Woody Nook

1. Woody Nook An Introduction to our Community Life

2. Topics • Summary of Faith and Practice • Woody Nook: Our Common Testimony • Woody Nook: Our Story • Woody Nook: Living Together In Christ • Woody Nook: The Organization • Belonging To Woody Nook

3. A Summary of Faith and Practice Finding Home, Finding Rest

4. Basic Confession Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? • That I am not my own,but belong—body and soul,in life and in death—to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

5. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.He also watches over me in such a waythat not a hair can fall from my headwithout the will of my Father in heaven:in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

6. Because I belong to him,Christ, by his Holy Spirit,assures me of eternal lifeand makes me wholeheartedly willing and readyfrom now on to live for him.

7. The Parable Prodigal:It’s all about coming home • There is a place we call home • Longing for the another life: leaving home • The deceptions of life, the disappointments • Confession and Homecoming: it’s better with God

8. God’s Story and Your Story God’s Story Your Story Created Like God Walking away from God Life away from God Facing ourselves, facing our world Turning to God: confession and faith Living with God: faith, hope and love Our destiny with God • “Let us make…” • The sorrow of God • The waiting of God • The Seeking God • The Forgiving God • The Empowering God • The God who makes the future come

9. God’s Story Your Story Created like God and God said: “good” Psalm 8, 139 • “Let us make…” • Image and likeness • Stewards of creation • Genesis 1, 2

10. God’s Story Your Story Walking away from God “did what was right in his own eyes” lived a “prodigal life” –party life Did not listen - • The Sorrow of God • Genesis 3: the Fall • Genesis 6: and God grieved • Luke 15

11. God’s Story Your Story Life Away from God Other gods Who is First? What is good? The Brokenness that does not go away • “the Waiting of God” • The book of Judges • The Prodigal Father

12. God’s Story Your Story Facing ourselves, facing our World • The Seeking God

13. God’s Story Your Story Turning to God: confession and faith • The Forgiving God

14. God’s Story Your Story Walking with God: faith, hope and love • The empowering God

15. God’s Story Your Story Our destiny in God • The God who makes a future

16. How we get to know God • Through Creation • Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. • Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. • Genesis 1:27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

17. How we get to know God • Through the Word • 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. • John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

18. How we get to know God • Through the Work of the Spirit • Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. • Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

19. Our Central Text: The Bible Written over time: from Moses (approximately 1400BC) to Revelation (around 100AD) Contains 66 books – it is a library of books the church believes is inspired. (otherwise known as the Canon) Contains a variety of literature: poetry, prophetic works, law, history, letter, gospel, wisdom, apocalyptic. Scripture reveals the great story of the relationship of God to earth and its people. Creation, Fall, Redemption Central part of the story is Jesus’ death and resurrection.

20. Our Central Text: The Bible • We hear the voice of God • We see the action of God • We learn about the character of God • We get to know Jesus, the Son of God, whose image we bear.

21. The Christian Worldview:Key Questions • Who am I? • What is the good life? • What is worth striving for?

22. The Christian Worldview: Key Questions • What is my North Star (orientating star)? • What is my responsibility to others? • How should I see others? • What is my responsibility to nature?

23. The Christian Worldview • Our identity is found in Jesus • Ephesians 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. • Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

24. The Christian Worldview • God wants us to bear fruit • John 15:4-8 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing … 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

25. The Christian Worldview • God wants us to live in love • John 15:14-17 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. … 17 This is my command: Love each other.

26. The Christian Worldview • God wants us to be responsible for creation • Genesis 1:27-28 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." • Psalm 8:3-9 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

27. The Christian Worldview • God wants us to seek the Kingdom of God • Matthew 6:31-34 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 ¶ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

28. How do I become a Christian? • Admit that God has not been first in your life. • Ask God to forgive you. • Believe that Jesus died to pay for your sins and Jesus rose to give you life • Accept God’s free gift of salvation • Confess the you are the “servant of the Lord Jesus”. Let the Lord Jesus rule you by His Word and Spirit. Repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38) “the change of mind of those who have begun to abhor their errors and misdeeds, and have determined to enter upon a better course of life, so that it embraces both a recognition of sin and sorrow for it and hearty amendment, the tokens and effects of which are good deeds” Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for making and loving me, even when I ignored you and went my own way. I need you in my life. Forgive my sins. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. By your Spirit make me a new person. I want to follow you. Help me grow in faith and understanding. Lead me by your Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.

