Pastor Andrew's Best Books of 2024
December 19, 2024
Dear CPC Family,
It’s that time of year again! One reason I love December and Christmas is the many “favorite books of 2024” lists. For the past few years I’ve set a goal to read 52 books each year, one per week. But please don’t be impressed. I have never reached this goal. Sometimes I have failed to even get halfway there. This year, however, I am only 9 books away. To make it across the finish line, I’ll be the one madly turning the pages of some shorter books in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day!
Christians are book people. We build our lives and our faith on one God-breathed Book and we give thanks for other books that help us grow. So, in no particular order, here are 10 books. Eight of them I finished in 2024. One of them is currently underway. The last one is a book I’m looking forward to in 2025. I hope you enjoy and, more importantly, I hope you take up and read!
Princeton Seminary, vol. 1, David Calhoun: All I can say is that this early history (1812 through the Civil War) of Princeton Seminary—one of the most important places in American Presbyterian history—is riveting, inspiring, and devotional. You’ll meet great heroes of the faith like Ashbel Greene, Samuel Miller, and Archibald Alexander. And you’ll encounter the kind of Presbyterianism that we aim for at CPC: biblically faithful, theologically rooted, warm-hearted, and missions minded.
3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family, Patrick Lencioni: Do you ever feel overwhelmed as a family? It can feel impossible to juggle the competing demands, the full schedules, and the hope that what we’re doing with our families matters for eternity and glorifies God. If you’ve ever felt this way, you should read this book by a management consultant and family man who wants to see families thrive amid busyness.
The Surprising Genius of Jesus, Peter Williams: It might sound obvious to describe Jesus as a great teacher. Obviously he is much more than just a teacher! But read this book and you’ll see in a new way that Jesus was a really great teacher. This short book focuses mainly on the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) and shows the nuances, the (incredible) Old Testament references, and the storytelling skill of Jesus that helps to unlock this portion of the Bible.
How to Read a Book: Advice for Christian Readers, Andy Naselli: If you want to read more books or just read books better, this could really help. Naselli is a seminary professor who has learned the art of reading well. But the practical tips he shares can benefit anyone. There’s another book of the same name, How to Read a Book, by Mortimer Adler. I’m sure that one is also helpful. This book, however, is unique for its focus on helping Christian readers.
American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company, Bryce Hoffman: In the mid-2000s, Ford Motor Company was on the wrong track. Alan Mulally came aboard as the CEO with a bold plan to revitalize a great American company. And then the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 hit. This books tells the riveting story of Mulally and his transformational leadership that saved Ford, even without the federal bailout their competitors lobbied to receive. If you lead in any capacity, there are lessons to learn from this book.
On Great Fields, Ronald White: This biography recounts the life of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a college professor, Civil War hero (at Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg), and later college president and governor of Maine. What comes through clearly in this book is that Chamberlain, for all of his flaws (and there were a few), was a devoted Christian who memorized the Westminster Shorter Catechism in his youth and, by all accounts, remained a faithful believer to his dying day. He is a real American hero worth celebrating!
How to Know a Person, David Brooks: A New York Times columnist whose books I’ve appreciated for many years, David Brooks recently became a Christian (which he quietly alludes to in this book). It’s not a self-help book but it will help you to think clearly about knowing and loving the people around you.
Theo of Golden, Allen Levi: This self-published novel (usually never a good sign for a novel to be self-published—but this is an exception!) spread by word of mouth. I heard about it on a podcast, ordered the book, couldn’t put it down, and passed it on to my wife, who also couldn’t put it down. It tells the story of a mysterious visitor to a small southern town who is quickly woven into many lives through his practical generosity, gracious demeanor, and genuine love. But, really, just read it. You won’t regret it.
One Book in Progress:
The Person of Christ, John Owen: While not for the faint of heart, John Owen’s deep dive into the scriptural teaching on Jesus Christ will blow your mind with biblical insight and warm your heart with devotion to our Lord. Just chip away by reading 10 pages a day and you’ll be amazed at what you learn!
One Book for 2025:
Holiness, J.C. Ryle. I’ve read sections of this book before and have long loved J.C. Ryle, an evangelical and reformed Anglican bishop in the 19th century. But this book comes up so often when people I greatly respect name the books that most influenced them that it’s really time to read the whole thing.
Tolle Lege!
In the Father's Love,
Pastor Andrew
Make Evening Worship Great Again!
February 29, 2024
Dear CPC Family,
Beginning this Sunday, CPC will expand from monthly to weekly evening worship services at Beth Shalom at 5pm.
My goal in this letter is to explain why the CPC session made this decision and how we pray that evening worship will be a growing blessing to individuals, families, and the whole church.
“A well-spent Sabbath we feel to be a day of heaven upon earth,” wrote Robert Murray McCheyne, “for this reason we wish our Sabbaths to be wholly given to God. We love to spend the whole time in the public and private exercises of God's worship, except so much as is taken up in the works of necessity and mercy. We love to rise early on that morning, and to sit up late, that we may have a long day with God.”
Biblical Foundations
The Bible clearly calls God’s people to treat the Sabbath as a day unlike any other in the week. On this day we cease from labor, trust God to provide as we rest, and devote the whole day (rather than the hour, or the morning) to Him. Here are some highlights of the biblical teaching:
Most generally, the Sabbath day has been a gift for the people of God since God blessed the seventh day in Genesis 2:2-3. As Geerhardus Vos put it so well, the Sabbath, “has faithfully accompanied the people of God on their march through the ages.” (Vos, Biblical Theology, 139)
From the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week (John 20:1), Sunday was set apart as the Christian Sabbath. The resurrected Jesus appeared to his disciples most often on Sundays and the day of Pentecost was, likewise, a Sunday (50 days after the resurrection).
The pattern of Scripture shows a morning and evening rhythm for Sabbath worship. The Old Testament people of God were commanded to worship by offerring both morning and evening sacrifices (Exodus 29:39). Jesus’ Lord’s Day appearances happened at both morning (John 20:14) and evening (John 20:19). The early church certainly gathered for evening worship (Acts 20:7).
Based on the biblical teaching, to use the words of our Directory for Public Worship, “It is highly advisable that a congregation assemble for public worship at the beginning and the ending of the Lord's Day. God … sanctifies the entire Lord's Day to himself and gives his people in it a foretaste of their eternal enjoyment of him and his people.”
Putting It Into Practice
When it comes to Lord’s Day observance, each Christian and each family has a large degree of liberty in how they put into practice what we believe about the Sabbath. The nature of the Sabbath as a gift from God is clouded when the day is weighed down by detailed rules, expectations, or man-made burdens. In other words, your elders are not the Lord’s Day police! Our role, instead, is more positive. To mix metaphors, we want to build up the bookends of the Lord’s Day so that they’re like a trellis for the vine of growth in grace.
