alone
III. Amidst Us Our Beloved
Stands
SERMON
MARK 1:1-15
Four Voices
Redeeming Your Time in the Life of Your Church
F R I DAY
WEEKLY EVENTS:
S U N DAY
9:45AM: Sunday School (All Ages)
10:30AM: Fellowship
11:00AM: Worship
4:00PM: Handbell Quartet (Recess)
5:00PM: Handbell Choir (Resumes 2/5/12)
6:00PM: Choir Practice
7:00AM: Men’s Fellowship Breakfast @ The
Cookhouse (Exit 28)
MONTHLY EVENTS:
T U E S DAY
1:00PM: Pastoral Prayer Team
10:00AM: Women’s Bible Study
Lord’s Supper: 1st Sunday even months
Men’s Breakfast: 2nd Saturday
Friendship Circle: 7pm, first Monday
Circle of Grace: 7pm, third Monday
Covenant-McDowell Circle: 3rd Thurs.
Session Meeting: First Monday
Deacon Meeting: Second Tuesday
W E D N E S DAY
12:00PM: Men’s Lunch (Recess)
HANDBELL REHEARSALS
COME MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE WITH US!
The HARP Handbell Choir will be resuming its
rehearsals in February. Anyone who would like to join
is welcome! No prior music experience is required
(about half of last year’s choir had no musical
background before they started playing!)
If you have any questions, ask Dot, Larry, or anyone in
the handbell choir. We’ll be happy to answer them and welcome you into
the group!
WOMEN’S MINISTRIES CONFERENCE
Re-Thinking the Ministry of Women – Synod’s Women’s
Ministries is holding a seminar in conjunction with the Elder/Deacon
Training on February 18 at Gastonia ARP, this is a seminar for all women
of the ARP to understand better the unique role they fulfill in our church,
our families, and Christ’s kingdom. Contact Patti Snyder if you are
interested in attending. HARP will cover the costs of registration and
lunch!
UPCOMING
EVENTS
JANUARY 29-...
Inquirer’s Class Begins
WELCOME TO HARP
FEBRUARY 5
Handbell Choir Resumes
FEBRUARY 6
Session Meeting
FEBRUARY 6
Friendship Circle
FEBRUARY 12
Return Baby Bottle
Boomerang donations
FEBRUARY 18
Elder / Deacon Training
and Women’s Ministries
Conference at 1st ARP
Gastonia
THE SONG AND THE
STORY
In Christ Alone
from the age of seven began to play the
One false assumption about Hymns is that piano.
they have to be several hundred years old to
Enjoying a career as a Christian music
be called a “hymn”. That they have had to
producer for many popular British worship“stand the test of time” to qualify
leaders, what will be his lasting contribution
themselves as worthy of inclusion in the life
is that of a songwriter. Songs such as “How
of the church. Many popular hymns have
Deep the Father’s Love,” “My First Love,”
been written in this century, and in our own
“The King of Love,” “Who Paints the
generation. Dr. R.C. Sproul, founder of
Skies” and “Lord, How Majestic You Are”
Ligonier Ministries, has penned several
are favorites in churches worldwide, and “In
beautiful hymns in the reformed tradition,
and one hymn, In Christ Alone, written by
Stuart Townend in 2002, is one of the most
beloved of our contemporary hymns. (Note
as well, that every hymn, at one time, was
‘contemporary’!)
Stuart Townend is the youngest of four
children raised in a Christian family in West
Yorkshire, England. Stuart’s father was a
vicar in the Church of England. Being
raised in a family of music lovers, Stuart
Christ Alone,” has taken its place among
modern worship classics.
Townend collaborated with songwriter
Keith Getty in 2002. In an interview
describing the writing process, Townend
remarked, ““Keith and I met in the autumn
of 2000 at a worship event, and we resolved
to try to work together on some songs. A few
weeks later Keith sent some melody ideas,
and the first one on the CD was a
magnificent, haunting melody that I loved,
and immediately started writing down some him through the enormous pressures and
lyrical ideas on what I felt should be a dangers of life in a war zone.
timeless theme commensurate with the
As I drive down the highway with my M-16
melody. So the theme of the life, death,
pointed out the window and my 9MM pistol
resurrection of Christ, and the implications
tucked in my flak jacket pocket. I can tell you
of that for us just began to tumble out, and
that I feel more secure in claiming the promise
when we got together later on to fine tune it,
"No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever
pluck me from his hand till he returns or calls
we felt we had encapsulated what we
me home" than I do with that rifle and pistol."
wanted to say.”
