Atom“Faith Comes by Worship”
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your name, because of your love and faithfulness…when I called, you answered me; you increased my strength within me.” Psalm 138:1-4
My Dad and my two brothers came to Detroit Lakes for the football game last Friday night. Even though it was wet and cool, it was a great night of just being together and I found myself thinking that it had been a long time since the four of us sat together and occupied the same bench. We’d sat around tables and in boats and walked for pheasants together, but hadn’t sat in a row on a bench for a long time…or a pew. Suddenly I had a church flashback. It shouldn’t have happened because football games are not the same as church. (I know, I know…for some they are the same.) Anyway, as I was sitting there next to my brother and my Dad I suddenly was taken back to all those Sunday mornings of my youth and sitting in the pew in church in just such an arrangement: me…then my Dad…then my brother, Brett…then my Mom (missing now, or course)…then my brother, Shawn – three boys strategically separated so as not to distract each other or anyone else!
That little flashback reminded me of another reason that I am a Lutheran follower of Jesus Christ. It is because my family believed that worship was something we did together. To be sure, we weren’t in worship every week. We had a family business (a resort) that meant we had seven day responsibilities and someone always had to stay home during the summer months and busy weekends. We went out of town to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Sometimes we got snowed in. But for the most part, week after week, even if Mom and Dad had to take turns bringing us, we worshipped and that worship drew us to our God.
Sitting in our pew on the left side of the congregation, we prayed and we sang and listened to God’s Word with other Christians. I don’t remember many of the sermons I heard, but through it all I learned about my Creator who gifts me with life and my Savior who gave himself on the cross to forgive my sin and raise me to eternity. I joined with the others in praying for the Spirit to give strength and courage and peace.
So…worship…it has a way of making us followers of Jesus. It gathers and shapes us as the people of God. To be sure, there are other ways to come to faith or to practice faith, but those Sunday mornings sitting between the end of the aisle and my Dad had a profoundly impacted my own sense of God and self and purpose and reason for living. It is why my heart is warmed whenever I see the families of First Lutheran gathering for worship in a similar way…sitting in “their pew”…Dad and oldest child and Mom and second child and Grandma and youngest child and Uncle… It’s what makes us who we are!
See you in worship!
Pastor Wade
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.Page 1 of 1 comment pages