“House of the Lord”
This week we will open our 10:00 service with a contemporary song House of the Lord written by Phil Wickham. He wrote the upbeat song in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Confined at home and unable to gather in church buildings with other believers, Wickham sat down at his piano feeling isolated. He realized that the "house of the Lord" is not merely a physical structure made by human hands, but the presence of God living inside believers.
The song continues in a victorious bridge that champions the listener’s glorious new identity in the presence of God. Beggars are transformed into royals. Prisoners are transformed into those we are free. It is the forgiveness, acceptance, and redemption of God’s grace that is the catalyst for this triumphant exchange, and the reason for all the joyous celebration that can be found in the House of the Lord.
You may ask yourself just what is the House of the Lord? The first mention of the "house of God" in the Bible is in Genesis 28 when Jacob dreams of a ladder to heaven and wakes up to declare a stone pillar at Bethel as the gate of heaven. Throughout the Hebrew Bible, God commands the Israelites to build a portable tent (the Tabernacle) and later Solomon’s permanent Temple in Jerusalem so that His presence could dwell among the people. In the New Testament, the concept shifts from a physical building to believers themselves forming a spiritual house built on Jesus Christ as the cornerstone.
As we sing this song about joy in the house of the Lord, lift your voice and celebrate who we are in Christ. Sing out Christian!
Shared by Lindrew Johnson, Director of Worship
