Hey, Church! 

I suspect not one of us rightly estimates the combustible potential of our worship gatherings. We invoke the name of Almighty God, calling His Spirit to fall like Elijah’s fire from heaven between yawning sips of Folgers. But what would happen if God opened our eyes to see Him in His glory?

I think of the story of Elisha, when enemy armies surrounded him and all the camps of Israel by night. When Elisha’s servant woke up and saw that they were surrounded, he was terrified and cried out, “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” Elisha said, “Do not be afraid; those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And then he prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see,” and suddenly his servant could see “the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha,” in the spiritual realm. (2 Kings 6:17-20)

Throughout the Bible, whenever God pulls back the veil from people’s eyes, He appears in awe-inspiring ways. The burning bush; the thunder, lightning, cloud, and earthquakes accompanying God’s meeting with Moses on Mount Sinai; a pillar of cloud and fire in the wilderness; God’s “shekinah glory” filling the Tabernacle and Temple; the Spirit resting on His people as tongues of fire in Acts… Over and over again, God’s presence ministers strength and confidence to His people, and strikes terror in the hearts of His enemies. 

If we believe that He is the same God yesterday, today, and forever, then this is who we come to worship this Sunday! 

Author Annie Dillard wrote, 

“On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill [time on] a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offence; or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return.”*

So, prepare yourself, Christian! Your King is calling you into His great assembly. The Almighty One who never slumbers or sleeps, who rules all things by the power of His word, beckons you, “Come!” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” Like a hen gathers her young beneath her wings, so your God says, “Come to me” and “I will give you rest.”  

Use this song as a call to worship while you prepare your hearts for church this Sunday morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-pZNULbJws