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February 22, 2023
Dear Rockford Reformed Church Family and Friends,
Here’s just a quick note with some resources for this start of the Lenten season today. Many of you have been encouraged to make some adjustments with the “big rocks” of your life following last Sunday’s sermon. I talked about lent as a time for us to reorder our hearts and lives.
Below are a few resources to assist with lent and devoting some meaningful time for fellowship with God and his Word. The first is a book by Paul David Tripp, whom you have heard me refer to on various occasions. He is an excellent gospel-centered teacher/author and the book, “Journey to the Cross” is available for just $2.99 in digital format. You can also order a paper copy for yourself at the same link. Below is a description:
“During our forty days together, may your mourning increase so that your joy may deepen.”
—Paul David Tripp: Lent is a time in the yearly Christian calendar when we mourn our sin and let go of worldly things that keep our hearts from experiencing God more fully. But how do we reevaluate and recalibrate the values of our hearts to match those of our suffering Savior? In this forty-day Lenten devotional, best-selling author Paul David Tripp invites us to set aside time from the busyness of our lives to focus on the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus. Each of the short readings encourages us to abide in the abundant joy found in Christ as we encounter the Savior more fully and follow him more faithfully during this Lenten season.
The second resource is an opportunity to sign up for a daily lent devotional from Tim Keller’s Gospel in Life ministry team. Below is the first devotional made available for the 40 days of lent and an opportunity to sign up for the remaining 39.
Our “Priorities” sermon series will continue this Sunday with a focus on the first commandment in Exodus 20:3. We will see why and how we must have no other gods. Disobedience to this command is the sin under all other sin and so, how can we truly make God supreme in our heart and life? God jealously loves us and frees us from our slavery to sin and idols through the cross. This is the power for making Christ and his kingdom the wonderful center and joy of our lives.
Our staff meeting today was a great encouragement with discussion that included evidences of God’s Spirit at work and excitement about how we can roll up our sleeves together for ministry in our community. We are maturing, loving one another, and making disciples who make disciples and still just getting started. One of the prompts for our discussion was a sermon by Jon Tyson, the pastor of Church of the City in New York City. I have been sharing this message with our leaders, staff, and friends, and you all need to hear it as well. It is for all of us, but especially encouraging for parents. If you have children, don’t miss this message! It’s called, “The Cry of the Home” from a sermon series entitled, “God Comes Where He’s Wanted.”
Pray that we will hunger and truly want God to show himself for renewal and revival among us and in our community. Pray for our worship services to be anointed and that the truth of the gospel will come alive to us in powerful ways. Pray that we will increasingly be drawn together for prayer.
Grace, peace, and love,
Pastor Tim
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