The four weeks leading up to December 25th are traditionally called Advent, which is a season of confession and longing for the coming Messiah. Christmas Day, on the other hand, marks the beginning of the Christmas season in which we…

The church has traditionally seen word, prayer, and sacrament as the three central means of grace.  By 'means of grace' we mean these are the normal ways God communicates his grace to us. Of course, they don't preclude other very…

Once again, as we celebrate the Protestant Reformation we will emphasize the doctrine of justification, alien righteousness, and core gospel truths. As you might expect, we will sing A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. These traditions are important. They remind…

A quick perusal of the Book of Psalms, Isaiah, and Revelation will reveal that there are multiple commands and examples of the saints keeping silence before God. Sometimes they are aware of being a sinner in his presence. Sometimes they…

Worship notes for July 3, 2022.

In Isaiah 28:12 the Lord calls his people to find rest and repose, but they would not listen. Not much has changed. Sometimes I wonder if it's because we prefer our anxiousness. In any…

Worship Notes for June 26, 2022

The two themes woven throughout our service today are the fear of the Lord and the Lord's compassion. Without the fear of God we obey self, others, or the prevailing culture. Without the Lord's…

Worship notes for April 10, 2022 for Christ Covenant Church, Matthew, NC. 

For many churches certain worship services or seasons look very similar from year to year: Advent and Christmas, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Sunday, Pentecost, etc…

This week we will study a fairly gruesome passage of Scripture. Genesis 34 is not the most uplifting section… What songs do you sing when dealing with defilement and murder? At the very least you can say that Jacob did…

In several songs this week we will emphasizing the singing of the congregation by singing a cappella (with no instruments). The sound of nothing but the voice of the congregation is often quite glorious. But in this case I’ve planned…

In Hebrew 12:15, referring to Esau, we are told to see to it that “no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble.” I suppose there is no end to the trouble caused by bitterness. It certainly can cause us…

In Genesis 26 Isaac follows in his father’s deceptive footsteps. Though the sins of the fathers visit the children’s children and though the heart is deceitful, the word of the Lord breaks in with life and blessing. He brings water…

I really enjoy writing music for a variety of projects and recently I got a chance to do that for a short animation for our church. I got to work with my children in the creation process, too.

Asher Pope…

Worship Notes for Feb. 21, 2021

The Christian life calls for a healthy balance between being faithful with earthly responsibilities and keeping an eternal perspective. Right before our eyes is all the stuff of daily life; a job, investment, food…

Worship Notes for Jan. 24, 2021 

Christian worship should cause us to let go of self-sufficiency. Of course, this flies in the face of what we naturally pick up from our own culture. Self-sufficiency, independence, self-reliance, survival, and the like…

CCC Worship notes for Jan. 17, 2021Does your desire match God's will? Do you want the same kingdom he wants?

More questions: Do you want to do deeds of love and mercy, like we sing about in Lead On…

Worship notes for Jan. 10, 2021

Approaching the Lord in prayer can be done in several ways, one of which is to allow his word to inform our prayer. Often, the call to worship I write is a reflection on…

Worship notes for Jan. 3, 2021

Today is the traditional Sunday upon which we celebrate Epiphany or the 'manifestation" of Jesus Christ. This is an opportunity to meditate upon one aspect of the story of Christ's brith, that is, the…

Worship notes for Nov. 1, 2020

After considering the decline of mankind in Genesis 4, chapter 5 comes as a relief. In fact, relief is promised. This week, as we sing at Christ Covenant Church, we will be reminded that…

I have been working with several pastoral interns as they plan our worship services for the next four weeks (July 12 - Aug. 2). We are looking forward to learning together. Already I have noticed that I will learn a…

Lord, now indeed I find thy power and thine alone, 
can change the leper’s spots and melt the heart of stone.
Jesus Paid It All, by Elvina M. Hall, 1865

The Bible proclaims and calls for the spread of God's…

We are in the midst of a health crises, race crises, financial instability, and more. Of course, we don't expect a complete melt down, but what would our response be if that were the case? Habakkuk knew that destruction was…

This month (June 2020) at Christ Covenant Church we are working our way through Habakkuk, which is one of my favorite books of the Bible. This week in worship I will introduce I Will Rejoice, based on Hab. 3:17-19. 

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My faith looks up to thee, thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine;
Now hear me while I pray, take all my guilt away,
O let me from this day be wholly thine. —Lowell Mason

I need this song. Truthfully, I…

2 Samuel 22:36 reads, “You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.” 

This short snippet in the midst of David’s last words is striking. The poetry is full of war talk -troops, bows…

When we feed our dog, Dottie, we tell her to ‘Sit!’ and ‘Wait.’ Dottie obeys, and as she waits, begins quivering with anticipation. Dottie will wait a very long time, fully expecting good things to come. She is quite strong. 

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