The Invocation
By: R. Allan Anderson
Does it not seem, incongruous to ask God to come into His house? But this is what is usually done in the invocation. It is already the house of the Lord, is it not? We usually hold the Sabbath school in the church building, and all have already been aware of the Lord's presence in the study of His Word. Then perhaps the ten-minute home missionary service has followed, and after all that we ask the Lord to be present, when in reality He has been there all the time.
To invoke God's blessing on the service is one thing, but to plead with Him to come to His own house is quite another. Instead of asking our heavenly Father to be present, let us rather ask Him to make us conscious of His presence, to open our hearts to the impressions of His Spirit, and to help us surrender to His benign will.
There is a difference!
Worship
By: R. Allan Anderson
If a worship service is conducted in a beautiful church building with all the appropriate appointments that would lead to reverence, excellent; but that same worship service could be conducted out in the fields under a tree; or it might be conducted in a tent, or down by the seashore, or in the privacy of a home. The circumstances would dictate somewhat the pattern of the service, but any place can be the house of God and the gate of heaven.
You remember Jacob, fleeing as a fugitive, lying down, lowly and exhausted, probably despising himself, too, as he well might have; but the Lord let down a ladder, a symbol of communion between heaven and earth the angels ascending to God and descending with His blessing.
A preacher, by the sheer power of spiritual leadership, must lead his congregation up the altar stairs to God. They see Him and hear His voice, not to stay there, however, but to descend again to serve. A worship experience that does not lead to service has lost its real objective. The worship service is not an end in itself; it is only a means to an end. We must never overlook that fact.
When the service is over and the benediction has been pronounced and the people have gone home, it will then help you to go back to the church, ascend the pulpit again, look over that empty auditorium, and relive the experience. Visualize the congregation, who they were, where each was sitting. This reflection will tend to crystallize the objectives of your ministry and bring a new depth and spiritual vigor into your work. Meditate and talk to God about it. These lovely lines by Edwin O. Kennedy will give point to your thoughts:
"Now all the people leave for home,
And all the footfalls die away,
And I am left alone, dear God,
To think and pray."
These walls have rung with songs of praise;
This pulpit has proclaimed Thy word,
And now amid the stillness here
No sound is heard."
Yet in my heart there echoes still
One singing overtone above
Each spoken word, each joyous hymn
Of Christian love."
Dear God—and do they hear it too
As they go, scattered, on their way?
And will it sing them through the night
To dawn of day?"
Far emptier than this vast room
Become our worship, song and prayer,
Unless they be the gate to life
And Thou art there."
"Hebrews"
By: R. Allan Anderson
It is better to say "Hebrews" and not "Jews." After all, the word Jew does not appear till after the Babylonian captivity, and at first it was an expression of opprobrium. Though it has lived with them ever since, yet strictly speaking the expression Jew refers to only one of the tribes, Judah, and not to the Hebrews as a great nation. Let us then speak of the Hebrews rather than the Jews.
