This past Sunday was the dedication of the newly renovated worship center-sanctuary. We talked about how this area is often referred to as the Sanctuary, the Worship Center or even Big Church for those who have little children. At any rate, we had a time of dedication for the gathering place. In Exodus 3:5 the ground Moses stood on was holy. It was holy because of the encounter with the Holy God, Yahweh. Others no doubt passed by the bush and thought of it as just a bush. Perhaps some will attend JIBC worship and think of it as just a building…a religious building, but just a building. I pray that for you and for all who enter the doors, it will be a holy place where we meet the Holy God, Yahweh.
We dedicated ourselves to the Lord. A holy place without a holy people would seem to cancel out each other. It seems like sin will push out holiness or holiness will push out sin. Either way, we are in need of dedicating ourselves to genuine worship, seeking God to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Third, I dedicated myself to the following: Christ-centered preaching; inspired worship; celebration of the symbols of our salvation (baptism and the Lord’s Supper); a place of unity of the faith; and to be a place welcoming the broken who seek His healing. When this happens, I suspect we will be glad when they say unto us let us go to the House of the Lord.
I close today with one of my favorite poems. It was written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
“Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God,
but only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
Pastor Tom
