The Lord’s Day, October 24
The beautiful words of this morning’s Anthem, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” began with a lyric attributed to the Victorian poet Robert Bridges…
The Lord’s Day, October 10
As we prepare for our Congregational Meeting and Sanctuary Renewal Presentation today, we can rejoice in God’s faithfulness over many decades to the congregation of Fourth.
The Lord’s Day, October 3
Once again this Lord’s Day, we have the privilege of ascribing to God the glory he rightly deserves.
The Lord’s Day, September 26
I am eager to sing with you the contemporary hymn, “In Christ Alone,” this morning. This rich gospel-proclaiming hymn is fitting as we continue through our sermon series on John…..
The Lord’s Day, September 19
Charles Wesley wrote “And Can It Be?”, our closing hymn for this morning, in the days just after his conversion. Subtitled “Free Grace” when first published in 1738…
The Lord’s Day, September 12
May the joy of the Lord be upon us as we gather in his name today. “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.” —Psalm 84:10
The Lord’s Day, September 5
I never tire of singing this morning’s Hymn of Thanks, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, with its third stanza that enumerates the rich blessings won for us by Christ…
The Lord’s Day, August 29
In this morning’s Prayer of Confession, we will acknowledge the weight of our sins against God and the wonder that, through Christ’s perfect sacrifice on the cross, they will not stand against us
The Lord’s Day, August 22
May the Lord give each of us grace to know the depth and richness of all that we sing, pray, confess, and hear preached this day.
The Lord’s Day, August 15
Verse three of this morning’s Old Testament reading, Isaiah 55:1–3, captures some of the blessing and promise we will find in the Lord as we gather in his name this Sabbath day…
The Lord’s Day, August 8
In case you missed it, see Todd’s email from yesterday with a word about the Montgomery County temporary mask mandate. As he mentioned, we continue to benefit as a church from the counsel of a group of medical and health research professionals who are also members of Fourth.
The Lord’s Day, August 1
Our prelude for the morning service is an instrumental arrangement of “Be Still My Soul”. Its lyrics, penned by Katharina von Schlegel over 270 years ago, speak comfort and strength to our souls…
The Lord’s Day, July 25
Today, as Summer Staff and almost 100 students depart for Summer Camp at NorthBay, in North East, Maryland, we have the opportunity both to pray for them and to further our investment in Fourth’s youth ministry through the Annual Summer Staff Offering.
The Lord’s Day, July 18
“If I had a thousand tongues, I would praise Christ with them all.” So said Peter Böhler to Charles Wesley, inspiring the first line of the classic hymn, “Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer’s praise”…
Sunday Gatherings, July 11
This morning, I share an excerpt of a prayer for the Lord’s Day from “The Valley of Vision,” a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions.
Sunday Gatherings, July 4
Before this morning’s sermon, we will have the privilege of singing the contemporary hymn “Speak O Lord”. Its lyrics captures the humble but eager posture of heart we want as we prepare to listen to the preached word.
Sunday Gatherings, June 27
As we prepare to gather on the Lord’s Day, we can all pray as David did: O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
Sunday Gatherings, June 20
Reminder: starting today, the 8:00 a.m. service is face masks optional, open seating, no RSVPs required. The 11:00 a.m. is the only Sunday service where RSVPs, masks, and physical distancing apply.
Sunday Gatherings, June 13
“May the Mind of Christ, My Savior,” our closing hymn* this morning, provides us with fitting ways to pray as we prepare to gather on the Lord’s Day.
Sunday Gatherings, June 6
Today we will sing the contemporary hymn, “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”, by Stuart Townend. His lyric expresses the wonder of Christ’s propitiating work on the cross like few other songs I know.
Sunday Gatherings, May 30
Heads up, everyone, as our patterns will be a bit different today. Services times are unchanged, but all services will be held indoors with the 9:30 in the Sanctuary and the 11:00 in The Upper Room.
Sunday Gatherings, May 23
Our Hymn of Thanks for Morning Worship is “Jesus Thy Blood and Righteousness” translated from the German by John Wesley. We will sing the first verse: Jesus, thy blood and righteousness my beauty are, my glorious dress…
Sunday Gatherings, May 16
It will be a blessing to join our voices in our opening hymn this morning — a prayer by Charles Wesley for the light and presence of Christ in our lives…
Sunday Gatherings, May 9
“And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away…