Clothesline 255 "Where do you worship?"

I often share a portion of my Sunday sermon in the Clothesline, but I’ve been led in a thoughtful direction today. So, here goes! Have you ever taken the time to think about the awesomeness of God…the one who created everything out of nothing and lays it all at our feet, asking only for our devotion and love? A creation that came to be with nothing but a word… “Let there be light” and everything began. And even after sin entered the world because of disobedience, mankind was assured that all would be made well again when Jesus allowed himself to be crucified so that we could have eternal life in heaven. And a day doesn’t go by when we don’t need the power of the Holy Spirit within us to lead a good Christian life. How awesome is our God!

So how can we experience all this grace and love in our lives? Is prayer a daily routine for you? Do you have a community of faith with whom you worship on Sunday? I know life can be busy, but I can’t think of any reason why one hour one day a week can’t be spent in the presence of God and His holy people in a place set apart as a holy earthly Temple.

Yes, I know, there are so many different forms and styles of worship, too many to count, and surely that’s because we are all different and respond to different ways of worship. But Sunday morning worship, however, should not depend solely on our earthly likes, dislikes or preferences.

So, how do we choose a place to worship? I’ll tell you what works for me. It’s fairly simple. We have a sanctuary, set aside solely for worship. Nothing else happens in that space…it’s that holy to me. And when I enter that space on Sunday morning, I’m often reminded of my journey up Mt. Sinai on the back of a camel, with sixty other seminarians and friends. There wasn’t a sound to be heard except the commands from the camel drivers. There was no light except from the multitude of stars over our heads. And when we reached our destination shortly before dawn, we arranged an altar out of stones while surveying the beauty of God’s creation all around us. And then…we worshipped Almighty God.

If you don’t have a Sunday morning destination that puts you in the presence of God, that sets your heart on fire with expectation, you need to find one! The music, the clergy, the type of bulletin, the stage directions, the numbers in attendance, the types of prayers…all those things are designed to take you into the presence of God. And if they don’t…you’re in the wrong place! Ask God to lead you where you need to be.

I’m not sure why God took me in this direction today, but there must be someone who will read this that needs to make a change. May you seek and find that special place set aside just for you where your God wants to meet you and make his home in your heart. He stands at the door and knocks… Are you ready to welcome Him in?