Preparing for corporate worship: A new year reminder

The first Sunday of a new year is a good time to remind ourselves of what we are doing when we gather each Lord’s Day: We assemble to worship together the only true God. David wrote this in one of his psalms: “There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like Yours. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and they shall glorify Your name. For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God” (Psalm 86:8-10). The One we will worship corporately this Sunday is not a man-made deity. He is not a god we have designed in our minds. He is the Creator and Ruler of all as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. He is the only One worthy of worship. He alone is God. These basic and indispensable truths call for us to give proper attention to and make sufficient preparation for corporate worship. We will unite to worship and glorify the one true God.

A glorious future, and this blog's future

The new year portends a new, glorious day for which we await. The first five verses of the final chapter of God’s Word describe it this way:

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever (Rev. 22:1-5, ©ESV).

What a beautiful, hopeful description of our future as those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb: A river of life from God’s throne; an abundant tree of life; leaves with healing for all peoples; no curse on anything; worship by God’s servants, who will see His face with a sign they belong to Him on their foreheads; no more night; God as our light, and eternal rule with Him.

That time will far surpass any year, no matter how great. In 2013, may we long more for that time, primarily because we will then be in the presence of God and the Lamb. While we await that time, may we rest this year in the finished work of the Lamb, seek to know Him better and to make Him known to others.

I am going to spend the next couple of weeks considering what I should do with this blog. I have retired “Mondays are for music.” I am unsure what other changes I will decide I need to make. You should expect me to blog little in the next two to three weeks. I will share my plan at the end of that time.

In the meantime, thank you for taking the time to read this blog, may God bless you with a great year for His glory.