What does this look like in practice? As a session, we expect members of CPC to gather with the congregation for public worship on the Lord’s Day unless providentially hindered. This is simply what it looks like to follow through on the fifth membership vow to “participate faithfully in this church’s worship and service.” We want you to be in worship regularly for your own spiritual health and because your presence is a blessing to the body of Christ. When it comes to our expanded worship services, we warmly encourage attendance at both the morning and evening services of worship.
For members: we want to grow together in calling the Sabbath a delight. I want to encourage you to do an experiment and simply see what happens when you make a regular habit of morning and evening worship on the Lord’s Day. Simply commit to the habit and watch for how the Lord blesses you through the ordinary means of grace.
For those providentially hindered from regularly coming to morning worship: our hope is that regular evening worship will enable you to experience, once again, the Sabbath as “an oasis in the desert of earthly cares” (B.B. Warfield).
For outreach and evangelism: the less formal and shorter evening service might be a good introduction to CPC. Consider inviting to evening services both non-Christian friends exploring the Christian faith and Christian friends from other churches who are interested in what a Reformed church is all about.
For the harried: certain stages of and stations in life can stretch us thin. Parents of young children, caregivers, and others can find that “duties of necessity and mercy” (Confession of Faith 21.8) take up so much time that making it to morning worship alone is a great victory. Far from burdening you, our hope is that evening worship will bless you! Consider, for example, that parents caring for a sick child can take turns on Sundays so that both parents can be in worship.
Our hope in expanding evening worship is to see more prayer, more praise, more reading of the Word, more preaching, and more fellowship at CPC. We believe that these are the ordinary ways that God blesses his people on their pilgrim way through this life. So let’s confess with Psalm 92, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night.”
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
Words Matter
January 16, 2024
Dear CPC Family,
Have you ever noticed that, for all of their undeniable benefits, easy access to our digital tools (smartphones, social media, etc.) can cause us to become the opposite of James 1:19? The original (and God inspired) verse says this: “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” But our digital world often makes us slow to hear, quick to speak, and quick to anger.
Not only does this influence our digital communication, these sinful traits can easily bleed over into all of our communication. Wise Christian communication should be characterized the way the Bible characterizes all godly wisdom: “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17)
Perhaps you’ve encountered some of the various vocal groups of “very online” pastors and Christian influencers who often seem to operate on the assumption that if you’re not inflammatory, you’re not faithful and you may even be “compromised.”
Many justify this behavior based on perceived threats in the culture or downgrade in the church. I’ve encountered examples of pastors who excuses foolish, harsh, or otherwise offensive speech because they “understand what time it is.” By this they mean that the cultural situation has deteriorated so much that the times require sharp-tongued truth-tellers.
We should seek to understand the cultural crisis of our day but any response must be guided by God’s infallible Word. Here are some of God’s “standing orders” for his servants and the way they communicate:
1 Peter 3:15: “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”
2 Timothy 2:24: “And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil.”
1 Timothy 3:3: An overseer must be “not violent but gentle.”
Colossians 4:6: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Notice that all of these were originally written in times of great opposition to the gospel. None of them include any qualifications or conditions based on the cultural climate. Paul Tripp helpfully points out that our words always reveal our hearts. Here’s how he puts it:
“When ruling your heart, the truths of the word of God will never produce cruel mockery, angry accusations, or a willingness to judge motives or assail another’s character. Using words to harm is not the fruit of good theology. Theology that does not produce love is simply bad, God-dishonoring, and unbiblical theology.”
We should hold ourselves—and especially our leaders—to high standard for communication that is bold and faithful and, at the same time, kind and gentle. We do this because our hearts are captured by the glorious and gracious God we serve. Here’s Paul Tripp again:
“If you find pleasure in the battle and you love the kill, it’s probably not God’s glory that’s driving you, because he is slow to anger and lavish in love. If tenderness, gentleness, kindness, patience, and love seem like weakness to you, it’s doubtful that the glory of God is shaping how you act, react, and respond.”
Let’s pray that our words will point our hearers to the glory of God and the love of Jesus Christ!
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
What's New in the New Year?
January 2, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
Happy New Year!
I love to look back with thanksgiving to God for the past year and to look forward with hope in him for the year ahead. May the Lord, this year, “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”(Psalm 90:12)
Looking Back with Gratitude
Most of this letter looks ahead to the new year for Corona Presbyterian Church. But we need to start by looking back to rejoice in God’s amazing provision. CPC’s December giving is still being tallied but, with gratitude to the Lord, I am happy to report that we reached our budgeted giving goal! Thank you for your generosity and commitment to the mission of this church. We prayed for a strong finish and the Lord answered our prayer!
Looking Ahead with Hope
A strong finish to 2023 means a strong start to 2024. So what is new in 2024? Here’s our mission: we are committed to Proclaiming Christ, Growing in Grace, and Abiding in Him. That mission is not new. Some of the ways that we pursue this mission, however, will be new. Here are a few:
More Scripture: We aim to be biblical in all that we do as a church, but our prayer in 2024 is that our love for God’s Word would multiply (Acts 12:24). This will take shape in sermons, Bible studies, and other ways that we engage with the Word. But here’s one concrete idea. Our sermon passage for this coming Lord’s Day, the first in the New Year, is Psalm 67. I hope it will be CPC’s “theme psalm” for 2024. Let’s memorize Psalm 67 together this year!
More Prayer: Beginning this Sunday, all are invited to pray in the classroom at CPC before every worship service. For morning worship, we’ll pray from 9:00am to 9:10am. For evening worship, we’ll pray from 4:30pm to 4:40pm. We will pray for our worship service but also for any other needs of which we are aware. All are welcome!
More Outreach: More to come on this soon but let me share our first major outreach effort. The session selected Sunday, March 31 (Easter Sunday) as a special invitation Sunday. According to outreach expert Thom Rainer, around 80% of people are likely to respond affirmatively to an invitation to church from a friend or acquaintance. Yet only 2% of church members invite someone to church each year. That’s low-hanging gospel fruit! Begin praying right now about who you might invite to CPC on Easter Sunday. Let me know the first names of those who you plan to invite and the session will join you in prayer. Again, there’s more to come, but let’s start thinking and praying now.
More Fellowship: We’ve seen in Acts 2:46-47 that the early church excelled in fellowship and hospitality. Our prayer is for CPC to grow in these areas in 2024. Are you able to host a church-wide event this year? Or are you able to welcome a smaller group to your home on a regular basis in 2024? If so, please let me know. Plans and goals for CPC fellowship opportunities are coming together … but willing hosts can make those plans a reality!
