The Vicar Writes …
30 Jul 2023
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.” Revelation 5:13-14
Dear St Hilda’s Family,
We are starting a new sermon series on the Book of Revelation today. I am very excited about this sermon series and hope that it will help us to grow more steadfast in our faith.
Some may ask: ‘Why do we preach through this book at this time, or even at all?’
Our theme at St Hilda’s for 2023 is ‘Redeemed to Worship’. In the first half of the year, we preached through Exodus, the book that talks about the redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt. God brings Israel to Mt Horeb and moulds them into a worshipping community before they continue their journey toward the Promised Land.
We have been redeemed by our Lord Jesus from our sinful past, and – by the power of the Holy Spirit – have been made a people for his own possession. But we are still living in circumstances that challenge us daily in our ability to offer God our unbroken praise.
The Book of Revelation helps us to see the glory of the Triune God amid our daily struggles and encourages us to stand firm in our faith, holding fast to God’s unchanging promises. That was the very purpose why Jesus instructed the Apostle John to write this book to the churches at the end of the 1st century that were suffering under increasing persecution.
The book, even its 1st chapter is one of my favorite parts of the Bible. I respectfully disagree with Martin Luther who thought that the book was too difficult for the average Christian to understand because of its complex imagery and symbolism. This may have been true during his time.
Does the book include complex imagery, even mysteries? Yes. Does the book describe scenes of judgement that could make us fearful? Yes. However, we should not get confused by the symbolism, nor be distracted from the main message of the book, i.e. Christ’s encouragement to the Church to remain faithful. We should allow some mystery to remain instead of trying to understand and explain every detail. And we have no reason to fear judgment because we find our salvation and justification in Christ in whom God’s wrath is satisfied for those who believe.
I particularly like the book’s emphasis on worship, the ‘Worship of the Redeemed’. Those who have been saved and justified by Jesus will one day join in the celestial worship. And if we appreciate the full benefits of being children of the God, we will be able to sing unbroken praises to our God even today. This is my prayer for all of us at St Hilda’s.
The peace of the Lord be with you!
Ps Martin
By the way, we are making study booklets available in the church office to all home cells and individuals who wish to follow the sermon series.
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WORSHIP SERVICES
Weekly Holy Communion Church Services
- Saturday Evening Service (SES) at 5pm in the Church Sanctuary.
- Sunday (E1) at 8am in the Church Sanctuary.
- Sunday (E2) at 10.15am in the Bethel Hall.
E3 Service
Saturdays at 2pm in the Bethel Hall.
Online (Non Holy Communion) Services
Available on Sundays from 3pm instead of 8am.
YouTube channel: bit.ly/shconline
The podcast (audio of the sermon only) will be available each Tuesday.
Podcast: https://sthildas.org.sg/glory-to-god/podcasts/
Private Worship
The church sanctuary is open for prayer and worship during the week.
You may book your time slot by calling the church office at 63443463.
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Reference materials and resources for Home Cells, Bible Study Groups and Christian Education Ministries may be found in this link to Ethos Institute’s website.
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