Dear brothers and sisters,
Sand and sun, two words that well describe what we found at Cape Cod last week. We spent a great deal of time either looking at water, swimming in water or drinking water. Much fun and good rest. Thank you all for your prayers. We bring back greetings to you from Ron & Fran Rich, our gracious hosts who gave us several days at the "Caboose", their lovely cottage in Harwich Port. The girls enjoyed collecting shells, flying kites, walking trails, watching TV and trying to figure out Luke Goodling, who was an exceptional gentleman. Jen found most things less comfortable than the rest of us, getting greater with child every day. But she was a great sport and joined us on all our adventures, even until it hurt.
We made our annual pilgrimage to Dr. Gravity's Kite Shop and Reed Books where all the kids made a purchase and soon moved off into imaginary worlds. Personally, I will remember this 2009 visit to the "Caboose" well, for it was there that I finished reading, Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte's classic novel that, in my opinion, was more about revenge than romance. Still greatly profitable, especially if you are easily infatuated with revenge. Now I am carried away with Peace Like A River, a novel delivered by Joy Flowers. First-rate!
On our way down we had a short but sweet visit with Paul and Tara Kesig. The newlyweds had just moved into their first home. A beautiful, little, older home in Pembroke, a few miles east of Concord, right on the river. Paul continues his work in medical equipement sales and Tara is making a slow recovery from her illness. They send you all their love.
While we were away - if you haven't heard already - several friends descended upon the Hartley house and gave it a good scouring. A spring cleaning that went so far as to match long orphaned socks. Thank you Gene & Sandra, Janet, Roger & Chris, Judy, Christie, Jennifer, Jean, Susan, Lauren, Joyce, and Roxy. You blessed our socks off!
As you go into your weekend, please remember in prayer Karen Martin and Berni Mauchly, they are attending the national Children Desiring God conference in Minneapolis. Also remember Kevin Curtis who leaves tomorrow for Kenya. Gretchen, Gabrielle and Liam remain behind and would benefit greatly from your prayers and kindness while their Daddy is away.
Yours in Christ,
John
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
E-note 4/16: Happy Anniversary TBC!
Dear brothers and sisters,
We've come 'round again to the backside of another April. Not only is April the month that sprinkles on presently hidden and much longed for May flowers, but it is also the month we celebrate the anniversary of Thetford Baptist Church. Twenty-seven years ago earthly eyes began to see what God had determined, in eternity past, to bring about in our day: the church of God at East Thetford, Vermont (1 Cor. 1:2). Like the universal church, we are a people gathered by grace to Jesus Christ through Word and sacrament where, as theologian Michael Horton says, "Christ is serving us, building his kingdom, drawing people by his Spirit from the dominion of sin and death, leading them in ever-richer understanding of the gospel, extending that message and acts of love outward to the neighbor. The Triune God is the one creating a new world in the midst of this fading evil age, not simply keeping the old one going or dressing it up in perpetual innovation” (All Crossed Up)
It seems to me - prepare yourself for a shamelessly biased remark - that the local church is one of the most extraordinary places, one of the most extraordinary societies, on the earth if for no other reason than that these "everlasting splendors" who occupy the pew in front of you will be the very people who live on to populate the new heavens and the new earth with Christ the King. That's you, dear saint, a citizen of an indestructible city built for us by the indestructible Man, the last Adam, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. How thrilled I am to know you now, you, someone I will know forevermore, because by mercy we both were known by Him before all ages, now and forevermore. But the local church is extraordinary for reasons other than the permanence of the people whom God has gathered there. It is more extraordinary because it is a visible expression of the living God's promise and purpose to have a people for His own possession, a people formed for himself that they might proclaim His praise (Isaiah 43:21). "The whole focus of scripture is the living God, of whom, through whom and unto whom are all things, not least the people he has redeemed and claimed as his own" (Edmund Clowney).
Thetford Baptist Church is nothing less than a visible expression of the eternal purposes of the Triune God to be God to His people and for His people to have Him as their God. May Jesus Christ be praised! Sunday's bulletin will include some photos from TBC's earliest days along with a little history. May they refresh us to God's unfailing love in Christ.
