This is one of my favorite Bible verses because it speaks so clearly of where we are invited to dwell as Christians.
My prayer always with New Salem is that will live and move and have our being in Jesus Christ.This happens most readily when we blanket all we do in prayer.The Lutheran Disaster Response fund raiser a week ago was an excellent example of that.The kitchen crew gathered for prayer before we started; the waiters gathered for instructions and prayer; the style coordinators gathered in prayer.We started the event glorifying and praising God; and people could sense it in the air that God was present.We were living and moving and having our being in Jesus Christ.
When we live and move and have our being in Jesus Christ we avail ourselves to God to use us as God’s hands in the beautiful world that God continues to create amongst us.
We have often referred to the sanctuary of our church as ‘God’s house’.This is the room that is our place of our most fervent prayer and praise of Jesus. This is where we gather and Jesus promises to meet us each Sabbath in word and sacrament - we do experience God’s presence amongst us in this place.This is a holy space.
Listen to the vision that John writes about in Revelation 21:22 “I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God, the Almighty and the Lamb.”The place to go to worship God is in the heart of God, the sanctuary, the place for worship and praise is the very place of God.God is our sanctuary.“In Him we live and move and have our being.”
How often we forget the promises of Jesus as he walked the earth; His wants for his disciples, for us as stated in today’s Gospel.Again, it is the night before Jesus dies.He is with His disciples. Jesus has just washed their feet, has just told them to love one another; and Jesus is telling them what He most wants them to know and remember after he goes to God the Father.
Jesus is giving us assurances that he is not leaving us without sending the Holy Spirit to those who love Jesus and keep His word, God’s word.Jesus assures us that God will send us the Holy Spirit, the comforter, the advocate to be with you and I to instruct us in everything, and remind us of all that Jesus has said. Jesus tells us “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”
We dwell in the heart of God, living and moving and having our being - and God dwells amongst us.Yes, let this be our constant prayer; that we remain, we dwell, we live and move and have our being in Jesus Christ.New Salem, please join me in committing to making New Salem a people of prayer and a place of prayer.
Let us commit to starting each meeting with pray, committing our way to the Lord, trusting in God to dwell and be and act among us.Then let us conclude each meeting, gathering with the most perfect prayer, the Lord’s prayer.Let us dwell in the heart of God, let us welcome the Holy Spirit among us.
