Our service this week was led by Rev. Paul Clapham who was welcomed by Sue Fox. Neil and Jill Barnett accompanied our singing on organ and keyboard. After prayers including the Lord’s Prayer our children took up our offerings, then left to begin their preparations for Christmas.
Following a reading from Hebrews 10, Paul explained the traditions of Judaic priesthood whose roots go back to Moses and Aaron. Only priests are allowed into the inner sanctum around the Ark of the Covenant where God meets man. Priests had tremendous privileges but also awesome responsibilities to care for their people. The early Christian church struggled with the inclusion of non Jews in the sacrifice offered by Jesus in his death and resurrection through which we can be reconciled with God.
In our second reading from 1 Peter 2, read by Gerry Maxwell, Peter states that members of the church are all priests born into God’s family. Thus we too enjoy great privileges but also carry huge responsibilities to God and to our neighbours. As intercessors Paul invited us to request prayers for things on our minds currently. Our concluding hymn was O for thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise.