Why I am a Presbyterian?

There are ways to answer the above question.  First of all, I was born into a Presbyterian family.  My parents reared me from the cradle in the church.  My earliest memories are being in church with my family. 

 

I remain a Presbyterian because of the faith and practice of the Presbyterian Church.  The milieu of the church is solely based upon the magnificence, holiness, awesomeness and holiness of Almighty God who we can know, if only in a finite way, in person of Jesus Christ.  This is not to say anything about the wonderful nature of Christ, but an admission that I am human and thus I am limited in my ability to know God.  Let's face it, God is eternal and we are only blimp on the screen.  Yet in God's grace we can know God, and through Christ be baptized into the eternal, though on this side of glory we will never come close to understanding.  Our faith is that of a child who places his or her complete trust in a loving parent.

 

I remain a Presbyterian because of the worship of the church that refuse to draw attention to anyone and gives all glory to God.  There is no standing in the front of the church with a group of folks who sing with their eyes lifted to heaven with their hands held high so others can see how wonderfully they worship.  I prefer the pew when I am not leading worship, and I have to stand in front of the church when I preach.

 

I remain a Presbyterian because of the polity of the church.  The elect elders to govern the church.  Thank goodness I am not making pronouncements, apart from decisions of the Session (the elected elders).    There are no reverends.  That's right I am not Reverend Newton, but simply Steve.  Or, if I am a reverend then everybody in the church is a reverend.  I think it is called the priesthood of all believers.

 

I remain Presbyterian because of the church's emphasis on Mission.  At Westminster our people volunteer their time to various organizations that are caring for people in need.  They go on mission trips, and share the love of God.  And of course they give generously.  How fun it was earlier this year to sit with our Mission Committee and decide how we were going to spend $15,191 out of 2014 operating funds to make sure we spend at least 20% of our operating income on mission.

 

And I remain Presbyterian because of the wonderful people who make up the church. You cannot (at least at Westminster) find a group that expressed their love for God and for each other than the members of the church I serve.

 

Providentially Yours,

Steve