Yours in Christ,
John
We've come 'round again to the backside of another April. Not only is April the month that sprinkles on presently hidden and much longed for May flowers, but it is also the month we celebrate the anniversary of Thetford Baptist Church. Twenty-seven years ago earthly eyes began to see what God had determined, in eternity past, to bring about in our day: the church of God at East Thetford, Vermont (1 Cor. 1:2). Like the universal church, we are a people gathered by grace to Jesus Christ through Word and sacrament where, as theologian Michael Horton says, "Christ is serving us, building his kingdom, drawing people by his Spirit from the dominion of sin and death, leading them in ever-richer understanding of the gospel, extending that message and acts of love outward to the neighbor. The Triune God is the one creating a new world in the midst of this fading evil age, not simply keeping the old one going or dressing it up in perpetual innovation” (All Crossed Up)
It seems to me - prepare yourself for a shamelessly biased remark - that the local church is one of the most extraordinary places, one of the most extraordinary societies, on the earth if for no other reason than that these "everlasting splendors" who occupy the pew in front of you will be the very people who live on to populate the new heavens and the new earth with Christ the King. That's you, dear saint, a citizen of an indestructible city built for us by the indestructible Man, the last Adam, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. How thrilled I am to know you now, you, someone I will know forevermore, because by mercy we both were known by Him before all ages, now and forevermore. But the local church is extraordinary for reasons other than the permanence of the people whom God has gathered there. It is more extraordinary because it is a visible expression of the living God's promise and purpose to have a people for His own possession, a people formed for himself that they might proclaim His praise (Isaiah 43:21). "The whole focus of scripture is the living God, of whom, through whom and unto whom are all things, not least the people he has redeemed and claimed as his own" (Edmund Clowney).
Thetford Baptist Church is nothing less than a visible expression of the eternal purposes of the Triune God to be God to His people and for His people to have Him as their God. May Jesus Christ be praised! Sunday's bulletin will include some photos from TBC's earliest days along with a little history. May they refresh us to God's unfailing love in Christ.
Yours in Christ,
John
Thursday, April 9, 2009
E-note 4/9: The Last Day of the Old Age
Dear brothers and sisters,
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2)" We can not fix our eyes upon Jesus at the throne unless we first have seen him on the cross. The old creation of darkness and death must be brought to an end before the new creation of light and life can burst forth into glorious day. Good Friday is the last day of that old creation. On the cross Jesus puts an end to it. Good Friday is the end of an age. The last Adam, the Son of Man, has come to dwell and die among sinful men at the hands of sinful men in order to declare with his blood and last breath that, "It is finished." The age of death has died. The demands of God's Law are now for the first time and for all time satisfied in the life and death of a man, Jesus of Nazareth.
Tomorrow we keep the anniversary of the last day of the old creation, Good Friday, by fixing our eyes on the One who finished it, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Our Tenebrae service will begin promptly at 7:30pm. Kevin & Laura Channell, using John's Gospel, will read us through the passion of Christ. Deb McKee and the TBC choir will sing, and we'll all sing the solemn hymns of Holy Friday as the shadows fall. Holy Communion will also be served. How to prepare? Consider making a fast tomorrow, for the whole day or the second half. In place of eating, pray. Ask our Father to clear your eyes so you might see Jesus on the cross, the Lamb slain to purchase men for God. Ask our Father that this message of Christ crucified may spread rapidly and be honored just as it has among you.
Yours in Christ,
John
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2)" We can not fix our eyes upon Jesus at the throne unless we first have seen him on the cross. The old creation of darkness and death must be brought to an end before the new creation of light and life can burst forth into glorious day. Good Friday is the last day of that old creation. On the cross Jesus puts an end to it. Good Friday is the end of an age. The last Adam, the Son of Man, has come to dwell and die among sinful men at the hands of sinful men in order to declare with his blood and last breath that, "It is finished." The age of death has died. The demands of God's Law are now for the first time and for all time satisfied in the life and death of a man, Jesus of Nazareth.
Tomorrow we keep the anniversary of the last day of the old creation, Good Friday, by fixing our eyes on the One who finished it, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Our Tenebrae service will begin promptly at 7:30pm. Kevin & Laura Channell, using John's Gospel, will read us through the passion of Christ. Deb McKee and the TBC choir will sing, and we'll all sing the solemn hymns of Holy Friday as the shadows fall. Holy Communion will also be served. How to prepare? Consider making a fast tomorrow, for the whole day or the second half. In place of eating, pray. Ask our Father to clear your eyes so you might see Jesus on the cross, the Lamb slain to purchase men for God. Ask our Father that this message of Christ crucified may spread rapidly and be honored just as it has among you.
Yours in Christ,
John
Thursday, April 2, 2009
E-note 4/2: The Only Comfort
Dear brothers and sisters,
"What is your only comfort in life and death?" So goes the first and famed question of the much beloved Heidelberg Catechism of 1563. The catechism's answer resonates through the ages: "That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him."