29. Confessions and Sacraments Woody Nook: Our common Testimony

30. Why Confessions? • Confessions are invitations to unity • Confessions embrace a history of understanding the Bible and the good news of Jesus • Confessions are a way of seeking to be faithful By embracing a confession we stand together in our faith

31. Our Confessional History: the List Nicene Creed – 325AD Athanasian Creed – 6th century Apostles Creed – 4th century & earlier Belgic Confession – 1566AD Heidelberg Catechism – 1563AD Canons of Dordt – 1618-19AD Our World Belongs to God -a Contemporary Testimony – 1986AD the Belhar Confession – 1986AD (presently being studied)

32. The Apostles’ Creed • I believe in God, the Father almighty,      creator of heaven and earth. • I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,      who was conceived by the Holy Spirit      and born of the virgin Mary.      He suffered under Pontius Pilate,      was crucified, died, and was buried;      he descended to hell.      The third day he rose again from the dead.      He ascended to heaven      and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.      From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. • I believe in the Holy Spirit,      the holy catholic* church,      the communion of saints,      the forgiveness of sins,      the resurrection of the body,      and the life everlasting. Amen. This creed is called the Apostles' Creed not because it was produced by the apostles themselves but because it contains a brief summary of their teachings. It sets forth their doctrine "in sublime simplicity, in unsurpassable brevity, in beautiful order, and with liturgical solemnity." In its present form it is dated no later than the fourth century. More than any other Christian creed, it may justly be called an ecumenical symbol of faith. This translation of the Latin text was approved by the CRC Synod of 1988.

33. The AthanasianCreed Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith:     That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,    neither blending their persons    nor dividing their essence…. But it is necessary for eternal salvationthat one also believe in the incarnationof our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully. Now this is the true faith: That we believe and confess    that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son,    is both God and human, equally. This creed is named after Athanasius (A.D. 293-373), the champion of orthodoxy against Arian attacks on the doctrine of the trinity. Although Athanasius did not write this creed and it is improperly named after him, the name persists because until the seventeenth century it was commonly ascribed to him. It is not from Greek (Eastern), but from Latin (Western) origin, and is not recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Church today. Apart from the opening and closing sentences, this creed consists of two parts, the first setting forth the orthodox doctrine of the trinity, and the second dealing chiefly with the incarnation and the two-natures doctrine.

34. The Nicene Creed he Nicene Creed, also called the Nicaeno-Constantinopolitan Creed, is a statement of the orthodox faith of the early Christian church in opposition to certain heresies, especially Arianism. These heresies, which disturbed the church during the fourth century, concerned the doctrine of the trinity and of the person of Christ. Both the Greek (Eastern) and the Latin (Western) church held this creed in honor, though with one important difference: the Western church insisted on the inclusion of the phrase "and the Son" (known as the "filioque") in the article on the procession of the Holy Spirit; this phrase still is repudiated by the Eastern Orthodox church. In its present form this creed goes back partially to the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325) with additions by the Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381). It was accepted in its present form at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, but the "filioque" phrase was not added until 589. However, the creed is in substance an accurate and majestic formulation of the Nicene faith.

35. The Nicene Creed •    For us and for our salvation           he came down from heaven;           he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,           and was made human.           He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;           he suffered and was buried.           The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.           He ascended to heaven           and is seated at the right hand of the Father.           He will come again with glory           to judge the living and the dead.           His kingdom will never end. • And we believe in the Holy Spirit,      the Lord, the giver of life.      He proceeds from the Father and the Son,      and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.      He spoke through the prophets.      We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.      We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.      We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,      and to life in the world to come. Amen. We believe in one God,      the Father almighty,      maker of heaven and earth,      of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ,      the only Son of God,      begotten from the Father before all ages,           God from God,           Light from Light,           true God from true God,      begotten, not made;      of the same essence as the Father.      Through him all things were made.

36. The Heidelberg Catechism The Heidelberg Catechism was composed in Heidelberg at the request of Elector Frederick III, who ruled the Palatinate, an influential German province, from 1559 to 1576. An old tradition credits Zacharius Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus with being coauthors of the new catechism. Both were certainly involved in its composition, although one of them may have had primary responsibility… The catechism was approved by a synod in Heidelberg in January 1563… Soon the catechism was divided into fifty-two sections so that one Lord's Day could be explained in preaching each Sunday of the year. The Synod of Dort in 1618-1619 approved the Heidelberg Catechism, and it soon became the most ecumenical of the Reformed catechisms and confessions. The catechism has been translated into many European, Asian, and African languages and is the most widely used and most warmly praised catechism of the Reformation period.

37. The BelgicConfession During the sixteenth century the churches in this country were exposed to the most terrible persecution by the Roman Catholic government. To protest against this cruel oppression, and to prove to the persecutors that the adherents of the Reformed faith were not rebels, as was laid to their charge, but law-abiding citizens who professed the true Christian doctrine according to the Holy Scriptures, de Bres prepared this confession in the year 1561. In the following year a copy was sent to King Philip II, together with an address in which the petitioners declared that they were ready to obey the government in all lawful things, but that they would "offer their backs to stripes, their tongues to knives, their mouths to gags, and their whole bodies to the fire," rather than deny the truth expressed in this confession. Although the immediate purpose of securing freedom from persecution was not attained, and de Bres himself fell as one of the many thousands who sealed their faith with their lives, his work has endured and will continue to endure. The oldest of the doctrinal standards of the Christian Reformed Church is the Confession of Faith, popularly known as the Belgic Confession, following the seventeenth-century Latin designation "Confessio Belgica." "Belgica" referred to the whole of the Netherlands, both north and south, which today is divided into the Netherlands and Belgium. The confession's chief author was Guido de Bres, a preacher of the Reformed churches of the Netherlands, who died a martyr to the faith in the year 1567.

