This coming Sabbath at Willowdale, we will be celebrating Communion. This will be a highly unusual worship experience, as we are currently under construction. This week, leading up to Sabbath, work crews and scaffolding have filled our sanctuary, and it seems impossible for us to move forward, but we have a plan! The church website has an informational piece entitled, “Where to sit on Sabbath? Pews and Renovations!” Overflow areas have been identified, and deacon and deaconess teams are prepared to serveT. the AV team is working tirelessly behind the scenes to provide us with sight and sound. Willowdale will be open for members and visitors alike to “Know Jesus and Make Jesus Known.”
I am so thankful for Wednesday evening’s midweek prayer meeting message, “The Battle of Perception,” delivered by Elder Jean Sahar. Attending participants learned that “God’s reality is experienced by faith, not by sight. We are to be assured of heavenly armies that always surround us, even though we cannot see them” (The Battle Belongs to the Lord, Elizabeth Talbot). The lesson on perception was based on 2 Kings 6, where Elisha prayed that the eyes of his servant would be opened to see the armies of the Lord surrounding and protecting His people from potential disaster. If anyone is inclined to criticize and find fault with what our sanctuary looks like while under construction, I pray that all of us would put on the spiritual eyeglasses needed for this time in Willowdale’s history. In John 4:24, Jesus shares, “God seeks worshippers who will “worship Him in spirit and truth.” This verse does include the word “comfort “and many of our worldwide brothers and sisters in the Advent movement would happily exchange their Sabbath places of worship for our “under construction Willowdale.”
In my personal devotionals this week I have been reading from Nehemiah 4 and considering the challenges that Nehemiah faced while the walls of Jerusalem were being rebuilt. I remembered an excellent book, Hand Me Another Brick written by Charles Swindoll. Chapter four of this book, titled “Discouragement: Its Cause and Cure,” Swindoll drew an action plan for God’s people while they were under construction, facing political threats and unrest. Nehemiah’s five-point action plan was:
- Unify People around a Single Goal (v.13)
- Direct People’s Attention to the Lord (v. 14a)
- Maintain a Balance between Work and Awareness (v. 15,17)
- Provide a Rallying Point (v. 19-20)
- Occupy the People in Ministry of Service to Others (vv. 21-22)
Nehemiah’s ultimate purpose was to redirect discouraged people back to knowing and trusting God and His plan for their lives and the success of their building project.
In closing, let us be unified in our need for spiritual perception as we face our present challenges. Correct vision can only be supplied by the eye salve that Jesus offers freely to a lukewarm church. Willowdale, it’s time to draw close, huddle up, pray, fast, be unified, support, serve, and expect great things!
Pastor DeSilva