I remember my first day pulling into the church building. It was a very cold Monday in late January of 2016, and a record-breaking blizzard had just come through the area. Snow blanketed the grass, the air was extremely cold – a nice welcome for a Floridian who left behind 70-degree, sunny weather for a winter tundra.
Despite the cold, hard forces of winter, the warmth and encouragement of the people of West Shore Free Church was more than enough to confirm the goodness of God in bringing our family here all those years ago. What followed was season after season of relationships forged in ministry, my family increasing, and my love for the church growing in a multitude of ways.
As I close this chapter of ministry—where I’ve had the privilege to lead this church in declaring “the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light”—my mind goes to Galatians 6:9-10:
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
One beautiful way we ‘do good’ to those in the household of faith is by faithfully gathering to sing of the grace and glory of God. In this way, we edify one another with the precious, eternal truths of the Gospel. Addressing one another in song is a unique expression of serving, loving, encouraging and “doing good” towards your brothers and sisters in Christ. I have witnessed this firsthand: hearing, seeing, and tasting the joy and hope that can swell in the room on a Sunday morning.
When we are unified in voice, declaring the grace of God that has saved us from our sin, everything on the periphery fades. The unity in the Gospel that we share in worship is greater than our backgrounds, the amounts in our bank accounts, our physical attributes, weaknesses, social status, sins of the past or present – the list goes on. They are all outshined by the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ to save! To “do good” to others in corporate worship is to lend your voice in declaring the truth of who Jesus is, what He’s done through the cross, and what He will continue to do through every age. Every man, woman, and child on Sunday morning needs to hear the song of the redeemed being sung around them, not only as an offering to the Lord but as an active recollection of His wondrous deeds to His people.
Psalm 107 agrees with this as the psalmist instructs, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.”
The redeemed come from all over with diverse stories. Though they come from various nations, the Lord has gathered them with differing backgrounds, struggles, and stories of redemption. We see this as the psalmist tells of where the redeemed came from. Some “sat in darkness,” “prisoners in irons,” “fools through their sinful ways,” to name a few. In the end, the theme remains the same. All had a need for a Savior, salvation from their sins, and God mercifully provided the perfect way through the perfect Lamb. What is there to do but praise and sing of all He’s done? So indeed, let the redeemed of the Lord shout of the incredible love, grace, and mercy He has endlessly poured out!
Galatians 6 offers us a promise – when we do good, there will be a harvest, a rich reaping of what God has for us. When we focus on His love, have hearts set on Him, and behold His glory as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3, we are transformed into the image of the King. There is no better reward than becoming more like our Savior and I can gratefully and emphatically say I have seen this transformation in His church in my ten years at West Shore. Through the songs of joy, thanksgiving, declaration, lament, petition, and many others, the Lord has shaped and molded His church into His image. The good news is He who started this work will undoubtedly bring it to completion.
So church… lift your voice, lift your eyes, and continue to do good by declaring the song of the redeemed—because Jesus has made you a people of His own possession. May the Lord continue to form you into His image as you, “declare the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.”
Sincerely,
Pastor George Romanacce
