Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches
November 3, 2013
Prelude
Pitts
Creek Choral Introit / Beaver Dam Praise Song
Welcome
and Announcements – Pastor Jeff Howard
Call
to Worship
1
Q. What is your only comfort in
life and in death?
A.
That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in
death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for
all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the
tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not
a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven;
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I
belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for
him.
2 Q.
What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?
A.
Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I
am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God
for such deliverance.
*Hymn Lift
Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates
Blue8,Red152
Call
to Confession
3 Q.
How do you come to know your misery?
A.
The law of God tells me.
4
Q. What does God’s law require of us?
A.
Christ teaches us this ... “‘You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
mind.’This is the greatest and first commandment. “And a second
is like it:‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On
these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
5 Q.
Can you live up to all this perfectly?
A.
No. I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor.
Prayer
of Confession
Father
in heaven, Christ has taught us to love you with all our heart and
all our soul and all our mind. He also taught us to love our
neighbors as ourselves. But we have a natural tendency to hate you
and our neighbors. We know that you did not create us this way. You
wanted us to live in true righteousness and holiness and to know you
as our God living in perfect happiness and praising you. But the
fall of Adam and Eve has so poisoned our nature that we are all
conceived and born in a sinful condition unable to do good and
inclined toward all evil. We humbly pray for forgiveness. Amen.
Silent Prayer
Assurance
of Pardon
60 Q.
How are you righteous before God?
A.
Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. Even though my conscience accuses
me of having grievously sinned against all God’s commandments, of
never having kept any of them, and of still being inclined toward all
evil, nevertheless, without any merit of my own, out of sheer grace,
God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness,
and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner,
and as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for
me. All I need to do is accept this gift with a believing heart.
*Hymn
Glory Be
to the Father
Blue579,Red546
Teaching
from the Heidelberg Catechism
12
Q. According to God’s righteous judgment we
deserve punishment both now and in eternity: how then can we escape
this punishment and return to God’s favor?
A.
God requires that his justice be satisfied. Therefore the claims of
this justice must be paid in full, either by ourselves or by another.
13 Q.
Can we make this payment ourselves?
A.
Certainly not. Actually, we increase our debt every day.
15 Q.
What kind of mediator and deliverer should we look for then?
A.
One who is a true and righteous human, yet more powerful than all
creatures, that is, one who is also true God.
18 Q.
Then who is this mediator— true God and at the same time a true and
righteous human?
A.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was given to us to completely deliver us
and make us right with God.
Hymn
I
Greet Thee who My Sure Redeemer Art
Blue457, Red144
Prayer
of Illumination from Q22
Holy
Spirit, help us to believe what all Christians must believe, all that
is promised to us in the gospel. Amen.
First
Reading:
1
Corinthians 11:23-29
1
Corinthians 11:23-29
23
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord
Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24
and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my
body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup
is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in
remembrance of me." 26
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the
Lord's death until he comes. 27
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood
of the Lord. 28
A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks
of the cup. 29
For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the
Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
The
Word of God for the People of God
Thanks
be to God!
Pitts Creek Special Music
Beaver
Dam Hymn
A
Mighty Fortress is Our God
Red 91
Worship
for Children and Youth and Everyone
Hymn
– Yes, Jesus Loves Me (Children go to Sunday School)
Sermon
The
Heidelberg Catechism
Jeffrey T. Howard, Teaching Elder
Today
we are celebrating the Protestant Reformation. This was a time in
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when faithful believers
risked their own lives to protest heretical beliefs and practices
that had come into the church. They turned to scripture and prayer
to reform our worship practices and understanding of the sacraments.
Today we will look at one of the most influential documents of the
Protestant Reformation which was written 450 years ago. We will get
to this, but first let's pray.
“Grant
unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly
wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own
edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)
In 1566 Frederick III,
Elector of the Palatinate (governor of the area around Heidelberg
Germany) was summoned by Emperor Maximilian II to Augsburg.
Frederick had been charged with heresy for using a catechism, a
teaching tool of questions and answers, that differed significantly
from the one used in Lutheran churches. Maximilian feared that
religious disagreements could lead to political turmoil. So he
wanted Frederick and his catechism gone. As Frederick stood in the
great Council Hall surrounded by the other electors he began to
explain what he had done.
This is the story of the
writing of the Heidelberg Catechism.
In 1559 Otto Henry died
childless and his kingdom around Heidelberg passed to his nephew
Frederick. Frederick had grown up in the court of Emperor Charles V.
Charles was catholic, but you wouldn't know it. His court was
filled with drinking and prostitution. Frederick was disgusted by
all of this. In 1537 Frederick converted to Protestantism and
married a Lutheran woman. She asked him to pray and read his Bible
every day which Frederick did. And he became a very educated and
pious man.
