Psalm 24
This coming week marks an historic event in the life of this church. Let me take you back to March 5th, 1821, when a hardy little band of Presbyterians gathered in what was then the Baptist Meeting House for worship and to pray for God’s guidance.
Only months earlier, the Rev. Asbel Green, President of Princeton College, was invited to speak at the Episcopal Church – the Presbyterians had been permitted to share the building. Rev. Green, it seems, was so popular that nearly 100 people came to hear him, raising concerns with the Rector Cadle who then locked the doors of the church, expressing concern that the Presbyterians would convert his parishioners to Calvinism.
This led the Presbyterians to open the doors for worship in a new church on July 14th, 1821. The Rev. George Janvier preached on II Chronicles 5: 13, 14: It was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.
However, First Presbyterian Church of Salem was officially organized by the presbytery on Nov. 13th with 12 members in a new holy place called, affectionately, the Little Red Church Down the Lane, the road that ran beside the manse to what is now the back of our cemetery. I cannot help but wonder at the sight of Presbyterians proudly processing up Church Lane on a Sunday morning in plain view of the Episcopalians.
The worshipers in our scripture ascended the hill of the Lord to the sound of psalms and responses. You can hear them in the Call to Worship. Preceding that, they were asked: Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? The answer: Those with clean hands and pure hearts.
Sheila once worked in poor neighborhoods where the children often ran around unattended and dirty. They were so filthy that she would take them down to a local church to wash them and teach Bible stories. She describes their mission as cleaning hands and purifying hearts. On one occasion she was encouraged to see that the face of one child was actually clean. “Billy,” she said, “Your face is clean, but how did you get your hands so dirty?” “Washin’ my face,” said Billy.
Louisa May Alcott wrote in Little Women: I wish we could wash from our hearts and our souls the stains of the week away. During the time of this psalm, worshippers washed themselves to symbolize a cleansing of hearts and souls.
Jesus, in the spirit of this psalm, ascended a mountain and said the pure of heart shall see God. A pure heart is discerning and sincere, free of guilt or guile – which would require a good cleaning! Worship is our weekly spiritual washing. We come, making ourselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. We confess our sins and receive pardon through the righteousness and salvation of Jesus Christ. We come just as we are, and Christ washes away the conflict, fear and doubt; he frees our hearts from pretense and pride, self-indulgence and self-righteousness, to stand in God’s holy place in service to Christ.
I think of Charlotte Elliott. She lived a carefree life as a young person, popular as an artist and writer. But by the time she was 30, her health declined and she became an invalid, falling into a deep despondency. Then someone came to see her who counselled her in the truth of Christ. These words stayed with her: You must come just as you are to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. She answered the call. Though she couldn’t physically stand, by faith, her soul ascended the spiritual hill of the Lord where she stood before the God of salvation, just as she was, to receive a blessing of happiness and holiness in the Lord’s service. 14 years later, as a fundraiser for a school for poor children, she wrote Just As I Am – a testimony to the Lord who welcomes us and washes the soul clean of every dark spot. By the way, this hymn brought in more funds than every other effort combined.
We have learned from our history that where one door is shut, another opens. After being locked out, Colonel Johnson met with his friends, Drs. Robert and James Van Meter, and said: Doctors, if you will help me, I will build a Presbyterian Church in Salem.
Our doors have been open for 200 years, generations answering the call: Who shall stand in God’s holy place? They answered with their baptism vows when joining the Church, saying: We renounce all evil and power in the world which defy God’s righteousness and love. We turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as Lord and Savior, obeying His word and showing his love.
To come just as we are, believing Christ’s promise to wash away our sins, is to open the door of our heart to receive God’s blessing. To worship and serve Christ keeps the church doors open for those who seek God. And every week let us open these doors believing that the King of glory will come in and build His church in us as we stand together and help each other, to God’s glory.