Snow Day!

Yesterday's snow day was a welcome blessing. Susan, Neeley, and I had a chance to go outside and sled down our "hill" in our backyard. Afterward, Susan spent some time getting caught up on school work and I had a chance to do some studying that I'd been putting off and spent the rest of the time playing with Neeley. It was one of those random, unscheduled "free days" that the Lord occasionally drops your way to remind you that your scheduled life isn't as important and necessary as you might be tempted to think it is.

While a snow day is unscheduled, our Sunday morning time at church is something we can actually look forward to. One writer on the subject worship has called Sunday morning worship a "holy waste of time." She's using the phrase tongue-in-cheek of course. But the idea is that from the world's perspective there are a lot better things one might be doing than singing, praying, fellowshiping, learning, and encountering God.

From my perspective, there is nothing I'd rather be doing on Sunday morning (or Monday morning, Tuesday morning, Wednesday morning...) than standing in the presence of the Lord. It's in His presence that anything and everything else I might set my mind to do receives its meaning and purpose. Without that time with God, nothing (for me, at least) can really have much direction or place. It's behind God's leading that our lives receive any hint of significance.

If that's true - and it certainly is for me - I want to be intentional about the way I approach my day of Sabbath rest. There's preparation I can make spiritually. There's prayer I can offer so that my heart is ready to receive God's gifts as I worship Him. I can begin working on my "worship-attitude" early in the week so that on Sunday I'm ready, I'm expectant, I'm hopeful. If being in the presence of God means anything to me at all, then what would my week look like if it were completely oriented - all week long - to that time that I would be able to stand with hands lifted high in the presence of God and with God's people? If you aren't receiving anything in worship is it because God isn't pouring out or is it because a place at the table of your heart hasn't been prepared for Him?

Something to ponder. Something to pray about.

Blessings!

Pastor Jay