A Note from Pastor Appel Trinity Saints, The session met this morning to discuss Sunday worship and current state-wide lockdown order. We’ve decided that complying with the order is the right thing for our church to do, but the nature of our governor and mayor’s order raises some important questions regarding the interaction of civil…
At-home Worship Wk 1: March 22nd
• A Note from Pastor Appel 3/20/2020 (with notes on the liturgy)• Bulletin• Hymns (pdf) (audio: 31, 246-247, 74)
The Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness Deut. 7:1-11; Hebrews 11:1, 8-19; Luke 22:35-46
Introduction What does it mean to be faithful? Faithfulness is the quality of being trustworthy, dependable and loyal. Faithful people can be counted upon to act in a certain way regardless of the situation. They are principled and consistent. Faithful people are true to their word and can be relied upon to keep their…
The Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness Isaiah 63:7-17; Titus 3:1-8; Luke 6:27-36
Introduction Last week we saw in Exodus 34 how the Lord revealed his name to Moses as an expression of His glory. The “name” revealed Him to be a “God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”…
The Fruit of the Spirit: Patience Exodus 34:1-9; Colossians 3:1-13; Matthew 18:21-35
Introduction Thus far, love, joy and peace are all fruits that immediately appear desirable and appealing. After all, who doesn’t want love, joy and peace? Patience, on the other hand, is the first fruit that comes with a sense of foreboding. Its etymology derives from the Latin pati which means suffering or enduring….
Easter Sunday: The Death of Vanity – I Cor. 15:1-8, 6-9
Introduction: “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” I wonder if these words from Ecclesiastes came to the minds of the disciples after they witnessed their Lord be crucified. Vanity means the quality of…
Holy Saturday Homily: Out of the Darkness Psalm 107:13-16
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men! For He…
Good Friday Homily: Christ has Become our Curse – Galatians 3:10
Paul says that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. What is this curse that Christ became? The curse is the primordial sentence of death that God placed upon Adam. Because of his disobedience to God, God declared man an exile of Eden. Banished from the…
The Fruit of the Spirit: Peace Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 2:11-20
Introduction On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem in a scene suffused with royalty. He rode on a donkey in the manner of Israel’s kings and the crowds, who understood the symbolism, cried out: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”…
The Fruit of the Spirit: Love Galatians 5:22-23; 1 John 4:7-21
Introduction This morning we begin our consideration of the fruits of the Spirit by looking at love. Significantly, love only appears in the book of Galatians here in chapter 5, but its place in Paul’s argument is significant. In vs. 6 and vs. 13-24, love is the answer to the twin dangers of…