In Christ Alone resonates in particular to
The song’s impact has been felt
throughout the world. One U.S soldier the people of the Western world today. With
serving in Iraq described in an email of how life’s foundations shaken everywhere from
he prayed daily through the verses of the war, to the economy, and the failing of the
song, resting confidently in the promises of traditional family and the overall lack or loss
God’s protection and grace described in of certainty in a relativistic world, In Christ
those lyrics. In Christ Alone helped to sustain Alone gives the listener a solid place to stand
- in Christ. Alone.
Meditate on the words of this hymn today so you may lift these
petitions up in prayer as well as in song this Lord’s Day.
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand!
The Westminster Larger Catechism
Q. 162. What is a sacrament?
Q. 163. What are the parts of
a sacrament?
A: A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by
Christ in his church, to signify, seal, and exhibit
A: The parts of a sacrament
unto those that are within the covenant of grace,
are two; the one an outward
the benefits of his mediation; to strengthen and
and sensible sign, used
increase their faith, and all other graces; to oblige
according to Christ's own
them to obedience; to testify and cherish their love
appointment; the other an
and communion one with another; and to
inward and spiritual grace
distinguish them from those that are without.
thereby signified.
SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE WEEK
Last Sunday began National Sanctity of Human
Life week, where we recognize the tragic loss of
over fifty million babies aborted since the legislation
of Roe v. Wade passed in our nation.
Got questions? Contact Mike or Krista and they’ll
be glad to help!
How You Can Help
Last Sunday we also began our annual Baby Bottle
Boomerang drive, which benefits the Mooresville
Community Pregnancy Center.
The Baby Bottle Boomerang involves three steps:
✴ Get a bottle at one of the church entrances
✴ Fill a bottle (with change cash, or a check)
✴ Return the bottle to the church by Feb 12
PASTOR LEE’S
NEXT WEEK’S OFFICE SCHEDULE
Tuesday: 9-6 Office and Visitation
Wednesday: 2-6
Thursday: 9-6 Office and Visitation
Friday - 9-12
Pastor Lee will be teaching at
Greyfriars Academy on Monday
and Wednesday, between 10:15
a.m. and 1:15 p.m.
All other times you can reach him
at 704-796-7315.
READING THE TEA LEAVES?
by Harry Reeder …THE
SECRET THINGS BELONG TO THE
LORD OUR GOD BUT THE THINGS THAT
ARE REVEALED BELONG TO US AND OUR
CHILDREN FOREVER THAT WE MAY DO ALL
THE WORDS OF THIS LAW FOREVER.
Who among us have not found ourselves
confused and overwhelmed at times attempting
to understand the circumstances of life while
simultaneously pursuing God’s will for our life?
Our hearts and minds become overwhelmed in
this sin-cursed and broken world as we
contemplate life’s challenges and
disappointments while battling our ever-present
doubts, confusion and fears. We have fully
e m b r a c e d t h e s ove r e i g n t y o f G o d a n d
acknowledge the providence of God. We even
know the Christ-affirmed Biblical and benevolent
promises toward us. Yet, disharmony of a broken
world impinging upon us easily produces
confusion with hesitancies, doubts with chaos and
fears with paralysis. Is there a way to erase sin’s
cacophony of confusion and despair and
embrace the symphony of God’s grace and
mercy enabling us to live confidently for Christ in
a broken world?
Many believers are subtly drawn to solving
the dilemma of doubts, confusion and fear by
“reading the tea leaves” of life’s circumstances.
This endeavor is usually pursued in the name of
discerning God’s guidance. The reality is, it only
furthers our dilemma by consigning us to the
vagueness and instability of speculation while
detouring us from the stability-giving dynamic of
embracing the inerrant and sufficient gift of
Divine revelation-God’s Word, by which life’s
circumstances can be accurately interpreted.