Upon arriving in Heidelberg
Frederick and Maria found themselves in the middle of a massive
controversy. The instigators of this controversy were Tilemann
Hesshus, pastor of the Holy Ghost Church and principal of the College
of Wisdom, and Wilhelm Klebitz, the assistant pastor. While Hesshus
was traveling out of the country the faculty of the College of Wisdom
granted Klebitz a degree, something Hesshus would never have
permitted. Upon returning to the Holy Ghost church Hesshus preached
a scathing sermon calling Klebitz a Zwinglian Devil.
In
1529 there was a disagreement between two protestant reformers,
Martin Luther and Huldrych
Zwingli, about what happens in communion. Luther emphasized what
Jesus said at the Last Supper after he broke the bread, 1
Corinthians 11:24
"This is my body, which is for you;”
According to Luther, the physical body of Jesus Christ must be
present with the bread and wine of communion for this to be true.
Zwingli said that was ridiculous because we know where Jesus' body
is. It is in heaven at the right hand of God, not here at the
communion table. Zwingli pointed out that Jesus finished that
sentence by saying, 1
Corinthians 11:24
“do this in remembrance of me”.
According to Zwingli, whenever we come around this table we remember
what Jesus did for us on the cross to save us from sin. Luther and
Zwingli never came to an agreement.
The
next Sunday Hesshus and Klebitz were both at the Holy Ghost church.
When the time came for communion Klebitz picked up the cup of wine
and Hesshus grabbed it from him. A scuffle broke out in front of a
stunned congregation. The next day Frederick fired Hesshus, but gave
Klebitz a letter of recommendation so that he could find another
church.
Frederick
knew that he had to do something to prevent his kingdom and the
Protestant Reformation from splitting into Lutheran and Zwinglian
groups. And so he hired Kaspar Olevianus, a Reformed pastor, for the
Holy Ghost church, and Zacharias Ursinus, a Reformed scholar as a
professor of the College of Wisdom. He asked Ursinus to write a
catechism which would bring together the ideas of Luther and Zwingli
uniting the protestant churches.
Ursinus
finished work on the Heidelberg Catechism in 1563. It was divided
into three sections. The first, deals with the misery we experience
because of sin and guilt. The second talks about our release from
this misery by the act of our savior, Jesus Christ, dying on a
cross. The third section is about the gratitude we owe because Jesus
has released us from our misery. The catechism was approved by the
pastors of churches around Heidelberg and then went to the printer
where it became an instant best seller. Three editions were
published in the first year.
Copies
and translations of the Heidelberg Catechism spread all over Europe,
and it became one of the most influential documents of the Protestant
Reformation. Dutch settlers coming to New Amsterdam brought the
catechism with them to Manhattan island making it the first Reformed
catechism in America long before Presbyterians with their Westminster
Shorter Catechism settled along the Pocomoke River.
So
how did they reconcile the Lutheran and Zwinglian views of communion?
Ursinus had come from Geneva where he had been taught by John
Calvin. Calvin said that Luther was certainly right. We must be
able to perceive our risen Lord when we come around this table.
Jesus said this is my body, so Jesus' body must be with us. But
Zwingli was right too. Jesus certainly is in heaven sitting at the
right hand of God. And the only way that both of these things are
possible is if we are lifted up into heaven, spiritually, into the
presence of Jesus Christ every time we come around this table. This
is the work of the Holy Spirit. And this is why I say whenever we
come around this table, “Lift up your hearts”, and you respond,
“we lift them up to the Lord.” We lift up our hearts to commune
with Jesus Christ in heaven.
Frederick
appeared before Maximilian and the Lutheran electors to defend his
new catechism. And he remembered these words:
1
Q. What is your only comfort in
life and in death?
A.
That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in
death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for
all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the
tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not
a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven;
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I
belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for
him.
The
Lutheran electors did not find Frederick guilt of heresy because of
his kindness and gentleness. Maximilian called him Frederick the
Pious.
This
is the 450th
anniversary of the publishing of the Heidelberg Catechism. A new
translation into English has been approved by the Presbyterian Church
U.S.A. for inclusion in our Book of Confession. We are using this
new translation today in worship.
Let
me conclude today with these words from Frederick III.
“In
as we are bound by the admonition of the Divine Word to administer
our office and government … above all to constantly admonish and
lead our subjects to devout knowledge and fear of the Almighty and
His work of salvation … we have secured the presentation of a
summary course or catechism of our Christian religion, according to
the Word of God.”
Father
in heaven, we thank you for scholars who study your Word and provide
for us simple ways of learning about our faith. We especially thank
you for the the scholars of the Protestant Reformation would risked
their lives to reform the beliefs and practices of the church. Help
us to reform the church today when it is in error. Bless us with
your truth. Amen.
*21 Q.
What is true faith?
A.
True faith is not only a sure knowledge by which I hold as true all
that God has revealed to us in Scripture; it is also a wholehearted
trust, which the Holy Spirit creates in me by the gospel, that God
has freely granted, not only to others but to me also, forgiveness of
sins, eternal righteousness, and salvation. These are gifts of sheer
grace, granted solely by Christ’s merit.
