Spoken word by the spiritual poet

It’s been over 20 years since I’ve written this thought and it still happens in the house of Bethel.

“In the House of Bethel“

I sit and observe every Sunday a peculiar people from a holy nation of royal priesthood, pilgrimage from diverse communities to consecrate themselves religiously in the sanctuary of God’s refuge. Numbered among them are the small and great, rich and poor, weak and strong, the foolish and those of cosmic wisdom. Into the Assembly of God they come saddled with sadness and downcast by despair straining to reach out from ebbing tides of insulation and isolation to clasp ahold of God’s console, comfort and concord. The glimmer of God galvanizes their souls to thresholds of new faith, believing in God’s own time their change will come and others long for the ambers of their salvation to flame with holy fear as when they first believed. They come with cowed souls but an unspeakable assurance surge within each crescendo of praise as they extol His name. Like a mighty sea, His love swells, sweeping over their souls ushering them into the perfection, peace and presence of God’s holiness.

It is in this place where they bow and cry holy for someone greater than John the Baptist is here, someone greater than Jonah is here and someone greater than Solomon is here. His presence is greater than the holy of holies, greater than the sanctuary, greater than the alter and greater than the Sabbath. So, with throbbing lounges burning and bursting with thunderous praise, they sing the wondrous love of Jesus as they crown him with cresting praise, crown him with exceeding exaltation, believing in God that in the name of Jesus, malevolent mountains must move, dead visions be raised and dry bones be restored by the Righteous One.

The mounting fragrance of praise fills the nostrils of Almighty God as He inhales the aroma of adoration and exaltation and in turn breaks out and breathes His Shekinah glory that saturates, satisfies and sanctifies their souls with an eternal savory solace. He declares that He inhabits the praises of His people and reminds them that they are children of genesis, children of exodus, children of psalms, children of the New Covenant and children of the resurrection. Then they shouted his name is Jesus, the balm of our land and the boon of our being! His name is Jesus, the crown of our cross and the soul of our salvation! His name is Jesus, the prologue of our dawn and epilogue of our eve! His name is Jesus, the Righteous Redeemer and Father of our faith, the Lord of our love and the Lord of our lives.

With panting souls and penitent hearts, they find rest and redress in His righteousness and infinite grace that is made power unto them in their weakness. With every measure of faith within them, they engage the healing balm that flows from He who dwells in the holy of holies into their worship, into their community and into their world and beyond. Now they sing unto their God a new song, a doxology of praise as He has done marvelous, miraculous and mighty things this day in the house of Bethel.