It’s Sunday!
We come together on the first day of the week, because that’s what the Apostles did, and that’s when Jesus rose from the dead. The Law is dead in terms of our salvation in Christ, and we are now under a particular grace in this Church Age.
Maybe it’s an oversimplification, but in the Old Testament, believers worked all week, and then were granted the Sabbath. In the New Testament, we begin the new week by grace and then work the week out of love and gratitude to the Giver of grace. They had their sacrifices in the Old Testament, which were also a part of God’s grace, but we have received the Perfect Sacrifice, initiating the New Testament, in the Lamb of God, The Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the perfect, the complete, and the ultimate sacrifice for our sins – and we come together on the first day of the week as the body of Christ to praise and worship!
Of course, these “first days of the week” are different from any other first days of the week in history, at least in America. We are coming together, but in a different way. We are coming together in hearts and minds, but not in bodies. This has been the case in countries where Christian services were outlawed, (and they didn’t have livestreaming) but it has never been the case in the good ‘ole USA. We have been blessed.
It’s been different, but LORD willing and Gavin Newsome willing, things may be winding down and gearing up! Can we find a silver lining in the cloud of the coronavirus? Maybe. Families have felt a special commitment as they have tuned in together on the couch, affirming that worshipping God is not limited to 11717 Pioneer Blvd. Mothers have taken their children to a “home” Sunday School room to teach them, while Dad sat at the feet of Pastor Enoch, then they all came together for the main service. That brings some speical excitement all its own! Plus, there is a new commitment of sorts, when you could be doing "whatever" around the house, but you don’t; you dedicate that time to the LORD!
I don’t like the situation we’re in. I hate the sickness and death that has come through this awful virus, I miss us coming together physically, and I miss the warm smiles and happy faces that greet me on Sunday morning. But despite the cold reality of Satan’s opposition, I still feel the warm glow of Christ’s love among His children! That warmth is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap past the bounds of stucco and wood into our hearts. And it will again in just a few hours!
We’re still together, and it’s Sunday Morning! Praise the LORD!
Love and Prayers to you all,
Pastor
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