Today is a special day for our church. The German tradition of "Richtfest", or the completing of the roof of a building, is an opportunity for us to take a moment as a church and thank God for his faithfulness through this building process. As a church, we are more concerned with our foundation than with the roof, but we can compare the foundation of the church to the historic work of God through Christ to bring us into existence, and the roof to the Lordship of Christ that protects and secures our salvation. In today's world there is a growing concept of the Christian life that focuses on the individual believer to the neglect of the local church. People accept Christ as their Savior, but reject the church as their community. Many will say "Yes" to the Word of God and to the Spirit of God, but will think of the church as unnecessary. Yet how different are the Bible's emphases! The Bible sees the local church as God's work, and not as some non-essential man-made institution. God brings the Church Universal into existence, and he also creates and sustains the local church. Christ said to Peter, "Upon this rock I will build my church!" - and the Lord is building our church today. This morning we will take a special Sunday to look more carefully at this profound truth of God building the local church. - Pastor David Packer