Let’s prayerfully seize the momentum of a fresh new year and watch for how the Lord uses us for His glory in the next 12 months.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands! (Psalm 90:16-17)
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
Christmas Listening Suggestions
December 19, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:4-7)
If you are not in “the Christmas spirit” yet, just read that passage again.
Because God became man, because the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, for us and for our salvation, we have much to celebrate!
That’s why I think it’s good for us to go a little overboard with Christmas. Put up those over-the-top Christmas lights, fill your table with an abundance of food, delight to give good gifts, and rejoice that every spiritual blessing is ours in Christ.
One special opportunity believers have at Christmas is to celebrate with music. There is terrible Christmas music out there (I’m looking at you, “Last Christmas”). But God’s people throughout the ages celebrate Christmas with music for both booming celebration and quiet reflection on the incarnation. Here are a few ideas to check out this week:
Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God. If you don’t know about Andrew Peterson, you’re missing out! This album (which has also been an annual live show for 20+ years) tells the story of Jesus, beginning with the Old Testament types and shadows. I would suggest setting aside an hour or so to listen to this album from beginning to end (in this case, the order is important!)
O Come All Ye Faithful. Yes, you know this Christmas carol. But you really need to take time to think about the words. One verse draws heavily on the Nicene Creed. The version I linked is the choir/organ arrangement by Sir David Willcocks at Kings College, Cambridge. This is a famous arrangement because, in the final verse, as the choir sings “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing,” the organist pulls out all the stops to play a chord that is otherworldly. That chord captures in music the literally otherworldly salvation that has broken into this world in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Give it a listen and, if you think I’m crazy, watch this video.
Speaking of King’s College, Cambridge, one of my Christmas Eve traditions is to listen to the live BBC broadcast of the annual Lessons & Carols service. Since 1918, this service has been held in Cambridge every Christmas Eve and broadcast around the world. In California, you can listen at 7am on Christmas Eve at the link above (or stream it later, of course). If you came to our Lessons & Carols service, you’ll recognize the Scripture readings and many of the carols.
Savior of the Nations Come. This is a lesser known Christmas carol written by Ambrose of Milan (who was instrumental in St. Augustine’s conversion) and translated into German by Martin Luther. We sang this yesterday but the one I linked to is more intense. Intensity is appropriate as the song looks back to Jesus’ first coming and ahead to his second coming.
Hark! the Herald Angels Sing: How could I close with anything but this! I remember a former pastor of mine calling this the most theological Christmas carol. There’s a reason that It’s a Wonderful Life and Charlie Brown Christmas both close with this carol. It captures the message and the joy of the incarnation like few others!
Don’t just listen to these songs during the week … use them as a warm-up for morning and evening worship on Christmas Eve! We’ll gather, as usual, at 9:30am on Sunday morning and then again at 5pm back at Beth Shalom for our joint Christmas Eve service with Grace PCA. See you then!
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
Pastor Andrew's 2023 Books of the Year
December 12, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
It’s that time of year! Time for many people to round up the best books they read this year. I love reading these lists so I’m continuing my tradition of making my own. I hope it will point out things worth reading for growth in grace or simply for enjoyment.
None of these books were published in 2023 so this just the best of what I’ve read between January 1 and today, in no particular order. Enjoy!
Waiting on the Word: A Poem a Day for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany by Malcolm Guite: It’s not too late to get this for the lead-up to Christmas! This is not exactly a devotional (though it is more devotional than other Christmas devotionals I’ve read) and it’s focus on poetry will not be everyone’s cup of tea (though you should give it a try … even if you think you don’t like poetry). The author, who is himself a poet, a pastor, and a college chaplain, shares a poem each day, explains how to understand it, and applies it to the Christian life by drawing out the Advent or Christmas themes.
Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church by Michael Kruger: This is a short book about the big problem of abusive leaders in the church and the brokenness they can leave in their wake. In one chapter, the author contrasts the biblical standards for church leadership with the qualifications that many churches often prioritize—and they are quite far apart! It’s a heavy but needed topic and the author writes with both conviction and a firm hope for the Lord to bless his church with faithful and humble leaders.
Devoted to God: Blueprints for Sanctification by Sinclair Ferguson: Have you ever been confused by how to balance the freeness of God’s grace in justification with the call to holiness and sanctification? Or have you ever simply wondered how to grow as a Christian? This book will help! Sinclair Ferguson is always worth reading and this one might be my favorite book of 2023.
Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments by Geerhardus Vos: Here’s how I read demanding books (like this one): 10 pages a day during my “putting kids to bed” routine. This is not an easy read but it is well-worth the effort! Vos shows how the Scriptures fit together as God’s revelation of the plan of redemption in Christ. If you want an easier starting point, try Grace and Glory, a collection of Vos’s sermons from Princeton Seminary.
Covenantal Baptism by Jason Helopoulos: This book tops the “most given away” category! If you’re looking for a simple, biblical, and gracious explanation of what Presbyterians believe about baptism, look no further! The author once firmly disagreed with infant baptism and knows what it’s like to deal biblically with questions along the journey to a change of mind. There is a lengthy section at the end of very common questions and answers about baptism that is worth the price of the book.
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien: I’ve slowly been making my way through The Lord of the Rings trilogy, this time as an audiobook. You can (and should) read the print version but I also highly recommend listening to the audio version narrated by Andy Serkis (who played Gollum in the movies). You might find the audiobook for free through your local library’s e-book app. The highest praise I can give this book is that it will help you to love what is good, true, and beautiful.
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight: First, a disclaimer: Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, is not (as far as I know) a Christian so be aware of some of the language he uses and religious views he (briefly) discusses. This book, however, is a very entertaining, interesting, and almost unbelievable story of the rise of Nike from a small importer of Japanese running shoes to the world’s most recognizable athletic brand.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The First Forty Years 1899-1939 by Iain H. Murray: How does a man go from being one of the top physicians in England to becoming the pastor of a small, struggling mission church on the coast of Wales? That’s the story Iain Murray tells in this very readable biography of a man so gripped by God’s grace that he couldn’t do anything but preach the gospel.
So what books that you read this year would you recommend to me? Let me know!
In the Father's Love,
Pastor Andrew
And Be Thankful
November 21, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
Thanksgiving permeates the Christian life.
When we see the greatness of our sin and misery and the grace of God’s deliverance in Christ from that sin and misery, the main question for a Christian is, as the Heidelberg Catechism puts it, “how I am to thank God for such deliverance.”
