See bulletin God wants His Holy Word to be dispensed to people by the public preaching of it. At the same time, He wants hearts to receive His word by faith. In fact His Word preached to sinners, converts sinners, giving them true faith in God. And therefore we go so far as to conclude that the Christian Church is to be found on earth where the Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments are rightly administered. Yes, the Word of God must always be preached, and hearts must be attuned to this Word, gladly hearing it, willingly obeying it. Our Savior has a reason for this. In Matthew 7:24-25 Jesus says, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. It is clear from Holy Scripture that God wants His believers to go to God’s own house for public worship…there to hear God’s Word preached, and there to worship God with other believers to the mutual strengthening of all who participate. Our sinful flesh makes it easy not to come to the Lord's house. But the Lord said in 2 Chronicles 30:8, “Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to the LORD. Come to the sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God." One Christian theologian, C.F.W. Walther said it like this, “But alas! also many members of a Lutheran congregation do not prize their membership properly; they regret that so great a sacrifice of time and money is required. Theirs is the privilege to attend worship and to partake of the Lord’s Supper, but they rarely make use of it. Theirs is the privilege to take part in the meetings of the congregation, to join in the discussions and to cast their vote, but hardly ever do they make use of it. They look upon their membership as a burden rather than as an honor. Such people betray their spiritual blindness.” It is Jesus Christ alone who forgives, nourishes, strengthens, and reminds us of what the power of His Word does for our souls. Through that Word, we rejoice in His promises to His people. Through that Word we give thanks and rejoice in the privilege we have to honor Him as our Lord and Savior in seeing through the eyes of faith what great things He does for us! I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the LORD." Psalm 122:1 -Exerpts taken from a paper entitled “A Potpourri for Church Elders” October 25, 1974, by Arthur J. Clement