Rhythms of Worship
by Lt. Colonel Margaret Davis
Summer is here! Children and youth are out of school and engrossed in summertime activities including summer camps and music conservatories, and families are enjoying vacations, cookouts, family reunions, and lots of fun in the sun. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, these activities constitute the rhythms of summer. For Salvationists of the USA Eastern Territory, those rhythms also include our own High Holy Days — Ordination and Commissioning services and the Old Orchard Beach Camp Meetings.
Commissioning happens in early June, and it is a wonderful time of celebration and consecration. Salvationists from all over the territory gather to cheer on the cadets, celebrate their academic achievements, and witness the sacred moments of their ordination and commissioning.
Just a few weeks ago this weekend began with an amazing sacrifice of praise offered up by worship leader Israel Houghton on Friday evening. We felt the powerful presence of the Lord as He ministered to our hearts through music. On Saturday the praise continued through the children and youth of the territory as they participated in Star Search. How we thank God for the gifts He has given to our young people. The ministry of the New York Staff Band, the Eastern Territorial Staff Songsters, Unbound, and MOVE also brought great honor and glory to the King of Kings.
And on Sunday morning our hearts were stirred as we observed the commissioning and ordination of the Champions of the Mission. Many in the congregation renewed their commitment to Christ and to serving Him according to His revealed will. Sacred days — high and holy days for the USA Eastern Territory.
In just a few weeks Salvationists from all over the territory will gather again, this time in Old Orchard Beach (OOB), Maine, for the annual camp meetings. This year marks the 140th year that we will come together for these meetings in this historic location. OOB provides Salvationists the opportunity to feast on the Word of God through rich Bible teaching and study. It is an opportunity to come away from the busyness of the world — for our souls to find rest in God, and for the body of Christ to be built up through the study of His Word and sweet fellowship in the relaxed coastal setting of southern Maine.
This year at OOB, we will welcome Commissioners Willis and Barbara Howell from the USA Southern Territory as our special guest preachers and Bible study leaders. Additionally, we will welcome musical guest Charlie Green, a gifted vocal soloist from the United Kingdom, and our own excellent territorial music and arts teams.
God has met His people time and time again during these meetings, with Salvationists leaving with renewed strength, deepened spiritual understanding, and growth in holiness. We look forward to these sacred days — high and holy days for the USA Eastern Territory.
As Salvationists in the USA Eastern Territory, the rhythms of summer include rhythms of worship, and these latter rhythms find their roots in the ancient traditions of the children of Israel. Three times a year the Jews made pilgrimages to Jerusalem to celebrate important feasts of the Lord. People from all over Israel and beyond would travel for days to reach Jerusalem with family members and friends to worship and give thanks to God, immerse themselves in His Word, and make important sacrifices in His holy temple.
Psalm 122 describes their joy and anticipation as they traveled up to Jerusalem:
I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Our feet are standing
in your gates, Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.
That is where the tribes go up—
the tribes of the Lord—
to praise the name of the Lord
according to the statute given to Israel.
As we participate each year in our own sacred rhythms of worship may we, like the Israelites, be filled with joy as we anticipate the great blessings God has in store for us. I look forward to seeing many of you in Old Orchard Beach this year.