Simply put, “reading the tea leaves” of life’s
circumstances will not dismiss doubts, confusion
and fears nor give the knowledge of God’s will
for our life. On the contrary, to understand “the
secret will of God” for our lives we must know
the “revealed will of God” – His Word. God’s
Word revealing God’s will gives us the ability to
understand life’s circumstances to make Godcentered and Kingdom-advancing decisions.
The patriarch
Joseph provides a
marvelous example
of a believer being
informed by God’s
Wo r d
when
inter preting and
responding to life
in a broken world.
This man received
dreams and visions
r e v e a l i n g G o d ’s
promise and
purpose to place
him in a position of
power
and
authority to benefit
God’s people as well as others. Yet in the
circumstances of life, the very opposite seemed to
be the reality. He was betrayed by the conspiracy
of his brothers, treated unjustly as a slave by his
master Potipher, even though he had been
faithful in servitude and resistant to the
temptations of Potipher’s wife. Adding to the
confusion, he was forsaken by a fellow-prisoner
he had comforted. Yet, knowing God’s Word and
therefore God’s covenant promises he interpreted
the circumstances of life with clarity and
confidence instead of despair and
discouragement. Joseph not only avoided the
despondency of self-pity but he was able to
decisively respond to life’s challenges and
opportunities ~ whether in the House of
Potipher, Pharaoh’s prison or Pharoah’s palace ~
Joseph lived with God-centered consistency and
a servant’s heart. Amazingly, he was even able to
comfort his brothers in their fear as they found
themselves at his mercy with the words ~ “what
you meant for evil God meant for good” ~ the
good was referring to the salvation of God’s
covenant people as
well as God’s
common grace
overf lowing to
others in the midst
of a Divinely
appointed famine
judgment. By
k n ow i n g G o d ’s
Wo r d a n d H i s
promises, he was
liberated to make
life decisions
embracing the
ministry of grace
t o h i s b ro t h e r s
instead of personal
revenge as they arrived vulnerable and needy.
God’s Word positioned him to interpret the Life’s
circumstances confidently as the Hand of God’s
providence. The result was an effective and God
honoring ministry of grace and wisdom. Because
he knew God’s Word and that He would fulfill
His promises, he interpreted enslavement, unjust
treatment and betrayals as God’s will calling him
to suffer so that through his suffering, the Lord
would bring the blessing of life to His Covenant
people and mercy to others.
Even more significantly this short narrative of
Joseph’s life points to the greater narrative of
Christ’s life. Our Redeemer, willingly submitted
to God’s will, humbled Himself to suffer death
on a cross that we might have life eternal instead
of the Divine judgment of a forever hell. In
Christ, the glorious, Divinely-designed pattern of
taking the “catastrophe of sin” in a fallen world
and accomplishing the “eucatastrophe of
redemption” for the world to come is displayed.
Dear friends, follow the path of Joseph to Christ
and trust Him who defeats the malevolent
designs of the evil one. Then, follow the Joseph
model of knowing the Word of God to give
perspective on life and direction for life in a
fallen world.
God’s covenant people are not victims in a
broken world; they are victors, walking in the
triumph of Christ.
Christ-followers
are not the
overwhelmed, but
the over-comers.
Informed by God’s
i n e r r a n t Wo r d ,
they put life in
B i b l i c a l
perspective,
making decisions
for life with clarity,
confidence and
courage.
Eradicating doubt
and its hesitancy,
r e m o v i n g
confusion and it’s chaos, banishing fear and its
paralysis, comes not by gazing at the “tea leaves
of life” to know God’s “secret” will, but by
knowing God’s “revealed” will through His allsufficient Word. Searching God’s Word and
surrendering to God’s Spirit enables Christfollowers to understand and respond to the
circumstances of life in a broken world. Doubt is
banished by confidence, confusion is replaced by
clarity, and fear gives way to courage as we
anticipate the expansion of God’s Kingdom in
this world and the glory of the King in the world
to come.
Dr. Harry Reeder serves as senior pastor
of Briarwood Presbyterian Church,
birthplace of the PCA denomination. He
and his wife, Cindy, live in Birmingham,
Alabama. They have three children and
six grandchildren.
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HARP NOTES
HUNTERSVILLE ARP CHURCH
201 North Old Statesville Road
PO Box 316
Huntersville, NC 28070
First Name Last Name
Home Street
Home City, Home State Home ZIP
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