The Sweet Dropper

MEANDER

Hoary hairs: After a recent worship service in which we sang “How Firm a Foundation,” someone asked me about the fifth verse:

“E’en down to old age all my people shall prove

my sov’reign, eternal unchangeable love.

And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,

like lambs they shall still in my bosom be born.”

What are ‘hoary hairs’? I answered thus: “It’s what people buy Clairol and Grecian Formula to get rid of.” As an added bonus, here are three Scripture passages that speak of hoary hairs adorning our temples (think the temple of your head, not the kind Solomon built):

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. [Psalm 71:18]

“Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb;  even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” [Isaiah 46:3-4]

Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life. [Proverbs 16:31]

The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. [Proverbs 20:29]

That changes the way I feel about those hoary hairs that are appearing at the fringe of my temples.

INFORM

Podcasting: After the ironing of some technical wrinkles, the FPC sermon podcasts are available via iTunes this week. Even if you don’t have an iPod or iPhone, iTunes is an excellent media player for your computer–and you can download podcasts and listen to them on your computer. The download of the software is free. From the iTunes Store you can click on “podcasts” and enter “Kosciusko” in the search bar, and it will find the FPC podcast for you. Then click on subscribe (it’s free!) and the latest sermon will automatically begin downloading on to your computer. Each time you open iTunes it will check for new FPC podcast content. I am thankful for this technology, as it has allowed me to listen in on sermons from friends and preachers I respect. This is a simple and inexpensive way for the proclamation of the Word to get out to many, many people.

REMIND

Pray for Ed: We had such a joyful time last Sunday evening in worship! It was good to see Ed and Emily Hartman and to have Ed here for the Baptism of his nephew Burton Potts. Ed was in Jackson Sunday morning speaking at the FPC Jackson Missions Conference. After worshiping with us here, he and Emily drove to Memphis where he is seeking some medical attention for his ear problems. As you pray for the Hartmans, please remember to pray for healing in his ear. I can only imagine the extra hardships that problem places on him daily in Romania.

ANTICIPATE
Morning Worship: I’m preaching Genesis 22, in which Abraham nearly sacrifices his beloved son Isaac, the child of promise. In preparation you might want to read Hebrews 11:17-19, James 2:21-23, John 3:16 and Romans 8:32 and consider the light those passages shed on this incident in Father Abraham’s life. We’ll sing All Creatures of Our God and King, What Wondrous Love Is This, Breathe on Me, Breath of God, and My Faith Looks Up to Thee.

Evening Worship: I’ll bring the third message in the series The Unveiling: the Revelation of Jesus Christ. We’ll observe how Christ Jesus is unveiled for us in Revelation. We’ll sing a number of hymns and songs exalting the Savior, such as Fairest Lord Jesus and I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art. If instrumentation works out, we might even sing King of Saints. You can listen to a sample of King of Saints here.