Dear church,

If we were to look around us today in search of something that is permanent – something that will last forever – what would we find? How many things could we locate that will never perish?

Everything around you is temporary. None of it will last – the house you live in, the money in your wallet, the mountains outside your window. Take a good look because it’s not permanent.

Except for one thing. Christians are permanent. We will not perish.

This makes our Sunday morning church services special. You are gathering with something – a bunch of someones – that will never fade.

When Moses built the tabernacle, God told him to be careful in its construction. It was a copy, a model, of heavenly realities. Moses needed to get it just right. The tabernacle would mark the time until God would do something new.

And then Jesus came. The tabernacle is gone. The temple is, too. What’s left?

Well, the church is what’s left. The church is the dwelling place of God. It marks a heavenly reality – a heavenly thing. … No, wait, the church IS a heavenly thing.

The church, this collection of people who have put their faith in Christ, is more “real” and permanent than the tabernacle and temple ever were.

Please understand what the writer of Hebrews is saying: Everything is better because of Christ.

Chris