New Life

ABOUT THE MUSIC

By Elmer Freed

 

Hymn #293   Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness

Text: Rusty Edwards

Music: Traditional American Melody; John Wyeth's Repositroy of Sacred Music, 1813

“ . . . the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”  

(Matthew 4: 16)

Jesus moved his ministry from Nazareth, his home town, to Capernaum, about 20 miles north. By so doing, he fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah in Isaiah 9: 1,2,  proclaiming that the Messiah would be “a light to the land of Zebulun and Naphtali.” Zebulun and Naphtali were two of the original tribes of Israel. In quoting from the prophet Isaiah, Matthew connects the ministry of Jesus to the prophecies of the many-centuries-earlier Old Testament. This proved helpful for the Jewish listeners of Matthew who were familiar with those old Scriptures. To us it indicates the unity of the purposes of God as he works with his people throughout all ages.

 

Hymn #466   Jesus, Our Lord and King

Text: Anonymous

Music: Robert Jackson

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices., holy and pleasing to God.

(Romans 12: 1)

In Old Testament times, priests sacrificed an animal offered by the sinner to have his sins forgiven. While sacrifice was important, God made it clear that obedience from the heart was much more important (see 1 Samuel 15: 22; Psalm 40: 6; Amos 5: 21-24). God wants us to offer ourselves, not animals, as living sacrifices – daily laying aside our own desires to follow him, putting all our energy and resources at his disposal and trusting him to guide us. We do this out of gratitude that our sins have been forgiven. God has good, pleasing and perfect plans for his children. He wants us to be transformed people with renewed minds, living to honor and obey him. Because he wants what is best for us and because he gave his Son to make our new lives possible, we should joyfully give ourselves as living sacrifices for his service.

 

Hymn #465   Baptized in Water

Text: Michael Saward

Music: Traditional Gaelic melody; arranged by Tom Fettke

We were buried with him through baptism into death in order  that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. (Romans 6: 4, 5)

Because as a baptized believer you are united with him in his death and resurrection, you can enjoy a new life. Your evil desires, your bondage to sin and your love of sin died with him. Now, united by faith with him in his resurrection life, you have unbroken fellowship with God and freedom from sin’s hold. For more on the difference between our new life in Christ and our old sinful nature, read Ephesians 4: 21-24 and Colossians 3: 3-15. You’ll learn more how you ought to live with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

 

"about the Music" IS A COLUMN THAT eLMER fREED WRITES FOR THE MUSIC THAT IS PLAYED EACH WEEK AT sAN PEDRO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.  

 

Second Commandment

I started a series on the 10 Commandments by looking at the First Commandment – You shall have no other Gods before me (Exodus 20:3).  Now, we will look at the Second Commandment – You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below (Exodus 3:4).  In other words do not worship idols of any kind.  It sounds a lot like the First Commandment but there is a difference.

In the First Commandment God tells us it’s wrong to allow anything created to become more important to us than He.  The Second Commandment is saying that in our worship we must not reduce God to a likeness of anything else.  Our Creator is a living God.  He is not an inanimate statue or figurine.  To make any representation of Him distorts and limits our perception of what He is really like and so damages our relationship with Him. Of all things on earth or in the heavens, only living human beings realistically reflect a reasonable likeness of God. In the same way, as a human, Jesus Christ was in the image of His Father. Not only did God make humans in His image, He created us to become even more like Him. Being like God and developing His own character in us is what our existence is all about. That is why a clear understanding of the purpose of the Second Commandment is so important.

A physical image of a deity doesn’t have life or power. Even if we knew exactly what God looks like, we could not design idols that would portray the many facets of His character revealed to us through His Word. At some times God acts with gentleness and mercy and at others with great wrath and power. He does not want us to perceive Him as frozen in one trait of personality or character to the exclusion of His many other traits. He asks that we read about Him, learn what He is like and emulate Him. 

As humans we are a long ways from being like Him. Our character tends toward weakness. Our relationships with each other leave much to be desired. Our spiritual understanding is limited and often flawed and distorted. Our perceptions are often inaccurate. We are biased in our opinions. We harbor prejudices and are quick to engage in conflicts. In all these spiritual areas, we fall far short of being like God. Though God has given us limited abilities and characteristics similar to his own, we need a lot of development and fine tuning before we become like Him in nature and character.  Knowledge and understanding of the truth of God are essential for developing the holy, righteous character He desires to create in us. That means that we have to learn and grow. 