Here is the only comfort we have to offer our sister Gladys Perkins, our brother Peter Flowers, our brother Russ Coburn, and our brother Roland Smith. In fact, here is the only comfort we have to offer the rest of us, those of us not on this week's prayer list. Look at that question again: "What is your only comfort in life and death?" It is not just those under the threat of near death that need the "only comfort" of the faithful Savior, but those under the threat of life need this comfort too. Life threatens to chase us away from the Lord we love. Life, with all its necessary acquisitions and upwardly mobile expectations and teeming imaginations and recurring dissatisfactions and alluring presentations and sexual flirtations and idolatrous fascinations, is now a threat to us, to us who are fallen from grace. In fact, life itself has fallen, and so scripture rightly calls it "the world". Our only hope in this dying world is our faithful Savior Jesus Christ who is the eternal life (1 Jn. 1:2). Only Jesus can comfort us sufficiently to keep us from leaving the God we love for the world. Only Jesus can comfort us sufficiently to keep us loving God when we are about to leave this world we love. Only Jesus' comfort gives us confidence to live before God now and confidence that we will live on after Judgment Day and enter into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. "Father, give the saints of Thetford Baptist Church an increasing supply of grace so we might skillfully comfort one another with the only comfort we can be comforted with, your faithful Son. Amen."
One more thing. I have some information to share regarding Kevin Curtis' upcoming trip to Kenya. As you may know, Kevin will be heading to Kenya from May 1- May 11, to lead an 8-person medical missions team with Mission to the World. The team will be setting up temporary clinics in churches in the slums of Nairobi with the goal of demonstrating the love of Christ in word and deed. The extent of poverty that exists there is only exceeded by the love of Jesus among the believers. The more common medical issues encountered are malnutrition (especially in children), AIDS, infections ranging from malaria to TB to typhoid to simple ear aches and cellulitis, a whole host of dermatologic issues, wounds, and a lot of chronic aches and pains from the hard life they lead. The team has ordered a number of prescription medications already, but would love to bring a large supply of over the counter medications to supplement them. If you feel that you're able to help, it would be greatly appreciated.
Yours in Christ,
John
"What is your only comfort in life and death?" So goes the first and famed question of the much beloved Heidelberg Catechism of 1563. The catechism's answer resonates through the ages: "That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him."
Here is the only comfort we have to offer our sister Gladys Perkins, our brother Peter Flowers, our brother Russ Coburn, and our brother Roland Smith. In fact, here is the only comfort we have to offer the rest of us, those of us not on this week's prayer list. Look at that question again: "What is your only comfort in life and death?" It is not just those under the threat of near death that need the "only comfort" of the faithful Savior, but those under the threat of life need this comfort too. Life threatens to chase us away from the Lord we love. Life, with all its necessary acquisitions and upwardly mobile expectations and teeming imaginations and recurring dissatisfactions and alluring presentations and sexual flirtations and idolatrous fascinations, is now a threat to us, to us who are fallen from grace. In fact, life itself has fallen, and so scripture rightly calls it "the world". Our only hope in this dying world is our faithful Savior Jesus Christ who is the eternal life (1 Jn. 1:2). Only Jesus can comfort us sufficiently to keep us from leaving the God we love for the world. Only Jesus can comfort us sufficiently to keep us loving God when we are about to leave this world we love. Only Jesus' comfort gives us confidence to live before God now and confidence that we will live on after Judgment Day and enter into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. "Father, give the saints of Thetford Baptist Church an increasing supply of grace so we might skillfully comfort one another with the only comfort we can be comforted with, your faithful Son. Amen."
One more thing. I have some information to share regarding Kevin Curtis' upcoming trip to Kenya. As you may know, Kevin will be heading to Kenya from May 1- May 11, to lead an 8-person medical missions team with Mission to the World. The team will be setting up temporary clinics in churches in the slums of Nairobi with the goal of demonstrating the love of Christ in word and deed. The extent of poverty that exists there is only exceeded by the love of Jesus among the believers. The more common medical issues encountered are malnutrition (especially in children), AIDS, infections ranging from malaria to TB to typhoid to simple ear aches and cellulitis, a whole host of dermatologic issues, wounds, and a lot of chronic aches and pains from the hard life they lead. The team has ordered a number of prescription medications already, but would love to bring a large supply of over the counter medications to supplement them. If you feel that you're able to help, it would be greatly appreciated.
Yours in Christ,
John
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