38. The Canons of Dort • The Synod of Dort was held in order to settle a serious controversy in the Dutch churches initiated by the rise of Arminianism. Jacob Arminius, a theological professor at Leiden University, questioned the teaching of Calvin and his followers on a number of important points. After Arminius's death, his own followers presented their views on five of these points in the Remonstrance of 1610. In this document or in later more explicit writings, the Arminians taught election based on foreseen faith, universal atonement, partial depravity, resistible grace, and the possibility of a lapse from grace. In the Canons the Synod of Dort rejected these views and set forth the Reformed doctrine on these points, namely, unconditional election, limited atonement, total depravity, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of saints. • The Canons have a special character because of their original purpose as a judicial decision on the doctrinal points in dispute during the Arminian controversy.  The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands is popularly known as the Canons of Dort. It consists of statements of doctrine adopted by the great Synod of Dort which met in the city of Dordrecht in 1618-19. Although this was a national synod of the Reformed churches of the Netherlands, it had an international character, since it was composed not only of Dutch delegates but also of twenty-six delegates from eight foreign countries.

39. The Contemporary Testimony • 6. We rejoice in the goodness of God,renounce the works of darkness,and dedicate ourselves to holy living.As covenant partners,set free for joyful obedience,we offer our hearts and livesto do God’s work in the world.With tempered impatience,eager to see injustice ended,we expect the Day of the Lord.We are confidentthat the lightwhich shines in the present darknesswill fill the earthwhen Christ appears.Come, Lord Jesus.Our world belongs to you. This was adopted as a testimony of our faith in the light of contemporary concerns in the culture. It testifies to our Christian stance in this world. Many find the language engaging and helpful as they address their context.

40. The BelharConfession •  that unity is, therefore, both a gift and an obligation for the church of Jesus Christ; that through the working of God’s Spirit it is a binding force, yet simultaneously a reality which must be earnestly pursued and sought: one which the people of God must continually be built up to attain (Eph. 4:1-16); • -- that this unity must become visible so that the world may believe that separation, enmity and hatred between people and groups is sin which Christ has already conquered, and accordingly that anything which threatens this unity may have no place in the church and must be resisted (John 17:20-23); Since Scripture is the only rule of faith and practice, our confessions are and must be historic and faithful witnesses to Scripture. Synod observes that the Belhar Confession truly expresses the biblical goals of unity, reconciliation, and justice; the church’s commitment to these goals; and the fact that “true faith in Jesus Christ is the only condition for membership of this church" (The Belhar Confession, Article 2). 

41. Why Confessions? Again... • A Confession is a Statement of our common faith • Confessions are part of a story • Confessions arise to defend and articulate what we believe • Confessions are ways the church sought to be faithful in the challenges of the time • Sharing these confessions are a way for us to stand with a community of believing people

42. Baptism: A Sacrament of Grace • A Sign of Christ’s death and resurrection • A Sign of the washing away of our sins and our new birth in Christ • A seal of God’s gift and promise • A Sign and a Seal

43. Why should I be baptised? Christ’s command: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:19) As a sign of your story in Christ: For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. Colossians 2:12 As a seal of the promise What God said applies to you Q. What is true faith? A. True faith is …  a deep-rooted assurance, created in me by the Holy Spirit through the gospel, that, out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ, not only others, but I too, have had my sins forgiven, have been made forever right with God, and have been granted salvation.

44. About Baptism: For Children? • God’s Plan includes children • Acts 2:39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call." • Jesus loves children • Mark 10:14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. • God purpose is to embrace children • 1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. Baptism is not about what we do, but about what God does. God gives us salvation. God acts in our life. God gives promises. God’s promises are for children as well.

45. About Lord’s Supper, Communion 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 23 ¶ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

46. The Lord’s Supper: A meal • A meal • A wedding banquet • A place of fellowship

47. The Lord’s Supper: A Reminder • A reminder • Tells the story of Jesus • This story is part of our story: never forget

48. The Lord’s Supper: A Sign & Seal • A sign & seal • Body and blood of Christ is our salvation • 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

49. The Lord’s Supper: a Proclamation • Proclaim until he comes • We confess that our life is hidden in the life of Christ • We confess that Jesus will come again • We testify to our hope

50. Our story: from immigration to a community serving Lacombe County Woody nook