Observations from a Sunday away

I'll never forget the weekend Jesus changed my heart and gave me a love for being with God's people on Sundays.  I had already been challenged by a Sunday school teacher for my inconsistent participation on Sundays but that wasn't what did it.  On this one particular weekend I was supposed to meet my friend Jeff Denlinger at the college cafeteria; but as a Resident Advisor in the dorm, I'd been up until the wee hours of the morning.  So when I finally crawled in the bed I decided I wasn't going--- Jeff would understand when I wasn't there.  But Jeff didn't understand and before I knew it, I was awakened to a knock on my door.  There stood my friend questioning me as to why I wasn't at the cafeteria.  I told him I wasn't going, talked about how late I'd been up, and watched him leave a bit dejected.  As I laid in bed, wide awake, God did a work in my heart; before I knew it I was up getting ready and soon on my way.  I never looked back.  That day God filled my heart with love for God's people and a desire to encourage my brothers and sisters with my presence.  And I can say I never again missed gathering with God's people on a Lord's Day for an inconsequential reason.

As a pastor I don't get too many Sundays to visit with other church families but whenever I'm away for vacation, or any other reason, being a part of a new church family is a great privilege and quite often a great joy.   Earlier this year, while on vacation at the Outerbanks, I was able to worship with two different churches--- at 9:30 a.m. a small Methodist church right next to the home where we were staying and at 11:00 a.m. a small church that appeared to be a part of the Assembly of God fellowship.  I'd like to share with you a few observations I made from these two worship gatherings and a "take-away" from each observation.

First I noticed how different were the two worship expressions.   One was traditional, including three hymns sung from a hymn book and accompanied by a lone pianist.  There were liturgical readings and singing the doxology after the offering was collected.  The other was very contemporary and we sang to digital music projected on a screen with the lights dimmed.  The songs were so new that I was unfamiliar with two of them.  One church had a traditional building, traditional stage and traditional pews.  The other one was very different with a stage decorated with nautical paraphernalia.  But the truth is, worship isn't dependent on the music, the lighting or the building but on our hearts and I observed brothers and sisters worshipping in both places, as diverse as they were.   My "take-away" was this:  King Jesus is worshipped with great diversity as His people gather on Sundays and that's ok.  Having worshipped with believers in Congo and Mozambique I already knew this but I observed it again on the Outer Banks.  And an equally important truth is that however a church chooses to express their worship, I can join in with them and worship Jesus my Savior.

Second, I observed how different both pastors were yet they shared a few things in common.  One dressed in a suit while the other in jeans and a casual shirt.  One preached for twelve minutes and the other about forty.  One preached simply talking to us while the second pastor used every voice intonation and every tempo available, even crying at one point.  I doubt they could have been much more different yet they were also similar.  It was obvious to me that both men loved Jesus.  Their passion and heart for Him was clear.  They both believed in the authority of the Bible and wanted their preaching to impact their listeners.   As I watched them, I was convinced that both men truly loved the people.  My "take-away" was this: God can use a pastor no matter what he looks like if he loves God's people, loves God's Word, and loves the Lord Jesus.  I want to be such a pastor.

Third, I observed that neither church family seemed all that interested in me as a person.  No one greeted me outside the allotted "greeting time" and even then it was only with a handshake.  It was funny because with the Methodist church they loved the greeting time and were very intent on greeting each other but I sort of just stood there.   My "take-away" was this: How hard it is for us to make guest feel welcome.  We must be intentional.   Obviously we can't control what anyone else does, just ourselves, so this truly applies to each of us individually.  Paul spoke often of hospitality; we need to apply that to our church family gatherings on Sunday mornings.

Finally, I observed that at neither of the churches I visited on Sunday was the gospel clearly presented.  They spoke of loving Jesus and giving Him our all, obviously two very important truths, but the gospel is not what we can do for Christ, but what He has done for us in the cross.  We should definitely call one another to greater consecration but only upon the foundation of the grace of God in Christ.  The gospel is not that I try harder to live for God but that I recognize my sin and my inability to obtain God's forgiveness by my own effort and merit, and instead trust in the life and death of Jesus for the forgiveness of my sin.  The good news is that when I cannot be holy by my efforts, I can be holy by receiving Jesus' holiness as a gift from God-- freely given to all who will believe.    My "take-away" was this: There is so much we as followers of Jesus need to know and learn, but it clearly needs to be built on the bedrock of the gospel.

Has God given you a love for the local church?  Many of you who might read this will be members of the Castle family.  Has God given you a love for our church family?  Are you committed to being a part, to give of yourself, to be an encouragement to others?  Over the years God has grown my love for God's people and for the weekly gathering of believers.  I'm devoted to it.  It began one Sunday morning with a decision to be a part.  If you haven't made such a decision, such a commitment, will you choose this day to love God's church and give of yourself?  I hope so.  No telling what you may observe