Riverwood Presbyterian Church

General Theology

Status

by Jimmy Hopper

This morning at 7 AM I was on the RiverWalk with two excited Shelties, walking northeast toward the morning directly beside the Warrior River. It was partly sunny, cool, and absolutely glorious; with the river running strongly to the southwest, the wind rippling it, and the trees in Fall colors. As is usually the case on Monday, I was considering the previous Sunday worship as I walked, since the walk has become an occasional prayer and devotion time. Because of the beautiful installation service on Sunday evening, there was a lot to consider.

Tim had preached in Philippians 3; “Expatriates in the Land of the Belly God,” and had spoken of Christians being set apart and living for different goals than those who lived for a materialistic filling of appetites. Dr. Kay preached from Mark 16 on Christ’s ascension, and on how our future, as God’s children, was being prepared for us even now by the Savior. Then Kevin Ball, in a remarkble few minutes, gave Tim and the Congregation their respective charge from Malachi 3. He spoke of the proud and arrogant, who spoke out against God and said that they had nothing to gain by worshipping Him and how they seemed to proper. He then spoke of the believers of his day who feared the Lord and who joined together to worship and honor Him. A “scroll of Rememberance” was made by them in the presence of the Lord. Of these, God said that He would make them His “treasured possession” in the day of judgment and that men would again see the difference “between those who serve God and those who don’t.” His charge was that when our church wasn’t perfect, Tim was to remember that we were God’s treasured possession; and that when Tim wasn’t perfect, the Church was to remember that he and his family were God’s treasured possession. Kevin’s charge and Tim’s sermon were on much the same theme and I contemplated this on my walk.

About that time, the wind rose and the tops of the trees began to move and we were suddenly standing in a rain of golden leaves as the wind loosened them and swirled them around us. The dogs stood looking, almost rapt, it seemed, at the beauty of the leaves falling around us with the sun shining through them in the woods by the river. I was certainly enraptured with this coming on thoughts of our worship.

It lasted several minutes, and when the wind died down again, I considered my estate, my status in the great scheme of things. God has given to me knowledge of Him; both in worship and in the river and the wind. He has given me a wife that I love, my very own “treasured possession.” He has given me children, godly friends, and a “family” in Him at Riverwood, a place that holds Him and His Gospel sacred and holy. But most of all, I know that I am His very own “treasured possession,” that the God of all things and all creation knows me and cherishes me; which is surely the most incredible fact in all of history. It is a high status indeed. Standing there, in that moment, I fully understood the peace Paul spoke of ” that transcends all understanding.”