Planting New Worship Centers

As Abraham entered into the promised land of Canaan, the first thing he did as he went from place to place was to build altars to Yahweh.  These were the first worship centers – the public meeting places of the worshippers of the God Who declared that this Land was His and for His people.

As the Gospel has gone out all over the earth, one of the first things that faithful ministers and missionaries have done is to imitate Abraham – to build centers of worship – public meeting places that establish and declare the center of a new Humanity, a new way of living, the hub of Good News to all people.  We have followed along with that in the church plant of Emmanuel on the north shore of Lake Washington and we are helping to support a similar work in the north part of Poland, in Gdansk, with the work of Pastor Pawel Bartosik.

And all of this follows along and out of what we are doing right here in the beginning of our New Week.  For this is the First Day of the New Week.  And as we gather on this Lord’s Day we establish another public place of worship on the timeline.  We are declaring for this coming week Who owns the week ahead, Who owns the work that is before us, Who is King of kings and Lord of lords over all the houses of government in all of the decisions that will be made, and Who is Lord of every man, woman and child in and through every activity that will take place in the coming week.

We are declaring an absolute Lordship – the absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ.  We are declaring and celebrating the Good News that the world has been saved, that a New King rules from the right hand of His Father, and that grace and mercy, forgiveness and life are to be proclaimed to all creatures.  We are here at the summons of this King to have our covenant renewed before Him, renewing our vows, yet, but also His vows and promises to us – to you – each one of you Who would hear His voice.  Jesus Christ has called you to Himself.  Come and worship our God.