This morning the ministry of the Word will be brought by Pastor Steve Schlissel, of Messiah’s Congregation in Brooklyn, New York. We of course welcome him in the name of Jesus Christ, and declare grace and peace to him, and to his wife Jeannie, and his daughter Rebekah.
But he is not here as a “guest speaker,” but as a minister of the Word. We are not here as an audience, but as a congregation of God’s people, gathered together to meet with our God, gathered together to renew covenant with Him, gathered in this place to show by faith that we are not gathered here primarily, but rather in the heavenly places, as we come to our God and Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have not come to a mountain that can be touched. We have not ascended an earthly hill, but rather have come to a heavenly Zion, and there we find we have ascended together with all the saints, and all our petty squabbles disappear. We love the Lord Jesus Christ in truth, and with these words, with this call to worship, we are now gathered together with everyone who does the same. We are the church of Jesus Christ, and we exult in the fact that our principle of unity is not found down here on earth, but is rather glorious and transcendent.
The Lord has graciously opened the doors of the heavenly temple. We enter in, as always, by faith, in faith, through faith, and unto faith.
Note: This call to worship is obviously a few years old.