Reflections on Worship, April 13

I received more than one comment yesterday about how nice the entire service was. That was my experience as well; worship seemed quite comforting for such a cool, gray day. There was a quietness of spirit, and there seemed to be a number of concerns that were weighing heavily on hearts and minds.

The sermon was okay, though I felt like I was wondering a bit during it. As often happens, sometimes good ideas come after I preach -- I do wish that I had incorporated "We don't need a chaperon to talk to God" into the sermon, but it only came to me later in the service. It seems like another way to really demonstrate the dramatic change in human/God relations that is demonstrated by the story of The Great Commission in Matthew.

Now every Christian, every faithful believer, is a VIP, welcome in God's presence. We don't need to earn that status -- we can't do anything to earn it. And it is important to recognize that, as Christians joining together in community, we are each called to be a leader and a follower in the name of Christ. Some of us will hold various offices at various times; others of us are called to support those in office. Sometimes we will teach; sometimes we will learn from others.

This is a very important lesson. Sometimes we each need to be reminded that we don't have all the answers and we need to listen to other people. Sometimes we each need to be reminded that, even though we don't have the experience/education/etc. someone else may have, sometimes our ideas are better for a specific situation.