Volunteer Spotlight – Security Team

Volunteer Spotlight – Security Team
“And I said to them, ‘Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” Nehemiah 7:3

 The book of Nehemiah is about the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was God’s holy city in the Old Testament – the place where God lived among his people. But by Nehemiah’s time, the walls of the holy city had been destroyed. A city with no walls in the ancient world was a problem. Anyone with bad intentions could waltz in at any time of day or night and wreak havoc. Nehemiah understood this – and repaired the walls of Jerusalem with the help of God’s people.

It seems strange – in some sense – that the place where God dwells should be surrounded by walls designed to keep people out. Isn’t God a welcoming God? Doesn’t God invite people to draw near to him? He absolutely does. Which is why the walls in Nehemiah had gates. The guards at the gates let people with good intentions in, and they kept people with bad intentions out. Far from harming the ministry in Jerusalem, the walls and the guards made the ministry prosper. As soon as the walls are finished and the guards are posted, Nehemiah 8:8,12 says this, “[The priests] read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.”

At Christ Presbyterian, we have a team of volunteers who serve in the same capacity as the guards did in Nehemiah. We call them our Security Team. Every time the church doors are open, they serve as the gatekeepers who allow folks with good intentions in to God’s house – and keep those with bad intentions out. They allow the ministry of God’s Word to thrive at the top of this hill.

Next time you see a Security Team member in the parking lot or at the door of the church, would you thank them for the hard work they do to keep us safe? Would you pray for their safety as they perform this important role?

Your Pastor and Friend,
John Knox Foster