May 25, 2020
“Takes More than Being There!”
“God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and the truth.” John 4:24.
The last two Sundays have been an exciting time here at Reedy River.
We have finally gotten together after 2 months of no one coming to the service. We are starting slow. Several of our members are still choosing to stay at home and that is okay. For those of us here we have seen and felt what it is like to get back together. We have missed one another. We have missed the very sense of being in God’s house together.
When we gathered the first time on May 17th it was a great reunion. The Spirit was here and everyone felt the relief of being back together. There were tears and I guess there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Many told me that morning that it was such a relief to just come and participate in the singing of the songs and seeing their fellow church members.
Yet worship is so much more than just being in the sanctuary. Worship doesn’t take place in the sanctuary it takes place in a person’s heart. Many of you have let me know how you have been touched right in y our own home with the services being live streamed into your living room. Many of you have told me how you have sang along with Peggy as she directed the songs while only a hand few of us were here.
You see worship doesn’t happen at a place it happens in your heart. Jesus spoke to the Woman at the Well about worship. She tried to argue about the place of worship and which group had it right. Jesus finally corrects the woman by telling her, “God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and the truth.” John 4:24.
Yes it is good to be back together. Yes, I can’t wait until we are all gathered together and we can shake hands and hug necks. Yes, I will be glad when all of us can feel safe and secure (well as much as we can.) But let’s not forget that worship can happen and should happen every day. We should seek to worship God in Spirit and truth even when we are not in the sanctuary. Even when we are not gathered together. Let’s practice worship so that when we come together we will see God’s Spirit come alive in each of us so it will come alive in our midst as a community.
Dear Jesus, help us to worship you in Spirit and in truth every day. Help us to bring that worship to your house and share it with each other. Help us to see the very essence of you every time we enter the building. Help us not to come and find worship, but to bring it to the house of the Lord. In your name we pray, Amen.