Moments from now (11:00 am), The Festival of Carols will begin at my place of employ. Based on the liturgy used at King's College in Cambridge, England, it brings the basic Christmas teachings of the Scripture to the congregation, and it's interspersed with the best-loved hymns and carols of the season!
Whether you are with us in person or not, I hope you have time this Christmastide -- personally and corporately -- to meditate upon the incarnation of the Almighty and on what this Immanuel ("God with us") has accomplished.
John Calvin, that great reformer in the Presbyterian tradition, had much to say about the Gospel of Son of God born that first Christmas. Herewith a portion of a preface he wrote to a translation of the New Testament:
Without the gospel everything is
useless and vain; without the gospel we
are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom, folly
before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the
condemnation of God.
But by the knowledge of the
gospel we are made children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ,
fellow townsmen with the saints, citizens of the Kingdom of heaven, heirs of
God with Jesus Christ, by whom the poor are made rich, the weak strong, the fools
wise, the sinners justified, the desolate comforted, the doubting sure, and
slaves free. It is the power of
salvation of all those who believe.
It follows that every good things
we could think or desire is to be found in this same Jesus Christ alone. For, he was sold to buy us back; captive, to
deliver us; condemned, to absolve us; he
was made a curse for our blessing, sin offering for our righteousness; marred
that we may be made fair; he died for our life; so that by him fury is made
gentle, wrath appeased, darkness turned into light, fear reassured, despisal
despised, debt cancelled, labor lightened, sadness made merry, misfortune made
fortunate, difficulty easy, disorder ordered, division united, ignominy
ennobled, rebellion subject, intimidation intimidated, ambush uncovered
assaults assailed, force forced back, combat combated, war warred against,
vengeance avenged, torment tormented, damnation damned...death dead, mortality
made immortal.
And we are comforted in tribulation, joyful in sorrow, abounding in poverty,
warmed in our nakedness, patient amongst evils, living in death.
This is what we should in short
seek in the whole of Scripture: truly to
know Jesus Christ, and the infinite riches that are comprised in him and are
offered to us by him from God the Father.
Christmas Eve will include dinner (in Erwin Hall) at 6:00 pm. The Candlelight Communion will follow at 7:30pm. YOU AND YOURS are invited to both. If you need any information, call the First Presbyterian Church office at 940-387-3894.
Your Friend,
Rev. Paul R. Dunklau
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