The Second Commandment is a constant reminder that it is humans, of all created things, that are made in the image of God. Only we can be transformed into the spiritual image of Christ who came in the flesh as the perfect spiritual image of our heavenly Father. This Commandment protects our special relationship with our Creator who made us in His likeness and is still molding us into His spiritual image. The Second Commandment reminds us that God is far greater than anything we can see or imagine. We must never let that knowledge be pushed aside by the use of some image or likeness in our worship of God.

By Ed Olson

 

Genesis 1:27 (TNIV) – So God created humans in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female created he them.

John 4:23 (TNIV): - Yet a time has coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth: for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

 

First Commandment

How familiar are you with the 10 Commandments?  Have you really read through them, studied them, and understand what it is God is asking or telling us with these commandments?  For the next several months I would like us to take a deeper look into the 10 Commandments so we can all come away with a real understanding of each of the commandments and what they mean for us today.  We find the 10 Commandments listed in Exodus chapter 20 verses 3 – 17.

Establishing, developing and maintaining a personal relationship with the true living God is the most important commitment we can ever make. That is the focus of the first commandment; "You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20: 3

When Jesus was asked which of all the laws of Scripture is the greatest, He responded with the command emphasizing the supreme importance of our personal relationship with God: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:35-38.

The Bible is clear concerning the basis of our relationship with God: He is our Creator!  All that we are, and everything we have, ultimately comes from Him.  The only reliable assurance that our future is secure lies in our relationship with our Creator.  He created for us a wonderful planet on which to live. He provided us with everything we need for our material well-being and survival. It is His desire that we enjoy and appreciate these gifts He gave us. At the same time, He wants us to understand that we must never direct our worship toward anything or anyone that He has created or regard them as the source of our life and blessings. Only the Creator and never the creation should receive that honor.

The First Commandment warns us not to accept a religion or philosophy that teaches that our life and well-being originate with or depend on anything other than the one true God. There is no other source of life or blessings except through God. There is no other power that rules over the heavens and the earth. He alone created and sustains the universe in which we exist. This is the First Commandment's powerful message. We are to worship and serve our Creator and miracle working God who led ancient Israel out of Egyptian bondage and to credit our existence and blessings to no other source. We are to love, respect and honor Him and to have a genuine personal relationship with Him.

The relationship that God wants with us is that of children with their Father. It was for this purpose that Jesus Christ was born to be the Savior of mankind.  To become a member of the very family of God is the awesome purpose for which we were born!  What a remarkable love the living God and Creator of the universe has for us. He wants us to be a part of His family and live forever in His Kingdom. He tells us that our highest priority in this life is to “seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Our heavenly Father gave us this lifetime to establish a permanent relationship with Him so we can receive eternal life as His children. We should love, honor and respect God because He alone is the supreme authority and model in our lives. He alone is God. We should never allow anything to prevent us from serving and obeying Him.

Deuteronomy 4:19 (TNIV) - And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon, and the stars - all the heavenly array – do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping  things the Lord your God apportioned to all nations under heaven.

Romans 12:2 (TNIV) – Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

By Ed Olson

 

 

Boomers Christmas Party

Image credit: freebievectors.com

Band of Brothers Holiday Gathering

Image credit: freebievectors.com

CANO Christmas Party

Image credit: freebievectors.com

Alternative Gift Market

Alternative Gift Market

 

 

 

Have you started your Christmas shopping? Do you need a few stocking stuffers? What do you buy for that person on your list who has everything?

 

Make your life easier by coming to our Annual Alternative Gift Market. You may get much of your shopping done in ONE day! There will be many booths where you can buy items or make donations to local and/or international ministries in a friend or family member’s name. What a great way to show your loved ones you care while supporting very worthy causes in our community or that of another’s.

 

WHEN: Sunday, December 2, 2012 from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

 

WHERE: San Pedro Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall

14900 San Pedro Avenue• San Antonio, TX 78232

210-494-6560 •  www.sppcsa.com

 

WHO (Missions we support at SPPC):  

· Presbyterian Children’s Home

· Christian Assistance Ministry

· House of Neighborly Services

· Habitat for Humanity

· Guatemala Project

· Romanian Boys Home

· Mobile Loaves and Fishes

· Heifer International

· Barefoot Children (Running Strong for the American Indian Youth)

· Emmanuel Presbyterian Church (Supporting SA Food Bank)

 

SPPC Harvest Table

Image Credit: Google Images

Let’s gather together during this Thanksgiving season to be Christ to San Antonio families in need. Please bring your gifts of canned goods, staples, and dried items and place them on the table outside of the Fellowship Hall.  The table will be up until Sunday, November 18th and the food will be distributed on Wednesday, November 21st. 

