March 17
“You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:22-24)
Today I am taking the liberty of quoting excerpts from an article published on Core Christianity’s website that has made an impression, entitled “Why You Need to Be in Church This Sunday” by Adriel Sanchez. *
“I’m a 29-year-old minister who has seen the dangers of domesticating worship. Our low view of the Sunday gathering as pastors has resulted in the church being an optional assembly. If people can get their church experience at home on the couch, there’s no reason for them to drive anywhere. When we strip worship of its weird beauty (the beauty of the Sacraments, preaching, liturgy, mystery), we’re left with a spectacle which we’ve organized to attract consumers, and they move on as quickly as they arrive. We need to stop trying to keep people on earth in worship, and start giving them the experience of the heavenly sanctuary, reverence and all.
“In Scripture worship is the intrusion of God’s alien kingdom upon us. It may seem quite ordinary to the one without faith, but for the faithful, something magnificent is happening in the mundane. The author to the Hebrews put it best when he said that in coming together for worship, we are coming to: “the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and the church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” (Heb. 12:22-24)
“This Sunday, God invites you, together with your brothers and sisters, to ascend his holy mountain. To join the angels around us, and the martyrs, who preceded us…He offers to feed you, not ordinary food, but heavenly food…In the Bible, worship was far from comfortable, but it was life-giving (Jn. 6:53). It’s life-giving still.
Where will you be today? Who will you bring with you?
* https://corechristianity.com/resource-library/articles/why-you-need-to-be-in-church-this-sunday
Divine Wisdom for Daily Living by Joanne Colvin 