Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
This Sunday morning our sermon will come from James 2:8-10. In this passage we are introduced to what James refers to as the “royal law” (v. 8). He then identifies this blessed law as Leviticus 19:18—“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This Old Testament precept is inserted into the section where James continues to deal with the sin of showing “partiality” (v. 9) within the body of Christ. In effect, James argues that to practice such favoritism (remember, they have treated the rich man more honorably than the poor man simply because of his status, 2:1-7) is a violation of this divine “law.”
Several pertinent questions surface here that we shall attempt to answer on Sunday. First, why is this precept called “royal,” and what is its connection to the “whole law” of God (v. 10)? Secondly, are believers in Christ still under the “law,” and if so, in what way? And third, what is it to “love” ourselves, and how do we define the kind of “love” called for here in distinction from other varieties of love? Perhaps we can consider these important questions as we prayerfully prepare our hearts for Lord’s Day worship.
Announcements
Speaking of Sunday, don’t forget that we will have a brief Called Meeting of the Congregation immediately following our worship on Sunday. This meeting is for the purpose of Officer Elections. The Session is delighted to recommend the following men for election to service. Each has been examined and trained for their respective duties, and each man is willing to serve if elected to Office.
The Office of Elder—Mr. Crawford Dillon
The Office of Deacon—Mr. Ben Calvert, Mr. Norman Dean, Mr. Bill McNeese, and Mr. David O’Neil
The vote will be by ballot and is open to all Communing Members of our Church.
And speaking of service to the Lord and His Church, we are so thankful for Mrs. Ashley Turnbull who has served faithfully as our Coordinator for Children’s and Women’s Ministries. So many wonderful things have happened under Ashley’s diligent leadership in both of these vital areas, and one of them is the growth of our ministry to our little ones. This is not at all surprising, and we knew that there would come a day when this part of her ministry would assume the priority. In light of this, the Session has recently asked Ashley to focus all of her energies and time on Children’s Ministries. We are very excited for her, as this will help to relieve the many burdens of leading two vibrant ministries on a part-time basis. In the meantime, our ministry to our Women will continue under the structure that Ashley has in place. And in the near future, the Session will identify someone to coordinate the ministry activities of our Ladies. Thank you, Ashley, for your tireless service to our Lord’s Church, and we love you and your family dearly and always support you in our prayers.
Finally, just one more reminder to our men. Our annual ‘Stay at Home Men’s Retreat’ begins tonight at the Church at 6:00 PM with our Men’s Fellowship Dinner. Then, tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM we will gather for breakfast and Bible Study at the Church. I hope to see you there!
I love you all with all my heart, and can’t wait until we gather together in worship before our great King and High Priest,
Mike