SPPC Fall Clean-up

Girlfriends Christmas Dinner Theater

Image credit: Shutterstock

RSVP Diana Grippi at dgrippi@swbell.net

CANO Thanksgiving Night

Image credit from google images

Please contact Kari Schwab to get the gate code and to RSVP

CANO is SPPC's Adult Social Group ages 20 to early 50's

Prayer

A couple of years ago I attended a Sunday school class that Faith taught on prayer. The class revolved around a book written by Walter Wangerin Jr., Whole Prayer; Speaking and Listening to God. The class taught me something about prayer that I would like to share with you this month.

Walter Wangerin announced in his book that the complete prayer is made up of four parts, four very discrete parts. Two of those parts are ours and two of them are God's. Each part may seem like it is separate from the other three because they are not necessarily all done in one continuous act of prayer but they can, in a lot of instances, occur in such a swift succession the complete prayer is a single, unbroken event.  Those four parts to prayer are:

First, we speak while,

Second, God listens.

Third, God speaks while,

Fourth, we listen.

I think it goes without saying, and we would all agree, that prayer is initiated by us. When we go to God in prayer it should always be deliberately, attentively, and openly turning our minds to God. There are a couple of reasons why we pray. Sometimes we don’t have a defined purpose beyond simply wanting to be with Him; we want to commune with our heavenly Father.  Other times, we have something specifically we want to talk with God about. We want to ask for this or that, we want to apologize to Him for something we've done, we want Him to intervene in a situation that bothers us – to turn a bad situation into something good, or we want to thank Him for something He has done for us or someone close to us. The main thing about prayer is that it is an act that puts us in our proper, natural relationship with God in the best possible way. The marvelous blessing in this is that we can, despite all of our sinful ways, initiate this talk with God and we do this whenever, wherever, and however we feel the need to. This is how we speak to God.

As we begin to speak with God, the second part of prayer begins immediately—God listens. It is this part that makes the first part possible. If God didn't hear us there would be absolutely no reason for us to begin to speak to Him. So, how do we know God is listening?  Because the Bible tells us so in 1 John 5:14 (see Bible Verses to Remember below). God's love for us all is the power that receives our voice. This is God's promise. 

It is at this point that many people stop praying. They've said their piece and they expect that God has heard them, so they are done. That's so sad because the prayer is only half complete. The third part of a complete pray is that God speaks back to us. Now please don't misunderstand.  Speaking to us is not the same as giving us what we want, which He may or may not do. In love He responds to us. He talks back, answers, makes Himself known, and makes His being and His intentions real to us. He does this and He does this every time we pray. How does He speak to us? He speaks to us through Scripture, through the words of other people—both other Christians and those who are not, through the church, and through the daily experiences we have in life. Rest assured He does speak back to us.

The fourth part is the heart of prayer—we listen. As God empowered our words by listening and responding back, we show our faith in Him and dependence upon His word by listening to Him. Very rarely does God speak in a dream or a vision as he did in the time of Jesus and before. Since God doesn't normally shout from the heavens for our attention, listening cannot be an accident. Listening must be our own conscientious action, a thing we do, a thing we choose to do, and a thing we can learn to do better and better.  We hear God by making ourselves ready to hear, by paying attention to our surroundings, and by trusting and having faith that God will speak to us.  But an attentive attitude is not enough if we don't know how to distinguish God's "voice" from other voices or how to interpret the voice of God when He speaks to us.  I said that God speaks to us through Scripture. The Bible is God's dictionary. The words of Scripture are God's words to us, but more than just His words to us, Scripture also interprets these words. It is the Bible where we find our deepest explanation of what God's "deeds" mean.  So, in order for us to recognize when God speaks to us in our own lives, we need to know His "language" as it is recorded in the Bible. When we learn the Scriptures we then have a basis for understanding and being able to distinguish God's "voice" from other "voices."  Even just to know that it is God talking and not our strong desires we are hearing.

We must remember that we don't know God exhaustively. We can't. We have an awesome and loving God. If you believe that then you're going to have to be okay with sometimes not being privy to the how's and why's of everything He does. When He speaks to you it isn't always going to be what you want to hear.  He isn't going to always explain why He does what He does. He expects us all to have faith that He does it for good reason and He does it because He loves each and every one of us.  We are joyful when He answers our prayer with a positive result that we like or want, but friends, I ask that you be joyful that He answers our prayers, whether we like the answer or not.  Be thankful He is there when we speak. Be thankful He is there to listen to us.  Be thankful He is there.

Bible Verses to Remember:

1 John 5: 14 – 15 (TNIV): This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.

John 15:7 (TNIV):  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

By Ed Olson