We also see this theme in the Bible. Notice how these verses from Colossians continually return to thankfulness as the essence of life as a Christian: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:15-17)
Of course if thanksgiving is for life, then we shouldn’t relegate it to one Thursday each year … but we should celebrate that one Thursday later this week with enthusiasm! Whatever you do this Thanksgiving Day, in word or deed (whether spending time with family and friends, eating delicious food, watching football, or taking in a Thanksgiving Day hike), do everything in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God through him! [By the way, you might want to read last year’s thanksgiving letter for practical help if you might be asked to pray at a Thanksgiving Day gathering]
As the members and friends of Corona Presbyterian Church (near and far), I am thankful for each of you. With Paul I can say, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”
If you need any further help in reflection this Thanksgiving, let me leave you with my favorite thanksgiving hymn, Now Thank We All Our God [and check out this video for the classic organ accompaniment]:
Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers' arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us;
and keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
in this world and the next.
All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son, and him who reigns
with them in highest heaven--
the one eternal God,
whom earth and heav'n adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.
Happy Thanksgiving!
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
Introducing CPC Midweek!
October 3, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
Quantity time matters.
One of my jobs in the Canavan Family is designated repairer of broken toys. This is not because I am particularly handy. It’s because I have the super glue in my desk drawer. Super glue can only fix so many problems. But one other limitation of super glue is this: even “instant” bonding super glue still requires some amount of time to work properly. If a broken toy is glued back together and then immediately played with, it will quickly return to the broken pile.
Christians sometimes treat our spiritual lives and church life in the way that super glue is advertised: we want the benefits instantly, no waiting. But growth in grace takes time.
I recently heard a Christian leader say that the path to success is for worship services to never be more than one hour and sermons to never be more than seven (!) minutes. Now there’s nothing wrong with short worship services and brief sermons—and there’s nothing inherently better about long services and long-winded preaching! But one thing our forebears in the faith remembered that we’ve forgotten is that God ordinarily works over time. We mature in faith over time.
That maturity over time comes as we participate in more biblical teaching, more fellowship, more prayer, not less of those things. We need more of that in our individual Christian lives and more of that in the church. Because this is true, let me invite you to join us as we kick off something new at Corona Presbyterian Church: CPC Midweek.
Beginning this week, we’ll gather on Thursdays at 6:30pm for teaching, reports on home and foreign missions, prayer, and fellowship. I’ll be teaching on the attributes of God, Elder Brent Murphy will lead a missions report, and we’ll spend time in prayer for needs at CPC, for our mission as a church, and for the spread of the gospel around the world. Make plans to be there!
Here’s the schedule, Lord willing, for this first round that will take us through the end of November:
10/5: God is Incomprehensible
10/12: God is a Spirit
10/19: No Midweek (Presbytery)
10/26: God is Infinite
11/2: God is Eternal
11/9: God is Unchangeable
11/16: God is Independent
11/23: No Midweek (Thanksgiving)
11/30: God is Simple
Obviously CPC Midweek is no substitute for Lord’s Day worship but your session’s hope and prayer is that it will be a helpful accompaniment to our other gatherings and a time to “recharge” during the work week.
I hope you’ll join us and I hope you’ll join me in praying for the Lord’s rich blessing on these Thursdays!
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
New Sermon Series! Acts: The Spreading Blaze
September 7, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
With the beginning of fall comes the beginning of a new sermon series at CPC!
Our summer series on Titus wrapped up last Sunday. This Sunday, Lord willing, we will begin a series on the book of Acts. I am really looking forward to this series and hope that you’ll join me in praying for the Lord to bless CPC as we study this important book.
The book of Acts goes by many names:
The Acts of the Apostles (the most common title, likely in your Bible right now)
The Acts of the Ascended Christ
The Acts of the Holy Spirit
All of these names are accurate and all of them together capture something of what this book recounts:
The risen Jesus ascends to his heavenly reign, pours out the promised Holy Spirit, and the Son and the Spirit act through the apostles in their ministry of proclamation, prayer, and witness.
We are calling our series Acts: The Spreading Blaze. Acts 1 opens with about 120 people in that initial apostolic band. By the end of Acts 2 about 3,000 more were added to the church, and it just keeps growing from there. Through the gracious work of the Holy Spirit—and even by God’s providential control of persecutions and scatterings—the gospel message continues to spread from Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). That story continues today as the gospel spreads around the world.
John Calvin called Acts “a vast treasure.” “Live in that book,” exhorted Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “it is a tonic, the greatest tonic I know of in the realm of the Spirit.” John Stott, likewise, urges the church in every century to “compare itself with the church of the first, and to seek to recapture something of its confidence, enthusiasm, vision, and power.”
We need to hear the message of this book because we, just like the church then, live between the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost and the promised return of Jesus, when time shall be no more.
So, again, let’s pray for the help of the outpoured Spirit that we might understand, believe, and apply this book today!
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
CPC and the Wider Church
August 22, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
One word we sometimes use to describe our church as a Presbyterian church is "connectional." Through our union with Christ, we are connected to other believers, to other local churches, and whole denominations in a communion that spans the globe. This is a very exciting reality!
But how can we concretely understand our connection to other churches—especially when we see so many varieties of churches and so many examples of division in the body of Christ? In this letter, I want to help as we think through that question.
The Basics
First things first, if you belong to Jesus by faith, you are connected to everyone else who also belongs to Jesus by faith. “There is one body,” Ephesians 4:4-6 puts it so beautifully, “and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Have you ever met someone for the first time and, after a few minutes of talking, you just know that they are a brother or sister in Christ? I can’t remember a time when I’ve had an experience like this and been wrong about that hunch! There is a family resemblance among the children of God. We should always rejoice when we meet fellow believers—even if they are believers with whom we would disagree on some theological points.
In a similar way, Corona Presbyterian Church celebrates our connection to all faithful, gospel preaching churches. We can give thanks for Northpoint, Olive Branch, and Calvary Chapel Corona (to name just a few near us). These are churches that hold to the authority of the Bible, worship our triune God, and preach the gospel of grace.
More Concrete Unity
For many local churches, it stops with that basic unity. As a Presbyterian church, however, our connections get even more concrete. This happens at a few different levels:
Regional: CPC is a congregation of the Presbytery of Southern California. The bounds of our presbytery reach as far south as Chula Vista, as far north as Santa Maria, as far east as the Arizona/New Mexico border, and as far west as Hawaii. As a pastor, my church membership is actually in this regional church. CPC’s session is accountable to our presbytery and we participate in the life of the presbytery—especially at our three stated meetings of each year. If you’d like to see the Presbytery of Southern California in action, let me invite you to the fall stated meeting down at Bayview OPC in Chula Vista on October 20.
Denominational: CPC and the Presbytery of Southern California are part of our denomination, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The OPC holds a General Assembly every summer where commissioners from all of the presbyteries (there are 17) do the work of the whole church. Because we’re part of a larger church, when you ask for recommendations for where to go to church on vacation, I will pretty much always suggest another OPC congregation.
