Welcome to the House of the Lord
by Tim Edmond
As we begin to come out of the crazy year that was 2020, I want to personally extend the invitation to those getting ready to return in person to Council Road.
Welcome to the House of the Lord! We have all received the invitation to come into His Presence to worship. Please take time as you gather around the front porch to catch up with those you haven’t seen or talked to in a while. Reminisce about that fish that got away, or that amazing 20-foot putt on the greens or that delicious pound cake that’s waiting on the table for you after the service. You may even talk about what your kids or grandkids are up to in their latest adventures.
Now that you’re caught up, notice the front door where we enter the house. The person calling has some announcements and instructions for how we will proceed through this time of gathering together. They may even point out special instructions for some new faces that have joined.
As we enter the house and come through the hallway, take some time to prepare for the feast that is to come. Hang your hat and coat up in the closet. Wash your hands in the side bathroom. Make all the preparation that you need.
Here we are in the living room (you know the room with the good furniture), and the Master of the House has a gift for each of us. As you can see, everyone has brought a gift as well. Just as my grandmother says, “Never go to someone's house without a gift or a dish.” So let the exchange begin. We’ve received our gifts from the master of the house and have given our gifts in return.
Now the moment that we have been anticipating. Let’s all sit together in the dining room and eat together in celebration. The feast is a glorious spread that is beyond all comparison. The Master of the House has gone above and beyond anything that we could ever imagine. The Bread of Life and Living Water satiates our hunger and thirst, revives our weary spirits and gives us strength for the week ahead.
Now that we have eaten and communed together, it is time for each of us to go our separate ways. Folks have to get back to work while others may have school and studies. But before we all leave, there is an announcement being made for us:
For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21)
And with that benediction you are dismissed. May you go in peace, and we hope to see you again next week.
Author Bio
Tim serves as the Worship Director at Council Road Baptist Church. Previously he served as Worship Minister at several Baptist churches throughout the North Texas area. A graduate of Texas Baptist College at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the area of Vocal Performance, Tim desires to help the local church bridge the gap between artistic performance and church ministry with excellence and solid theological foundation.