As our community continues to grow, we must remember to keep the central things central. And nothing is more central to our flourishing Christian culture than worship. But as it is with all of the central things, we can easily set up a stone of rememberance while forgetting what the stone signifies. We can set up statues while forgetting the men. In order to avoid this, I want to remind you about what you are doing here today.

You are the covenant people of God, who have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light. You have assembled as covenant families before your covenant-keeping God. Our worship began with a call to lift up your hearts, and you have testified that you have lifted them up to the Lord. This includes an exaltation into the heavenly places themselves, where we have joined with seraphim, cherubim, and arch angels to offer service to the Almighty, Father, Son, and Spirit.

That service or worship you now pay to the Lord is your very body, which is to be a living and holy sacrifice (Romans 12:1). You know it is not has holy as it should be. And a moment’s reflection will call to mind how you have missed the mark this past week. So you are soon to kneel and confess those shortcomings that you might be a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord. Christ the Word will soon be preached to you and you must listen for His voice ready to believe and obey.

Following this consecrating Word, you will commune with God Himself, partaking of the peace offering, Jesus Christ. And then you will be commissioned to go forth from this covenant renewal service to do the good works God has prepared for you to do.

The covenant that God renews with you now is very real. The blessings promised are as rock solid as the curses promised. So sing, kneel, pray, hear, eat, and go as what you are: a sacrifice to the Lord.