Continental: There is concrete unity even beyond the bounds of our own denomination! The OPC is a member of the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC). All of the churches in NAPARC hold unswervingly to the authority of the Bible and to the Presbyterian and Reformed Confessions (the Westminster Standards or the Three Forms of Unity). Through NAPARC we are connected closely with sister churches like the PCA, the URC, and the ARP. We celebrate and benefit from this connection when we do things like our joint Good Friday service with Grace PCA in Yorba Linda.
International: Our connectionalism even extends around the globe! The OPC is a member of the International Conference of Reformed Churches (ICRC). Through ICRC, we are connected with the Free Church of Scotland, the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands, the Evangelical Reformed Church in India, and the United Reformed Church in Congo. One reason I love going to General Assembly is that brothers from many of these churches travel far to bring fraternal greetings to the GA. Some face intense persecution, some are from very small churches, but we should often think of these brothers and sisters as we gather for worship on Sunday mornings—they are doing the same in their own time zones and their own countries!
Even as we long for the day when the church will truly and visibly be one, as Jesus prayed (John 17:23), we can rejoice in the visible unity that Corona Presbyterian Church shares with so many churches, near and far.
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
What is a Session Meeting?
August 15, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
If you’ve read previous letters, you know that CPC, as a Presbyterian church, is led by elders who together form our session.
Of course you see CPC’s elders at worship services and other church events. All CPC members met with our elders before being received into membership. But there’s another important and often overlooked dimension of the session’s government of the church: the session meeting. In this letter, I want to share an “anatomy of the session meeting” to give you a better idea of how your elders care for you and lead the church as “under-shepherds” of the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:1-4).
Regular session meetings are held once a month and, ever since I’ve been at CPC, almost always on Zoom.
Who leads a session meeting?
A church’s session is a deliberative assembly. This means that the meeting is run not by an individual but by the assembled body as a whole. We use parliamentary procedure to ensure that every voice is heard and that decisions are made after thorough deliberation and by at least a majority of voting members. You can probably imagine that parliamentary procedure looks different in CPC’s session of three (where we keep things informal) compared to larger bodies like our Presbytery or General Assembly (which can get much more formal). As our session’s moderator, I propose an agenda and keep things on track during the meeting.
What does the session discuss?
According to our Form of Government (13.7), “The session is charged with maintaining the government of the congregation. It shall oversee all matters concerning the conduct of public worship; it shall concert the best measures for promoting the spiritual growth and evangelistic witness of the congregation.” Because these areas constitute the mission of the church, these are the areas we prioritize as a session. We spend time discussing pastoral care, new or existing areas of ministry, and the progress of the ministry of the Word at CPC.
We also have some formal tasks like receiving or dismissing members and some logistical tasks like monitoring church finances. I give a regular pastor’s report where your session expresses their care for me and my family and shares wisdom for my ministry. We also open and close every meeting with prayer for CPC, for all of you, and for the glory of Christ to advance in our church.
What records does a session keep?
Okay, you’ve probably never thought about this! But it’s worth knowing that our clerk of session (Ruling Elder Brent Murphy) takes the minutes of our meetings. These minutes record the pertinent details and major decisions of any meeting (for example, we record guest preachers, our administration of the sacraments, membership, and anything having to do with church finances). Brent annually submits our minutes to our Presbytery’s Visitation Committee. This committee reviews our work to make sure that we’re doing everything “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).
How can we pray for the session?
Please do pray for us! Our next meeting is, providentially, tomorrow. In line with 1 Peter 5:2-3, pray that we might “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” Your session [me, Brent Murphy, and Chris Hartshorn] know how much we need the grace of God in Christ to serve CPC well. Pray that he might give us an abundance of that grace, along with wisdom and love, in our joyful task of leadership and pastoral care. Also, pray that the Lord would add new elders to CPC’s session. As we move on from particularization, we are praying for the Spirit’s work of calling and equipping men from CPC to serve Jesus Christ in ordained office.
As you can imagine, session meetings are not everyone’s idea of a good time. I can testify, however, that CPC session meetings have always been a great blessing to me and times to which I look forward. No doubt this is because of the amazing elders God placed on our session and your prayers for our work!
I hope that gives an inside look at an important part of the life of the church. What questions do you have about session meetings or the ways that Jesus runs the church through the government of elders? Let me know!
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
Your Attention, Please
August 8, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
Screens dominate our daily lives, don’t they?
Not that long ago, most families owned only one television. Now it’s very common to own two or more televisions. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Most adults carry a smartphone—with full access to constant communication, social media, and every streaming service. And many of us spend at least part of our working hours in front of a computer monitor. Even individual gas pumps can come equipped with screen entertainment!
This is not the beginning of an anti-technology rant. I enjoy movies and tv, I have and use a smartphone, and I’m writing this letter on a computer monitor. Instead of ranting against technology, my hope is that this letter will be a small nudge for all of us to think wisely and for God’s glory about the media technology in our lives.
Careful thinking about media’s place in a culture, in families, and in individual wives is actually an academic discipline called media ecology. We normally use ecology to describe relationships in the natural world. If, for example, a certain species of animal is introduced into a new area, that new presence can change the existing relationships between animals from the bottom of the food chain to the top. Ecologists study these relationships in part to avoid unintended ecological disasters. Media ecology applies a similar approach to the digital world. The introduction of new media technology makes plenty of new things possible but it also makes other things (sometimes very important things) either impossible or much harder.
Smart phones are a great example. I am very thankful for the all-in-one phone, GPS, audio player, TV, camera, video camera, calculator, compass, etc. that I can carry in my pocket. At the same time, even the most disciplined among us would have to admit that our phones can become an easy distraction from truly important parts of our lives. In the same way, the predominance of screens in our daily lives makes it difficult to find quiet, solitude, and focus.
In other words, media demands our attention and the technological developments of the past 20 years have only increased the volume of that demand. But just think about all that the Bible says about media and our attention. Here’s a small selection:
Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Psalm 101:3: “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.”
Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
Just as a poor diet takes its toll slowly over many years, a poor media diet does the same to our thinking and even to our spiritual lives. I remember, for example, the story of a college professor (someone specifically trained for focused thought!) who realized that the shallowness of the internet made it much harder for him to read long and complicated books.
So what can we do? Obviously you have Christian liberty to make decisions where the Bible is silent. But let me make some suggestions:
Consider a digital detox. This means consciously stepping away from digital media and technology for a time for the sake of your attention. Perhaps it’s an hour a day, a day a week, or even a week out of the year—whatever works for you to take a rest from the cacophony of media!
Consider using a paper Bible. Some of you knew this was coming. It is my semi-regular refrain. I strongly recommend using a good, old-fashioned hard copy of the Bible for daily reading, family devotions, Bible study, and church. You never have to charge it and you’ll greatly reduce any temptation to distraction that a digital version affords. Of course, if it's a choice between a digital version and less Bible reading, keep on with the digital version!
