Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 Sanctification of the Church

2 Chronicles 34:29-33

 The king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, keeping his commandments, his decrees, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 2 Chronicles 34:31

When we read 2 Chronicles chapter 34, we read a story about a young king named Josiah rebuilding what appears to be a Jerusalem in disarray and disorder.  The chapter deliberately details his age at different stages.  At age 8 he becomes king, but when he turns 16 he starts purging the idols and false God’s and then at the age of 26 he begins a project to rebuild the broken temple.  It Is during this restoration project he is told that the word of God has been found in the house of the Lord.   Sanctification is a process or a journey with which we actively try to become holy.  If you look at King Josiah, he began the sanctification process around early in his life, when he realized the idols and priests were causing the people to put their faith in false gods.  Then he learned more about the Lord and at the age of 26 we see a formal declaration of a covenant he will follow.  The discovery of the Law of Moses wasn’t something he regarded as just another book, but he saw that it had the power to change his people.   You can see how he regarded the discovery of the word of God, by his posture.  Verse 31 begins with “The king STOOD in his place.”

As a king with power, his subjects stand before him, but in this moment, he realized he was in the presence of one that was much more powerful than him, so he stood before the word of the Lord.  But his posture not only allows him to be alert to the word but allows him to move and make changes in his own life, and in the lives of the people of Judah. Sanctification is not just a personal process, but it also impacts the lives of others. 

    In our worship service, we begin with the Kauma, which orients ourselves to God and then there’s the moment that the congregation stands in one accord, with reverence while the gospel is read.  We stand for attention, we stand because it is important, but we also stand so that this Word will call for us to make a change in our lives.   Like King Josiah, we should be ready to listen with eagerness to make a change in our lives and in the lives of people that depend on us.   Sanctification involves actively seeking ways to discover how God wants us to live.  This does not mean we are relying on our good works, but to work out the salvation given to us freely by the grace of God.  

As a church may we actively seek the word of the Lord, to be sanctified daily, for His Glory. Amen.

 

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help us to listen intently to your word, and then give us the courage to change the things that we do to live a life more pleasing to you. 

Thought of the day
Help us to praise You through the living words of your Gospel.

Shibu Mathew              
Epiphany MTC             

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