1 Kings 8:66
“On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the LORD had done for his servant David and his people Israel.”
This is Cross Pointe logo – our church here in Cebu. It’s formerly known as GCF and that’s how we came to know it. Coming there the first time, my gaze was all front: instruments, stage, backdrop. Will this be our new church Lord? I’m wondering and seeking for clues to know its vision, their worship ministry set up, the kids program,etc. Then I tried to decipher their logo. I find it summer-ish because of the seemingly palm tree, plus of course the beach association of the province. Yes, I saw the cross there – as all Christian churches bears His name. I like the color too. I think I stopped there because the service was starting. Last Sunday, the speaker brought my eyes back to where I left off. He was challenging the church to take hold of its calling – to point people to the cross. And as if in cue, the arrows all pointing to the cross surfaced like those in 3d movies or pop-up books. Oh! So that’s the point! Who’s talking about summer or trees or colors? hahaha! Now I can say Cross Pointe –that’s my church! And i know why!
Like all celebrations, it starts with a program and ends with a feast, yey! If I’ll summarize the temple dedication program, I think it looks like this: Processional (Arrival of the Elders of Israel, Ark brought to the Most Holy Place) - Presence of God Filled the Temple - Preface Story of God’s Promise - Prayer of Dedication - Preaching - Presentation of Offerings. The celebration after was held fourteen days in all. It was a vast assembly and it sure was overflowing with provisions. Going home they were blessing their king, joyful and glad in their hearts. We’re sure they were still talking about it the following days. Like how Pinoys do it after a good Pacquiao fight or how men discuss NBA these days. But what is commendable in today’s reading is what they were really talking about that very much gladdened their hearts. Was it the offerings? Seeing twenty thousand cattles and a hundred twenty thousand sheep and goats being sacrificed and that they had to concentrate the middle part of the courtyard because the bronze altar was too small to hold it all was enough scene stealer. Not that? So was it the attendance? It might have surprised them to see how Israel has really grown to as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. Not close? Was it the food then? Or the gold? Were they starstrucked seeing the Pharaoh’s daughter? hahaha :> Amazingly, Israel got it right this time. ‘They were joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord has done for his servant David and his people Israel.’
We’ve found our love-relationships, we finished well in school or got promoted in work, we enjoy night outs with good friends, we take part or witness big events, we rejoice in great stories, we travel here and there - - and we feel it’s a great life to live. Our hearts are full and our faces show delight - -for all the good things? Should we stop, cut the statement in half and miss out the point? Will we put value in an artwork apart from acknowledgement that it was done by the master artist? Isn’t that why signature brands are expensive? But how come we exclude God in our journeys, in our conversations, in our lives? Isn’t He the point of it all? Will it even be called a blessing if we disregard the Giver, who by the way is no less than the King of kings? If He is not what makes our hearts joyful and glad, can something or someone even come close to take second place? I pray we’ll take time to check our life’s logos again, and make sure the arrows are all pointed to Christ. We wouldn’t want to miss the point, right?
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