Consider learning more about media ecology. T. David Gordon is a PCA minister and retired college professor who has written a lot about this topic. A good place to start is with this interview of him by Al Mohler.
So you don’t need to throw away your phone. You don’t need to sell your TV. You might even disagree with some of my advice (which is totally fine!). But our own individual spiritual health—not to mention the health of the church—will be improved if we give more attention to media and the way it changes us.
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
On Being Reformed in Southern California
July 31, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
Here’s a challenge we face as a church:
Many of our neighbors in Corona and the wider region have some church experience. Very few of our neighbors, however, have experience in a Reformed and Presbyterian church. If we are to love our neighbors in the way we talk about CPC and, especially, in the way we interact with visitors, we need to realize that some aspects of CPC that we take for granted are very foreign in the Southern California church scene, even for Christian brothers and sisters from other church traditions.
Here are two wrong ways to respond to that challenge:
First, it would be wrong to adopt an air of superiority or to look down our noses at people who we are on a mission to reach with the good news about Jesus.
Second, it would be wrong to distance ourselves from what makes a Reformed and Presbyterian church unique in an effort to minimize the differences or to be “seeker friendly.”
We can best respond to this challenge by embracing two convictions:
1. Reformed theology, worship, piety, and, yes, even Presbyterian church government are biblically rooted, theologically consistent, beautiful, and true.
2. And, at the same time, all of those distinctives can be a great blessing to anyone because they all point to Jesus and the free grace of the gospel.
So have you ever considered inviting a friend to church but thought CPC might be too big a jump from where they are right now? Instead of shelving that idea until they take the steps from Calvary Chapel to Reformed Baptist (or wherever!), what if you invited them right now and viewed yourself as their guide, providing a warm welcome and an introduction to a Presbyterian church? You might be pleasantly surprised by the results!
To help us all think about what makes CPC distinct, let me encourage you to check out a series of short books called The Blessings of the Faith. I’ve given these books to some of you and read three of the five myself. I highly recommend them. Not only do the short chapters lay out biblical and confessional teaching on each topic, each book ends with a lengthy section of frequently asked questions and objections. Here are the five books in the series so far:
Covenantal Baptism by Jason Helopoulos
Expository Preaching by David Strain
Persistent Prayer by Guy Richard
Reformed Theology by Jonathan Master
Reformed Worship by Jonty Rhodes
You can see by the titles that this series covers the main topics that newcomers can experience as roadblocks when coming to a church like CPC. Perhaps these are areas that you wrestle with! If so, always know that you can ask me for help as you wrestle—no question is too basic! Let me also encourage you to get your hands on the books in this series, either for yourself or someone you’re talking to about these topics. But by far the best way for us and for our neighbors to grow in understanding a Reformed and Presbyterian church—and the glorious gospel that drives everything—is to dive in and give it a try!
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
What Is a Deacon?
March 28, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
Have you ever considered what a blessing it is that Jesus provided his church with officers who are called and gifted to show his love and mercy?
In a Presbyterian church, the three “special” offices (as opposed to the general office that belongs to all believers) are minister, ruling elder, and deacon. All three offices are called to the servant leadership, but deacons are especially called to service in the practical, concrete, but no less spiritual work of mercy ministry. In fact, the Greek word at the root of deacon means “servant.”
What Is a Deacon?
Deacons are “called to show forth the compassion of Christ in a manifold ministry of mercy toward the saints and strangers on behalf of the church” (Form of Government, XI.1).
You can trace the office of deacon back to Old Testament Israel with those (primarily the Levites) who were set apart for mercy ministry and for overseeing the practical needs of the a worshipping covenant community.
In the New Testament church, the apostles were overwhelmed with practical needs in the early church that kept them from the ministry of the Word and prayer. With that real need, in God’s providence, the New Testament office of deacon was born:
Acts 6:3: “Pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.”
Read the qualifications for deacons listed in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
If elders are “under-shepherds” of the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ (1 Peter 5:1-4), deacons are “under-servants” of the Great Servant, Jesus Christ. Jesus uses the same word for deacon to describe himself in Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
What Do Deacons Do?
When considering what deacons do, our Form of Government (XXV.6.a.2) puts it like this: The duties of deacons consist of
encouraging members of the church to provide for those who are in want
seeking to prevent poverty
making discreet and cheerful distribution to the needy
praying with the distressed and reminding them of the consolations of Holy Scripture.
As we learned on Sunday from Nehemiah 5, members of God’s people have often faced material need and Christians will continue to be in need until Jesus returns. For this reason, we can give thanks for the office of deacon.
Building the CPC Diaconal Fund
Before I help you get to know our deacon better, I want to let you know of a change we’re making to better support CPC’s diaconal ministry: moving forward, on Lord’s Supper Sundays (2nd Sunday of the month) we will collect a deacon’s offering in addition to our usual general offering. Giving in this offering will be used to build up our diaconal ministry fund to better equip CPC for the work of mercy ministry.
Getting to Know Our Deacon
I'm glad that the Lord raised up Ray Sahagun as CPC's first deacon! Not only was Ray (along with his family) part of the original core group that became Corona Presbyterian Church, he served previously as a deacon in the PCA. Read on to learn more about him!
How did you become a Christian?
The Lord saved me through the witness of my high school football and wrestling coaches. At an all you can eat pizza party at a local Baptist church I responded wholeheartedly to the pastor’s call to faith and repentance. I didn’t have any pizza that evening. But, I went away having Christ.
How did the Lord bring you to CPC?
We came to CPC when it started as a Bible study at the Robblee’s home. We transferred our membership from Grace PCA, Yorba Linda to CPC when we had our first service.
What is your favorite Bible verse?
“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16
Other than the Bible, what book has most shaped your Christian life?
The Puritan Hope by Iain Murray
What are you praying for CPC this year?
That we would continue to grow in grace, that our gospel outreach would be fruitful, and that we would see adult baptisms
What do you do in your spare time?
I enjoy sitting at my backyard fire pit with a good cup of coffee, and camping
As a church family, let's give thanks for Ray and his service as a deacon. And let's pray that the Lord will equip Ray (and all of us) for the ministry of mercy at CPC, in Corona, and beyond.
In the Father's Love,
Pastor Andrew
The Public Reading of Scripture
March 14, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
“Oh, he’s really going to read this whole chapter.”
Perhaps that thought has crossed your mind sometime in the past few weeks during our Scripture readings. There are a few chapters of both Ezra and Nehemiah (our current sermon series) that contain genealogies, lists of builders, and precise descriptions of materials. We don’t skip over these in our reading and preaching (though we will largely skip over the genealogy in Nehemiah 7 because it’s mostly a “copy and paste” from Ezra 2 which we did cover). I can tell you, as the reader, that I often feel inadequate for the task—and I often wish I’d spent more time practicing these readings out loud before Sunday morning!