The
Holy Supper of Jesus Christ
75 Q.
How does the holy supper remind and assure you that you share in
Christ’s
one sacrifice on the cross and in all his benefits?
A.
In this way: Christ has commanded me and all believers to eat this
broken bread and to drink this cup in remembrance of him. With this
command come these promises: First,as surely as I see with my eyes
the bread of the Lord broken for me and the cup shared with me, so
surely his body was offered and broken for me and his blood poured
out for me on the cross. Second, as surely as I receive from the hand
of the one who serves, and taste with my mouth the bread and cup of
the Lord, given me as sure signs of Christ’s body and blood, so
surely he nourishes and refreshes my soul for eternal life with his
crucified body and poured-out blood.
76 Q.
What does it mean to eat the crucified body of Christ and to drink
his poured-out blood?
A.
It means to accept with a believing heart the entire suffering and
death of Christ and thereby to receive forgiveness of sins and
eternal life. But it means more. Through the Holy Spirit, who lives
both in Christ and in us, we are united more and more to Christ’s
blessed body. And so, although he is in heaven and we are on earth,
we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. and we forever live
on and are governed by one Spirit, as the members of our body are by
one soul.
77 Q.
Where does Christ promise to nourish and refresh believers with his
body and blood as surely as they eat this broken bread and drink this
cup?
A.
In the institution of the Lord’s Supper: “The Lord Jesus, on the
night when he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread, and when he had
given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is
broken for you.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after
supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this,
as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as
you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death
until he comes.” This promise is repeated by Paul in these words:
“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the
blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the
body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one
body, for we all partake of the one bread.”
78
Q. Do the bread and wine become the real body and blood of Christ?
A.
No. Just as the water of baptism is not changed into Christ’s blood
and does not itself wash away sins but is simply a divine sign and
assurance of these things, so too the holy bread of the Lord’s
Supper does not become the actual body of Christ, even though it is
called the body of Christ in keeping with the nature and language of
sacraments.
79 Q.
Why then does Christ call the bread his body and the cup his blood,
or the new covenant in his blood, and Paul use the words, a
participation in Christ’s body and blood?
A.
Christ has good reason for these words. He wants to teach us that
just as bread and wine nourish the temporal life, so too his
crucified body and poured-out blood are the true food and drink of
our souls for eternal life. But more important, he wants to assure
us, by this visible sign and pledge, that we, through the Holy
Spirit’s work, share in his true body and blood as surely as our
mouths receive these holy signs in his remembrance, and that all of
his suffering and obedience are as definitely ours as if we
personally had suffered and made satisfaction for our sins.
80
Q. How does the Lord’s Supper differ
from the Roman Catholic Mass?
A.
The Lord’s Supper declares to us that all our sins are completely
forgiven through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which he himself
accomplished on the cross once for all. It also declares to us that
the Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ, who with his true body is now
in heaven at the right hand of the Father where he wants us to
worship him.
81 Q.
Who should come to the Lord’s table?
A.
Those who are displeased with themselves because of their sins, but
who nevertheless trust that their sins are pardoned and that their
remaining weakness is covered by the suffering and death of Christ,
and who also desire more and more to strengthen their faith and to
lead a better life. Hypocrites and those who are unrepentant,
however,eat and drink judgment on themselves.
82 Q.
Should those be admitted to the Lord’s Supper who show by what they
profess and how they live that they are unbelieving and ungodly?
A.
No, that would dishonor God’s covenant and bring down God’s wrath
upon the entire congregation. Therefore, according to the instruction
of Christ and his apostles, the Christian church is duty-bound to
exclude such people, by the official use of the keys of the kingdom,
until they reform their lives.
Distribution
of Bread and Juice
Prayers
of the People
The
Lord’s Prayer
Presentation
of Tithes and Offerings
from Q64
It
is impossible for
those grafted into Christ through true faith not to produce fruits of
gratitude.
*Doxology
Praise
God from Whom All Blessings Flow
Blue592, Red544
*Prayer
of Dedication from Q86
Father
in heaven we thank you for delivering us from our misery by grace
though Christ. We have received this without any merit of own.
Since Christ has redeemed us by his blood we show with our whole
lives that we are thankful for the benefits we have received so that
you may receive praise through us. We ask that through our Godly
living our neighbors will be won over to Christ. Amen.
*Hymn Now
Thank We All Our God
Blue555,Red9
*Charge
and Benediction - Responsive
65
Q. It is through faith alone that
we share in Christ and all his benefits: where then does that faith
come from?
A.
The Holy Spirit produces it in our hearts by the preaching of the
holy gospel, and confirms it by the use of the holy sacraments. Amen.
Pitts
Creek Choral Benediction
Postlude
1Jack
Rogers, Presbyterian
Creeds: a Guide to the Book of Confessions (Philadelphia:
Westminster John Knox Press, 1985), page 96-115.
