For
the past eight weeks I have missed Sunday morning service at our church because
of kids’ activities. We’re pretty regular attendees, and I knew it was only
temporary, so I didn’t think too much about it. Our church offers early Sunday morning
and Saturday night services, and I guess I could have prioritized one or more
of those times for worship, but I skipped those too. The kids went to service a
couple of times, and my husband and I made our regular Sunday school class more
than half of those Sundays, and I even taught teen Sunday school twice during
that period, but we missed church on the regular.
Church
worship service has become my Sunday morning refreshment, and during that brief
period I missed the message, the fellowship, the opportunities to feel the Holy
Spirit in the room. I missed little chances to serve and bigger opportunities
to be a part of our church’s community.
Sitting
in church and listening to God’s word in the message, through the voices of the
worship leaders, and in the mass prayers of the people – there’s nothing else
like it that fills my soul. It’s invigorating, comforting, reorienting. I
missed it, and I missed it.
God
is everywhere, and I don’t need a pew on Sunday to feel refreshed in him. I
need only a moment to regard and acknowledge God’s sovereignty in my life, and
pray thanks for his provision and his love. The Bible is always available,
ready to pour God’s wisdom into my heart and mind. But when you’re used to hearing God’s word
spoken on a Sunday morning with a crowd of fellow congregants and you take some
time off, you really notice that absence.
I
have the same experience when I forget about God, when life gets really busy
and I fail to rest in him, to pray to him, to meditate on his gifts, to rejoice
in his love. I can sit in church every Sunday for a year and if my heart isn’t
in it, the effect is the same as when I miss a month or two of Sundays.
The
only thing blocking God’s word is me. Setting aside time isn’t difficult, but
it is a choice. Just like we chose to take a break from regular church to do
something else, listening to what God has to say in each of our lives – and obeying his commands – these things are
choices. Constant and conscientious ones that we miss if we forget about God.
During
those eight weeks that we missed church, God still had things to say to me. He
revealed some things, held me up during times of weakness, listened to my
prayers, celebrated with me, and withstood my complaints. I wasn’t sitting in a
church, but he was there.
God
is always there. I am thankful for his presence, his provision, for who he is.
I am grateful that he shows himself everywhere, even to those who take a break
from seeing him in the most obvious places.
*******
I find church refreshing too. It's not that I have to go but it encourages me for the week and often spurns thoughts for my blog. Is that your church? It's beautiful! Ours has orange carpet that they can't afford to replace but it sure is cozy!!!!
ReplyDeleteNo, no, this isn't our church. Just a random (probably important historical) one. We have basketball court lines on the carpet in ours. :)
DeleteI can totally relate with this. I am missing my church right now because I am helping my daughter with her newborn while she finishes school. My son-in-law is in the Navy and they haven't found a church yet. I miss the worship, fellowship and more.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely feels like we're drifting a little, so I look forward to getting back into the swing of things. I keep telling myself this is only temporary.
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