The Salvation Army, Prestonpans Corps
Major Steven Turner
Song: Immortal, Invisible God only wise
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.
To all life thou givest, to both great and small,
In all life thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish; but naught changeth thee.
Great Father of glory, pure Father of light.
Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
All praise we would render; O help us to see
‘Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.
Walter Chalmers Smith (1824-1908)
Bible Reading
8 Solomon then summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes—the leaders of the ancestral families of the Israelites. They were to bring the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant to the Temple from its location in the City of David,
also known as Zion.2 So all the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the annual Festival of Shelters, which is held in early autumn in the month of Ethanim.
3 When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests picked up the Ark. 4 The priests and Levites brought up the Ark of the Lord along with the special tent and all the sacred items that had been in it. 5 There, before the Ark, King Solomon and the entire community of Israel sacrificed so many sheep, goats, and cattle that no one could keep count!
6 Then the priests carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant into the inner sanctuary of the Temple—the Most Holy Place—and placed it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 The cherubim spread their wings over the Ark, forming a canopy over the Ark and its carrying poles. 8 These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place, which is in front of the Most Holy Place, but not from the outside. They are still there to this day.
9 Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Mount Sinai, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel when they left the land of Egypt.
10 When the priests came out of the Holy Place, a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. 11 The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of the Lord.
12 Then Solomon prayed, “O Lord, you have said that you would live in a thick cloud of darkness. 13 Now I have built a glorious Temple for you, a place where you can live forever!”
1 Kings 8:1-13 NLT
Song: Light of the world
Light of the world,
You stepped down into darkness,
Opened my eyes, let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore You,
Hope of a life spent with You.
So here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You’re my God;
And You’re altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.
King of all days,
Oh so highly exalted,
Glorious in heaven above;
Humbly You came
To the earth You created,
All for love’s sake became poor.
And I’ll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross.
(Repeat)
Tim Hughes
© 2000 Thankyou Music
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Bible Reading
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire community of Israel. He lifted his hands toward heaven, 23 and he prayed,
“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father. You made that promise with your own mouth, and with your own hands you have fulfilled it today.27 “But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built! 28 Nevertheless, listen to my prayer and my plea, O Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you today. 29 May you watch over this Temple night and day, this place where you have said, ‘My name will be there.’ May you always hear the prayers I make toward this place. 30 May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.
1 Kings 8:22-24, 27-30 NLT
Echoing Solomon’s Prayer
It’s been a long time coming, but from next Sunday we shall return to weekly worship on a Sunday morning. After almost 15 months of varying restrictions, we sing (albeit behind masks for now) and pray together and share in fellowship over tea and coffee afterwards. How exciting is that!?
But one of the questions that the COVID pandemic has raised is whether it is essential to come together for worship. We’re going to look to King Solomon and Saint Paul to help us think through this question.
A house for God
Many people refer to their church building as “The House of God”. Where does this idea come from, and is it relevant to us today?
In Old Testament times, people thought that gods were limited to a small geographical area. This explains why Naaman asked permission to take some soil from Israel back to Aram, to worship God (2 Kings 5:17). Abraham knew that God was present and could be worshipped everywhere. But later, under Moses’ leadership, God gave his people the Ark of the Covenant and the sacred tent as a focus for worship.
David brought the Ark to Jerusalem, God’s chosen city, and Solomon built a temple to house the Ark and become the focus of worship. God demonstrated his favour by appearing in the Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11). So, it seems that God endorses a central place of worship.
But even as he built the Temple, Solomon recognised that God could not be confined to any building:
“But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!”
1 Kings 8:27
Jumping forward to the time of the early church, we see that they too enjoyed corporate worship:
And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.
Acts 2:44
On his travels, Paul often met with groups of believers, first in synagogues then in homes. And his letters are full of advice on how to conduct public worship meetings, which has remained an important part of Christian life ever since.
A spiritual house
During June and July, the delayed Euro 2020 football competition is taking place. Because of COVID restrictions, only a limited number of fans are allowed in each stadium. The rest must watch at the pub, in fan zones with giant screens, or even at home. The atmosphere is certainly not the same at home, but the passion will be just as strong. Excluding the fans from the stadium does not break their affinity with their team nor their comradeship as fellow supporters. It’s as though there is something of the team in each person or group.
Paul says something similar about Christian believers:
Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16
In other words, when we come together in worship and fellowship, God is present with us. But Paul goes further than that:
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?
