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Dear Congregation,
It’s the time of week for preparing to rejoin, again1, the holy assembly continually in progress in glory2.
The High Priest has passed through the veil as the Anchor who guarantees our access3 and the Forerunner who guarantees our arrival4.
Whenever we assemble, we come through the new and living way that is His flesh5, being united to Him Who ministers that union to us at His table6 as we see the day approaching7.
The washing of our bodies with the water set apart for doing so in
baptism8 confirms what our faith knows to be true:
our hearts have been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience9 not
with the blood of bulls and goats but consecrated by the blood of the
resurrected Jesus10 for our entrance into the Holy of Holies11.
It's the time of week for renewed dwelling upon how Christ’s finished work on earth and ongoing work in glory is about to gather us again to the Father in the holy assembly12.
It’s the time of week for the Sabbath-keeping that remains13 until we cease from our works in this world and enter His rest14.
It’s the time of week for seeking grace in order to worship God in the acceptable way, and with reverence and awe15, since it is through this worship that He preserves us while providing for us an unshakeable kingdom16.
It’s the time of week for remembering again that God Himself has put away the picture book and its shadow-calendar and has brought us into the light of the reality of the Christ that it pictured17.
Day of Joy! Day of Holiness! Day of Feasting! Day of Glory! Day of Strengthening! Day of Christ! The Lord’s Day!
Looking forward to keeping with you God’s own calendar and reveling in the light of ascended, enthroned, worship-leading Jesus,
Pastor
1Heb 10:25; 2Heb 12:18–24; 3Heb
6:19; 4Heb 6:20; 5Heb 10:20; 61Cor 11:24–25; 7Heb
10:25, 1Cor 11:26; 8Heb 10:22b; 9Heb 10:22a; 10Heb
10:11–14; 11Heb 10:19; 12Heb 2:10–13; 13Heb
4:9; 14Heb 4:10; 15Heb 12:28b, 4:16; 16Heb
12:25–28a; 17Heb 10:1
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