Answered

Today we begin worship with:

Mark 12:33

To love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

This is Christ’s answer to the question ‘Which commandment is the most important of all?’.  This question was not like the other trick questions asked of Him that day.  The Herodians and the Pharisees argued over paying taxes. The Sadducees  and the Pharisees argued over the resurrection. They came to Jesus with questions that would, regardless of the answer, would put Him on the wrong side of some political aisle.

But this time a lone scribe, “seeing that he answered them well”, asked from his heart, after memorizing and attempting to keep hundreds of laws, what is the most important. 

I imagine he hated the response. 

Keeping the law is black and white. Love is not.  Laws can be kept by doing nothing. Love cannot. Law is applied the same in all circumstances to be just. Love should not. 

May wisdom go with us today as we apply this, this greatest commandment.

Redeemer

This Easter morning, we begin worship with:

Job 19:25

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

 Through the tragedy that struck Job, He came to understand that:

• There needs to be an arbiter between us and God (Job 9:32-35).
• That a celestial witness must speak on our behalf (Job 16:19-21).
• That God must be the one to pay the pledge (Job 17:3) for our trial.
• That, as our verse today reads, our Redeemer lives and will raise us up and redeem us (Job 19:23-27).
• That God will be our judge (Job 21:22-26).
• But we can be confident even in our indictment (Job 31:35-37).

He is Risen.

Salvation

 This week we begin worship with:

Revelation 7:9-10

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

This is a continuous cry of praise over our salvation and its source.  This is not any victory, this is the victory of our God.  This is not any weapon, this is achieved through the precious blood of the Lamb Jesus Christ.  There is no reason for this choir to stop this praise, for the victory does not end.