Last night, in a special All-Church-Strategy Meeting, 792 of Bethlehem’s members gathered at 7 PM and voted 784 to 8 to confirm God’s call on Jason Meyer to take hold of the baton that I have carried for the last 32 years. I wrote a letter to be read at that meeting giving my sense of God’s leading to this point. Then I wrote a response that we sent to all our people this morning.

Below is what I wrote in my journal when I couldn’t sleep for joy.

Journal Entry (6:30 AM, May 21, 2012):

I am up early this morning. Unable and uneager to sleep. My heart is seeking ways to praise the Lord, thank the Lord, be devoted to the Lord.

What shall I render to the Lord? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fix my eyes on the gospel of the glory of Christ.

• The glory of Christ’s Calvary love.
• The glory of Christ’s obedience.
• The glory of Christ’s patience.
• The glory of Christ’s purity and utter guilelessness.
• The glory of Christ’s kindness.
• The glory of his wisdom over his church.
• The glory of his jealousy for his bride.
• The glory of his friendliness.
• The glory of his power to disarm the rulers and authorities, to conquer death (“If I lay it down, I will take it up again”).
• The glory of his lowliness.
• The glory of his prayers for his enemies.
• The glory of his authority over all things (“Peter, when you have turned strengthen your brothers”).
• The glory of his voice, used (“If I sinned bear witness”) and not used ("like a lamb going silent to the slaughter").
• The glory of his compassion ("son, behold your mother").
• The glory of his overflowing allegiance to God’s word (“that the Scripture may be fulfilled”).
• The glory of his passion for the glory of his Father (“Father, glorify your name”).

All this and more lay beneath last night’s vote. Overflowing from the gospel of the glory of Christ, Jesus has loved his church. Loved her. Loved her.