Tomorrow is Sunday, “the Lord’s Day, a day that devoted followers of Jesus set aside especially for fellowship and worship – A time devoted to gathering with follow Christians to be challenged by God’s word, uplifted by worship, and encouraged by Spiritual fellowship. We gather in houses of worship in various places as “the Church.”
I’ll be celebrating “the Lord’s Day” tomorrow at Trinity Church, Cedar Hill, Texas, where my wife, Sharon, and I worship.
The temple in Jerusalem had that kind of association and attraction for God’s people, Israel, in the Old Testament. They gathered there at specified times to honor God with sacrifice, offerings, and worship. Even when they were not in Jerusalem at the temple, the “Sabbath” was a day for ceasing from their personal pursuits, resting, and worshiping.
Thought about all of that this morning as I read the following Psalm…
“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’ … Jerusalem – built as a city that is bound firmly together to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord! … Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers! For my brothers and companions sake I will say ‘Peace be within you! For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good!’” (From Psalm 122 ESV)
Now I make it a practice to pray “for the peace of Jerusalem” – I believe it is a part of my Spiritual heritage as a Christian and the command of God’s word. But I also look forward to gathering with fellow Christians each Sunday (“the Lord’s day”) in houses of worship wherever I happen to be. I sense God’s presence there; I worship with fellow Christians; it’s an opportunity for God’s word – in fact, God Himself – to impact and challenge my life! Turmoil often becomes peace! A sense of security in my relationship to the Heavenly Father is affirmed and strengthened! My life is transformed! I’m telling you, I just love “the Lord’s Day!” I am always “glad when they say to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Will I see you there tomorrow?
Note: The pictures are of where I attend Church now – Trinity Church, Cedar Hill, Texas … and where I attended church as a boy in Ronan, Montana.