Our Directory for Public Worship helps us understand why we are committed to reading the Bible—even these challenging parts—in worship:
“Because the hearing of God’s Word is a means of grace, the public reading of the Holy Scriptures is an essential element of public worship” … “Through this reading, God speaks directly to the congregation in his own words.” (DPW II.A.2.a)
God speaks to us through His Word and we are called to listen together!
We don’t shy away from the complicated or technical sections either because of what the Bible says about itself (underlined for emphasis):
Deuteronomy 8:3: “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
God’s Word comes with His own promise: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11)
When you hear the rain on your roof (of which there has been a lot recently), think of God’s Word, as it is read and proclaimed, like rain that brings life and growth. When you look out at those green hills and snowy mountains (in place of the usual brown), think of the blessing of delighting in God’s Word as a congregation: “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:3).
Here are a few suggestions for getting the most out of the public reading of Scripture:
Read the passages ahead of time. This is a great way to prepare for worship!
Consider how the Old Testament and New Testament readings relate to one another. They’re not just random! Sometimes the sermon will address this question, but not always. Yet the two readings are always thematically tied together.
Consider ways to build the habit of regularly hearing Scripture: listen to an audio version of the Bible during your commute or exercise or as you work around the house, read Scripture aloud with family and friends, and, of course, build the habit of attendance at public worship where God’s Word is read and proclaimed.
Let’s join together and prayerfully seek the blessing that comes by hearing God’s Word!
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
Crates for Ukraine
March 7, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
As Jack Stotts shared on Sunday morning (during Sunday School), CPC has an opportunity this week to be involved in international mercy ministry.
We are joining OPC Disaster Response and the PCA’s Mission to the World (MTW) for a project called Crates for Ukraine.
It’s very rare (thankfully) to have OPC missionaries in a country at war, but that is the case in Ukraine where the Hacquebord Family serves in Lviv (western Ukraine) alongside MTW missionaries in support of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine.
Because of Lviv’s position of relative safety and stability, it’s a strategic point for mercy ministry to the whole country. This is a great opportunity for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine to do both mercy and gospel ministry in a time of great need.
What is Crates for Ukraine?
Crates for Ukraine aims to get needed basic relief and first aid supplies to Lviv (into the hands of our missionaries and partner churches) for distribution throughout Ukraine. With just a little effort on our part here in Corona, we can help to bear the burdens and meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine while also equipping them to serve others with the mercy of Jesus Christ.
Our goal is to stock 1-4 basic care crates by next Monday (March 13). Jack, one of CPC’s resident logistics experts, is arranging for as many crates as we fill to be shipped to the Crates for Ukraine drop-off point in Dallas where they will then make the journey to Ukraine.
How can you participate?
The most important ways to get involved are to pray and to help stock our crates. Jack has put together an Amazon registry where you can easily purchase the needed items. Please do this ASAP in light of our tight deadline. We need to finish assembling the crates this weekend so they can ship on Monday. You may bring purchased items to church on Sunday.
Families and their children may want to participate by writing encouraging notes or drawing pictures for families and children in Ukraine. These cannot be included in the crates, but we will gladly collect them on Sunday and get them to Dallas for separate shipment to Ukraine.
Above all, pray. Pray for our missionaries. Pray for those who will receive these relief supplies. Pray for openings for the gospel and for peace to be restored in Ukraine. Most importantly, pray that Jesus Christ might be praised as we follow him in the ministry of mercy.
If you have questions or would like to volunteer your time, feel free to contact Jack.
What a joy to serve together in this way!
“So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.” Acts 11:29-30
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
Why We Love Our Hymnal
February 28, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
The Bible calls us to “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth” (Psalm 96:1) and to address “one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart”(Ephesians 5:19).
One of the clearest ways we do that is in congregational singing during our worship services. And CPC’s primary source for congregational singing is the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. There are faithful and healthy churches using many types of musical styles and songs for worship. And we are not bound as a church to only use the Trinity Psalter Hymnal—there are many new edifying, biblical, and singable worship songs every year. But we are thankful for the Trinity Psalter Hymnal (TPH) as the main well from which we draw for congregational singing.
Here are a few reasons why:
The TPH helps us to take “great care,” in the words of our Directory for Public Worship, that all the songs used in worship “are fully in accord with the Scriptures.” We don’t believe we must only sing the very words of the Scriptures (or the psalms), but we do believe that everything we sing should align with what the Bible teaches.
The TPH collects the best from 2,000+ years of Christian worship music. There’s a reason that many (not all!) of the most popular worship songs from the past decade are either forgotten or sound dated while “Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” written sometime between 348 and 413 AD, has lasted for more than 1600 years … and counting. That shouldn’t make us snobby about our music and closed off to new songs. A song for worship isn’t good just because it’s old or bad just because it’s new. Instead, we should be thankful for believers in the past (and the present and future) who use their skills to help us worship the Lord.
The TPH gives us access to the biblical psalms in a singable format. The psalter is the church’s inspired song book! Singing psalms connects us with believers not just in church history but in redemptive history (Moses, David, the returned exiles—for example). We’re not limited to biblical psalms but we do rejoice to incorporate the psalms into our worship often.
My hope is that the Trinity Psalter Hymnal will be even more of a blessing to CPC in the years to come. Here are some ideas for how to make that happen:
Feel free to borrow a church copy of the TPH during the week. Use it for your own devotional time or family worship. There are just two conditions: First, and very obviously, remember to bring it back on Sundays. Second, you need to promise to sing louder in worship afterwards!
Consider downloading the Trinity Psalter Hymnal app. It’s available for both iOS and Android and each psalm or hymn has a piano accompaniment feature. It’s very useful in getting to know the spiritual treasure we have in our hymnal!
Pick a hymn to learn by heart, either on your own, with your family, or with a friend. Here are some CPC favorites to begin with: Holy, Holy, Holy (#230), Be Thou My Vision (#446), Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners! (#456), Come, My Soul, and Bless the Lord (#103C), and I Have No Other Comfort (#480).
So, church family, let’s pray that the Lord will make us a church that is known for singing with great joy: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6).
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
Welcoming Rev. Danny Olinger
February 14, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
This Sunday we are delighted to welcome Rev. Danny Olinger to Corona Presbyterian Church. Guest preachers always remind us of our vital connection to the wider church, but that’s especially true for Danny. He serves as the General Secretary of the Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
This committee—one of the three that makes up OPC Worldwide Outreach—is dedicated to passing on the Christian faith, especially to rising generations of the church. This strategic work is summarized in Psalm 145:
One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.
