Preparing for the Lord's Day
This Lord's Day, we conclude our Mission Conference. The theme of the conference has been "The Word Made Flesh," which is a reference to Jesus' incarnation from John 1:14. The Word that was with God, that was God, became flesh. The Word became human, which means the Word became touchable. The Word became vulnerable, even killable as one commentator put it. Think of it. The eternal God who created all things and holds all things together by the power of His Word became vulnerable...for you and for me.
And he calls us as his disciples to live in such a way that bears witness to his incarnation, to make real, to make "fleshy" the transforming power of the gospel to redeem and renew life in Him. Scotty Smith, our conference speaker, will help us flesh that out (pun intended) as he preaches on the heartbeat, the hands, and the hope of Incarnational Living from Philippians 2:1-11.
As we gather for worship, our opening hymn points us not to Jesus' first coming, but to his second coming, when we, who see things dimly now, will see with eternal clarity. It is one of Charles Wesley's most beloved hymns, "Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending." This hymn gives us a sense of God's transcendence, his otherness like few can.
As we transition to the Acclamation of Praise, we see not God's transcendence, but his immanence, his closeness, and nearness, as we sing verses 1 and 3 of "How Deep The Father's Love For Us."
Our final hymn reminds us that we bring nothing to Christ but our need of him. There is no good work or service that renders us merit before God. It is Christ alone that we stand before Him.
If you'd like to do some reading prior to the service, I'd recommend Colossians 1:15-20 and John 1:1-18.