Our Liturgy We share in worship forms used by the earliest Christians and which developed over time and were revised during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries. Even after the changes of nearly two thousand years of use, however, Christian liturgy is organized around two basic poles: the public reading and preaching…
Posts by Edd Cathey
Disclaimer: The Christian Century is not a periodical I would normally quote. Jul 17, 2015 by Samuel Wells in The Christian Century After I’d given a talk to mark the 70th anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s execution, I got a letter complaining that Bonhoeffer had been drained dry of meaning and was of no more use to…
The Church today would be a different kind of place if it were not for a short, dark-skinned, red-bearded, half hermit who single-handedly fought an empire for the truth of the Gospel. For much of the fourth century, A.D., it was Athanasius contra mundum—“Athanasius against the world”—and Athanasius won. One letter. To some historians his…
Good Friday marks the death of Jesus Christ. It’s called ‘good’ because of what Jesus’ death means for the redemption of the world. Worship this evening focuses on three aims: (1) to narrate and remember the events of Jesus’ death, (2) to open up the meaning of these events for our understanding of God and…
It is almost a truism among thinking Christians today that the doctrine of the church, known among theologians as “ecclesiology,” has fallen on hard times. When I was a student at a reasonably well-known conservative Reformed seminary it seemed that students would much rather argue about apologetics or eschatology or predestination than the doctrine of…
Discipleship, the Grace and Peace Budget and your First Things At Grace and Peace we do not write, speak or preach often about money or giving. And yet what we do in this matter of giving is an important part of our Christian discipleship, i.e. our walk with God. The following teaching is helpful: What…
There is a wonderful new radio station here in St. Mary’s County! WXMD 89.7 FM features excellent teaching programs and edifying music. Grace and Peace is a supporter of WXMD and encourages everyone to listen! Tune your home and automobile radios.
My soul complete, in Jesus stands! It fears no more the law’s demands; The smile of God is sweet within, Where all before was guilt and sin. My soul at rest, in Jesus lives; Accepts the peace his pardon gives; Receives the grace His death secured, And pleads the anguish He endured. My…
GREAT DEVOTIONAL POETRY If you are not familiar with this poem, you need to be. Donne composed this piece near the end of his life when he was facing death (circa 1631). John Donne (pronounced ‘dun’) lived a contemporary of Shakespeare in London England between 1570 and 1640. He was renowned in his time…
Is Membership in a local church really necessary? What shall we think of someone who refuses to join a church or is removed from the membership of the church without joining another congregation? The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey K. Boer, Pastor of Sharon OPC in Miami Lakes, Florida, addresses these questions in the following sermon. Formal…