03 Feb Remember the Sabbath Day…
3 February 2026
Welcome to February y’all…and Happy Birthday to all those folks we mentioned last Sunday in worship. Whole lotta aging going on! Well done! Don’t stop now!
I’ve been reading Exodus. I’m using one of the Bible Reading plans we have on our back table at the Hall. If you still haven’t figured out what your devotional practice will be for this year yet…Grab one of those pamphlets & jump right in! Just start where the plan is & keep going! But right now it’s Exodus. We’re into the first part of the Israelites wilderness journey where God has told Moses to build the original Tabernacle where God’s presence would dwell among his people & they would worship. Two verses really stood out to me:
Exodus 29:44-46 – “Yes, I will consecrate the Tabernacle & the altar, & I will consecrate Aaron & his sons to serve me as priests. Then I will live among the people of Israel & be their God, & they will know that I am the Lord their God. I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.”
Then Exodus 31:13 – “Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.”
It’s very straightforward & very important to see what God says here. First, God ordains worship & calls us to worship to cement in us the assurance of his presence among us and his sovereign rule over us. Worship is about experiencing God’s presence & then submitting our lives in obedience to him. And at the same time, worship is a gift from God to us to remind us that he is ultimately in charge of our lives in providing everything we need within the intimacy of the relationship he has created with us.
Exodus 33:13 takes us even deeper into God’s desires for us: “Moses said to the Lord, ‘If it is true that you look favourably on me, let me know your ways so I may know you more fully and continue to enjoy your favour.’”
Moses is starting to see the implications of the covenant relationship God has created with his people. The whole point of God coming to us in such grace is to draw us deeper into abundant life in him…now.
It’s clear: worship among God’s people is not an option we can take or leave. God calls us to worship because it is there that we know him more, learn how he desires to shape our lives into the image of Christ, & receive the abundance of his daily grace & blessing in our lives. To not worship…to decidedly avoid worship, or allow other interests to draw you away from the gathered people of God is to cut yourself off from that life-giving intimacy with the Father & distance yourself from the blessing only God can give. It’s spiritual suicide to not worship. As people who live in the light of the resurrection & walk toward the promise of eternity with Christ…worship becomes even more crucial in our lives. Can you see why I am so insistent on each of us inviting someone who isn’t in worship to join you there? It’s life & death for them, like it always has been for us.
Speaking of worship & the blessings of being part of the gathered community of followers of Jesus…
- Sunday 8th February – We continue our short three-week worship & teaching series on Jesus’ Vision for Living Water Fellowship…Living with Him, Growing in Him, & Sharing Him with Others. This week: Growing in Him. What does Jesus see over the course of our lives as he perfects the reshaping of our hearts to beat in time with his and our lives to share his likeness?
- Super Bowl watching morning Tea @ Graeme’s house – 10:30 a.m., Monday February 9th. Bring something tasty to share so Graeme doesn’t have to do all the cooking. If you need directions, please ask!
- Traffic Interruptions & Roadblocks – 13th, 14th, and Sunday the 15th of February along Red Hill Road around Jubilee Park – The annual NSW Junior State Cup Touch Tournament is on…so anyone trying to get to the Hall on the 15th will need to plan their travels accordingly.
- Please remember the financial need that was lifted up on Sunday. We’re trending fairly well on a week-by-week basis, but the quarterly large commitments to the Tax Office, Super entitlements, & regular insurance premiums always land heavy. So…bless you for meeting this special request & bless you for raising the bar of your giving to make sure we don’t need to make more special requests over the course of the year.
- We’re getting mighty close to the Season of Lent…so let me put this out there again so you can invite someone who might otherwise miss out…
- Ash Wednesday Worship – 18th February @ 7:00 p.m.
- Maundy Thursday – 2nd April @ 7:00 p.m.
- Good Friday – 3rd April @ 9:00 a.m.
- Easter Sunday – 5th April @ 10:00 a.m.
Enjoy living your blessed life in the week ahead!
John
No Comments