Nesting for Next
“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day I will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.” Exodus 19:10-11
The birthday of our firstborn son is as vivid and special today as it was in June 2000. Isaac arrived at 12:01 am on Pentecost Sunday and was the same day I graduated from Bible College! This extraordinary double miracle blessing came after considerable preparation and expectation the previous day. Something was brewing/stirring in my bride of the NEW that was about to come. Joanie spent that entire Saturday cleaning the house and shopping for a graduation party. After all the hard (and heart) work she put into the home, our baby was born just a few hours later. The New had come and we would Never be the same!
Throughout the Bible we see that God MEETING with His people. His desire to meet is not just to go over rules, update us on latest news, call out our sins, or warn us of coming storm events. He just wants to be with us! The same who God met Israel at Mount Sinai and led them through the wilderness, wants to meet with and lead us on the right paths. Psalm 42:8 says, “By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.”
This NESTING FOR NEXT, which Joanie’s house cleaning portrayed, is also a picture to our church family in this season. We have been preparing for the coming days of Sunday in-person gathering by updating and upgrading the lobby/common area, the Kids Church Room, and our Sanctuary video equipment. And I am so excited to let you know that after many months, that day has arrived! With the recent US Supreme Court Ruling that prohibits the state of California’s restriction of indoor church services, we are planning to regather back at the property on Sunday, February 21 at 10 am* (*new service time).
I believe our Sunday gatherings will never be the same. There will be a new sense of appreciation for the gift of community after many months apart. I envision a rise in joy, in testimonies, in gifts of the Holy Spirit, answered prayers, and salvations being released in our midst In Matthew 9:17 Jesus tells us, “Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” We have made room for the new, now let’s move into the next season of God’s promises!