Moderator’s Challenge
The Biblical Priorities of Worship and Fellowship on the Lord’s Day
REV. ROB PATRICK Moderator
I
n only a matter of weeks, I will complete my term as Moderator of Synod and pass the gavel to Moderator-Elect Alan Broyles. Among my favorite ex- periences of this year of service has been traveling with a delega- tion from our Synod to attend the February Synod meeting of the Iglesia Presbiteriana
Asociada
Reformada, or IPAR, which is the name of the ARP Synod in Mexico. A detailed account of our time in Mexico, written by Interchurch Relations Committee Chairman Benjamin Glaser, is included in this edition of the ARP Magazine. What I write here will comple- ment his report, but only will focus on the blessing of our last full day in Mexico, which was the Lord’s Day. It was a day marked by wor- ship, prayer, fellowship, and feast- ing. In short, it was representative of the priorities of the church pre- sented in Acts 2:42, “And they de- voted themselves to the apostles’ teach- ing and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
After spending most of the week in the city of Valles, where the Synod meeting was held, we
made the long drive back to Tampico on Sunday for morning worship. We arrived early for the service, and as soon as I walked in the door of Iglesia Santisima Trinidad, I received a warm hug from a member as she welcomed me to church. Everyone seemed glad that we had come and the pastor, Rev. José Othoniel Juárez Báez, not only welcomed us, but led the congregation in prayer for us at the conclusion of the service. After worship we visited the ARP seminary, where we had tamales for lunch with seminary board members and their families. The food was wonderful, especially the dessert of tres leches, and we spent hours in conversation and fellowship, and prayed for each other. That evening, we worshipped with the Iglesia Gracia Soberana, which is a very young and vibrant congregation. Many members of that church spoke English, and some of the youth were particularly eager to “practice” speaking with us in English as we continued to enjoy fellowship with them after the service. A family from that congregation invited us to their home after evening worship for a traditional Mexican meal and conversation that lasted for hours. The delight of being together in a home and shar- ing a meal with brothers and sisters in Christ was tremendous. If that sounds like a very full Lord’s Day, it was! Everything about the day was a blessing, and that is primarily due to the fact that we were engaged all day long in the very things God’s word calls us to priori- tize on the Lord’s Day. We worshipped with God’s people morning and evening. We enjoyed extended fellowship and prayer after worship. We the early church, again, found in Acts 2: “
...day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Are these the things in which you delight week by week on the Lord’s
Day? Are you eager to gather with others for worship, morning and eve- ning? Are you bold and loving enough to pray with and for others? Is hospitality on the Lord’s Day among your priorities? These are things - joyed on our last full day in Mexico. In the face of everything else with the things that are most important to you? Throughout this year we have considered the theme of “The Priority of Worship.” A proper regard for the Lord’s Day is necessary for the right prioritization of public worship. By my observation, it seems that it
The Priority of Worship 4 The Associate Reformed Presbyterian
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