You benefit from the work of the Committee on Christian Education if:
You read (or receive in the mail) New Horizons, the monthly magazine of the OPC
Your children or grandchildren learn the Bible using curriculum from Great Commission Publications
You’ve ever read a book on OPC history (like the wonderful biography of J. Gresham Machen by Ned Stonehouse or Choosing the Good Portion, which tells the stories of many OPC women)
You sing each Sunday morning from the Trinity Psalter Hymnal
More indirectly, the Committee is a blessing to you through your pastor knowing (at least a little better!) what he’s doing through training received from the Ministerial Training Institute and through new OPC pastors being raised up through the Committee’s support and coordination of summer and year-long pastoral internships. Danny Olinger is a busy guy and we all benefit from his zeal for the Lord and the ministry of the OPC!
As if that wasn’t enough, Danny is the editor of many books and the author of a biography of one of my theological heroes, Geerhardus Vos. I appreciate his infectious enthusiasm for the history of the OPC and how he models the promise of remembering our heritage for faithful ministry in the present day.
Danny will be preaching on Matthew 11:2-15 during morning worship. After that, he’ll update us during Adult Sunday School on the work of OPC Christian Education.
We’re looking forward to a great Sunday at Corona Presbyterian Church! I hope you’ll be there!
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
Praying to Our Father
February 7, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
It’s no secret that Presbyterians are big fans of catechisms. We refer often to the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechism and we encourage individuals and families to memorize catechism questions. These questions and answers are a great blessing to our church!
Because a catechism intends to teach the Christian faith in a thorough, accessible, and biblical way, the “outline” of our two catechisms is the Apostles’ Creed (doctrine), the Ten Commandments (the Christian life), and the Lord’s Prayer (how to pray). If you know these “big three,” you have a solid foundation as a believer for trust in Christ and daily perseverance.
We recite the Apostles’ or Nicene creeds in worship weekly and we often use the catechism’s explanation of the Ten Commandments in our reading of the law, so I want to begin an occasional series in these pastoral letters looking at the Lord’s Prayer, “the special rule of direction” for prayer (Shorter Catechism, Q. 99).
The catechism unpacks the Lord’s Prayer into a preface, six petitions, and a conclusion. Over the coming weeks and months we’ll look at each part in hope that the Lord will kindle in us a growing zeal for prayer.
Q. 100. What doth the preface of the Lord’s prayer teach us?
A. The preface of the Lord’s prayer, which is, Our Father which art in heaven, teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others.
Here are some Scripture passages this answer draws on:
Hebrews 4:16: Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
1 John 3:1: See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
Ephesians 6:18: Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.
The preface teaches us the privilege of prayer: we—sinners though we are—may draw near because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.
It teaches the posture of prayer: both reverence before the God who is a consuming fire and confident joy as children to their father.
It teaches the partnership of prayer: we are to partner with others by praying for them and partner with others by praying with them—that’s why the prayer begins “Our Father” and not “My Father.”
If we really believe that our Heavenly Father is able and ready to help us, we should pray without ceasing! Too often we think of praying as something we do only when conditions are perfect (not too tired, not too busy, not too distracted). But the preface of the Lord’s Prayer calls us to communion with the God who is able and ready to help in the daily chaos of life.
Here’s how Paul Miller puts it in his book A Praying Life:
“I am starting to see there is a difference between ‘saying prayers’ and honest praying. Both can sound the same on the outside, but the former is too often motivated by a sense of obligation and guilt; whereas the latter is motivated by a conviction that I am completely helpless to ‘do life’ on my own. Or in the case of praying for others, that I am completely helpless to help others without the grace and power of God.”
Beloved church family, let’s draw near—as individuals, families, and a whole church—to God our Father who graciously calls us to pray with confidence.
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew
Whole Families in Worship Together
January 31, 2023
Dear CPC Family,
What makes Corona Presbyterian Church distinct from many other churches in Corona? There is certainly more than one correct answer to this question! But the one I want to highlight today is this: CPC encourages children of all ages, as much as possible, to be present in the worship service … for the whole worship service.
We don’t ever want our distinctives to breed pride or a sense of superiority. And, in fact, this particular distinctive can be an understandable hurdle to visitors. To avoid pride and to overcome that hurdle, it’s important to understand why we value whole families, including children, worshiping together.
The Bible on Children in Worship
Consider the following passages:
Genesis 17:7: “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-7: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
Psalm 148:11-14: “Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.”
Matthew 19:14: “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’”
Acts 2:39: “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Underlying the command to teach our children about our covenant Lord is the covenant promise itself: God welcomes—even calls—us along with our children into the benefits of the covenant of grace!
Applying the Bible
Here’s how our OPC Book of Church Order summarizes and applies this biblical teaching:
“In public worship, God's people draw near to their God unitedly as his covenant people, the body of Christ. For this reason, the covenant children should be present so far as possible, as well as adults. Because God makes his covenant with believers and their children, families should be taught and encouraged to sit together as families.” (Directory for Public Worship, I.B.4.a)
We don’t dismiss our children to a “kid’s church” or other similar class because the whole worship service—from beginning to end—is for all of us together. Does that mean that they’ll understand or fully appreciate everything that happens? No. We shouldn’t use one Sunday to measure the impact of public worship on our children. We should, rather, think cumulatively. What about 18 years of Sundays? Those roughly 936 Lord’s Days would immerse our children in the rhythms, words, and actions of public worship. More than that, God’s Word will never return void but will always accomplish His purposes—including his purposes in bringing our children to Christ and rooting them in the Christian faith for life (Isaiah 55:10-11).
Do you realize that the baby who cries during the congregational prayer could be a future ruling elder at Corona Presbyterian Church? The toddler who drops her crayons every 10 seconds might one day be a missionary you pray for and support? Our task, by God’s grace, is to patiently, faithfully, and prayerfully raise up the future generations of the church of Jesus Christ. What an amazing privilege!
Practical Considerations
A Word for Everyone: every member of Corona Presbyterian Church has a role to play in welcoming kids into worship. What that looks like, of course, will depend on your relationship with each family and their children. But everyone can do something! Here’s a great article with practical (tiny!) tips that all of us can put into practice.
A Word for Parents: you need to hear that active and sometimes noisy kids in worship with us is a great blessing to the church. Yes, it’s good to teach our children to sit quietly and listen attentively … but remember that a 2 year old (or insert any age) is a 2 year old. Noise is ok. Your Pastor can roll with the punches and so can everybody else!
Another Word for Parents: it can help kids pay attention if they have a better idea of what happens when we worship. Consider explaining to them some of the elements of our worship, learning some of our best-loved hymns as a family, or asking age appropriate questions about the service/sermon as you drive home. Even seemingly small things (like a pre-reader holding his own hymnal) can make a huge difference.
Many very good things take time—and the great good that comes from having children in worship is no exception. But let’s trust the Lord, adjust our expectations, and pray that he might do his good work in us and our children as we worship.
In the Father’s Love,
Pastor Andrew