1 Corinthians 6:19
Paul wants us to understand that God’s Spirit resides in each of us in the same way that God lived in the temple in Jerusalem: not in an individual or exclusive way, but as a demonstration of his infinite glory and his love for his people.
It’s also important to note that, in the same way the temple was a special place, kept fit and ready for God, we too should be distinct from the world around us.
You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:20
But that’s a topic for another day.
God’s visible presence
Sometimes in the Old Testament, when people came together to pray, God visited them in a visible fashion. Think of Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19 & 34), Elijah on mount Carmel (1 Kings 18), even Samson’s unnamed mother (Judges 13). And we saw Solomon inviting God’s presence in the temple. Can something similar happen for Christians today?
In the New Testament, Peter and John are released from prison and re-join their fellow believers:
When they had finished praying, the place where they were gathered was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 4:31 NLV
And when Paul and Silas were singing hymns at midnight in the Philippian jail, their chains fell off and the doors opened (Acts 16).
I’ve never experienced anything that dramatic. However, from time to time I’ve been in meetings where the whole atmosphere has suddenly changed.
The most recent was at the Edinburgh Congress in 2018. As the Territorial Commander spoke, and then led us into prayer time, a deep sense of awe and wonder descended, to such an extent that invited guests from a variety of denominations, and even unbelievers, felt God’s presence.
Perhaps you have had a similar experience. Would you like to share it with someone to encourage them?
Conclusion
The Bible tells us that God created the heavens and the earth, that he loves his creation but most especially humankind. Despite repeated sin and rebellion, he has always been faithful to his people: first to the Jews, then to others who trusted him, and most especially to those who accept Jesus as Messiah. Although God chose the temple in Jerusalem as his “home”, he is always willing to meet with sincere believers wherever they are.
As Christians, we have God’s Spirit living within us all the time. This is a fulfilment of the promise made to the prophet Joel. But just as God sometimes made his presence visible to the Jews and the early Christians, he may also choose to grace us with a powerful encounter with him, either individually or together.
Whilst God is not at our beck and call, he is always willing to meet with those who truly seek him. Why not ask God to reveal himself to you today?
Song: I would be thy holy temple
I would be thy holy temple,
Sacred and indwelt by thee;
Naught then could stain my commission,
‘Tis thy divine charge to me.
Take thou my life, Lord,
In deep submission I pray,
My all to thee dedicating,
Accept my offering today.
Seeking to mirror thy glory,
Living to answer thy call,
Each faithful vow now renewing,
Gladly I yield thee my all.
Time, health and talents presenting,
All that I have shall be thine;
Heart mind and will consecrating,
No longer shall they be mine.
O for a heart of compassion,
Moved at the impulse of love,
Lost ones to bring to thy footstool,
Thy gracious riches to prove!
Brindley Boon
Prayer
Lord God, we acknowledge that you are all-powerful and everywhere present. During the pandemic, it has been good to know that you have been with us, even when we cannot meet our fellow believers.
But there is something special about joining with others to sing you praises, to listen to your word and to pray together. We thank you that we are able to do so once more. As we meet more often, we ask that you would make your presence felt in our gatherings, and that we might learn how you want us to worship, and what we should do to serve you and our community.
Many of us have felt isolated because of the restrictions of the pandemic. Though we know you are always everywhere, we pray that in times of loneliness you would give us a sign of your presence with us in that moment. And when we are afraid, may we sense your power in us, helping us to do what is right.
And as we encounter other people, may they see something of you in us and choose to seek and worship you for themselves.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Song: Boundless as the Mighty Ocean
Boundless as the mighty ocean,
Rolling on from pole to pole,
Is the boundless love of Jesus
To the weary sinful soul,
Boundless mercy, boundless mercy,
Making guilty sinners whole.
Boundless as the starry heavens,
Filled with fiery orbs of light,
Are the promises of Jesus
For the soul in nature’s night,
Ever shining, ever shining
Till our faith is changed to sight.
Boundless as eternal ages,
As the air we breathe as free,
Is the boundless, full salvation
Jesus purchased on the tree,
Boundless cleansing, boundless cleansing
From all sin’s impurity.
Boundless is the grace to save us
From the guilt and power of sin;
Boundless is his power to keep us
Now and every instant clean.
Boundless praises, boundless praises
We our glorious Lord will bring.
Josiah Henry Walter (1865-1938)
Benediction
May God’s blessing surround you each day,
As you trust Him and walk in His way.
May His presence within guard and keep you from sin.
Go in peace, go in joy, go in love.
Prophetable musings 