Revised Common Lectionary – Year B: Special Days – Dedication / Anniversary

2 Chronicles 6:12-21; Psalm 84:1-12; Romans 12:1-21; John 4:19-26

Look for God’s blessing in the pulpit. Look for God’s blessing in the pews.

Without the blessing of God, our worship is empty. We must look for God’s blessing in the place of worship. What we must pray for is this: ‘the glory of the Lord filled the House of God’(2 Chronicles 5:14). We must look for God’s blessing in the pulpit, praying that the preachers of God’s Word will be ‘clothed with salvation’. We must look for God’s blessing in the pews, praying that all of God’s people will ‘rejoice in His goodness’(2 Chronicles 6:41). Where does the blessing come from? - It comes from this: God is ‘good’ and ‘His steadfast love endures for ever’(2 Chronicles 5:13). All of our praying for the Church can be summed up in this prayer: ‘O Lord God... Remember Your steadfast love...’(2 Chronicles 6:42). More than anything else, we must pray for this: ‘God’s love... poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit...’(Romans 5:5).

‘How I love Your Temple, Almighty Lord! How I want to be there! I long to be in the Lord’s Temple. With my whole being I sing for joy to the living God’(Psalm 84:1-2). This is much more than paying lip-service to the Lord. This is real. Worshipping the Lord meant everything to the Psalmist: ‘I long for You, O God. I thirst for You, the living God; when can I go and worship in Your presence’(Psalm 42:1-2). He found great joy in worshipping the Lord: ‘Let Your light and Your truth guide me... to the place where You dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight...’(Psalm 43:4). He worshipped God with his whole heart: ‘O God, You are my God, and I long for You. My whole being desires You... my soul is thirsty for You’(Psalm 63:1). This is real worship, joyful worship, heartfelt worship. May God help us to worship Him like that!

Practical Christian living - living the life of love

What can our ‘sacrifice’ be in the light of Christ’s greater Sacrifice of Himself for us? It can only be ‘our reasonable service’, our ‘spiritual worship’. His love calls for our response, the response of love: ‘Love so amazing, so divine, demands (and shall have) my soul, my life, my all’(Romans 12:1; Church Hymnary, 254). Our love for Him can never begin to compare with His love for us. ‘Love is a many splendoured thing’(Romans 12:9-21). Let love direct our thinking, speaking and living - His love, love for God, love for people (Romans 13:8-10). Let your prayer be, ‘More love, more power, more of You in my life. And I will worship You with all my heart,... mind,... strength’(Songs of Fellowship, 392). Worship the Lord - and be changed by His love!

Jesus’ ministry of love

Jesus brings the Samaritan woman out of her bondage to sin and into the joy of His salvation. Jesus comes to the woman in love. His love overcomes cultural divisions. His love breaks down cultural barriers (John 4:9). This is not simply the story of one woman. It is the story of ‘many Samaritans’ coming to faith in Christ (John 4:39). There are two ‘stages’ in their coming to faith. First, they ’believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony’(John 4:39). Second, ‘they believed because of His Word’(John 4:41). The Samaritans came to trust Jesus as ‘the Saviour of the world’(John 4:42). The woman said that ‘salvation is of the Jews’(John 4:22). It is also ‘to the Greek’(Romans 1:16). The Gospel is for all. Pray that the human word will be empowered by the divine Word (1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2:13).