How would you respond if you could have a personal meeting with the President of the United States this Saturday at 9:00 a.m.?
You would probably be excited and nervous at the same time. You might go out and buy a new outfit for the occasion. You might make a list of questions you want to ask him. You might get a haircut or have your hair done for the event. You might have a hard time sleeping the previous night. You will definitely set your alarm so you can get up early and make sure you are there on time. You would definitely not want to miss such an important occasion. It would be silly to squander such a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Having a meeting with the president will obviously be a very special occasion, no doubt. But have you ever thought about the fact that you have the opportunity to meet with the President of the Universe, the Creator of everything, the Almighty God every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.? There is no one more important than him. And yet we often treat this meeting as something that is of no importance at all.
The question I have been thinking about this week is, “How do we come to church.” We have this incredible opportunity to meet with our Creator during worship on Sunday, but how do we approach it? Do we come with excitement and expectation? Anticipating to meet with our Savior? Longing to experience his love? Or do we come with reluctance in our hearts and with no expectation whatsoever. Do we come with prepared hearts to meet our loving God, or do we just rush in out of habit at the last moment.
Every Sunday at 10:30 a.m., or probably a few minutes after that at Faith Church, a special meeting between us and God proceeds. A meeting that begs for your interaction. It is reciprocal in nature. It is a meaningful conversation between God and us. We enter into God’s presence, we listen to his Word, and we respond to his Word. His Spirit is present and he longs for us to interact with him. He greets us at the beginning and we respond to the call to worship. We give him praise and tell him we love him in song. We acknowledge that we need his grace and forgiveness and so we confess our sins. He responds by forgiving us and reassuring us of his love for us. He speaks to us through his Word, through the children’s message and sermon for the adults. We respond to the message in prayers. We thank him for his provision and care and give back to him from what he has blessed us with. We bring our needs to him in prayer and we praise him before we leave with his blessing.
I know there a lots that go on and plenty that could go wrong on Sunday mornings before you arrive at Faith Church. Trying to get your kids out of bed. I certainly know what that’s like. Having an argument on the way to church. Been there and done that. Feeling tired and overwhelmed. Yes, we all have those weeks and days. Forgetting something and having to turn around. It happened to me this last Sunday. Rushing to make it on time. Yes, of course.
I want to encourage to realize what an amazing opportunity it is to meet with our Heavenly Father on Sunday mornings at Faith Church. That you would therefore come with expectation and excitement in your heart to meet with him. That you would leave enough time to be on time so that you don’t rush into his presence or miss any aspect of it because of tardiness. That you would look forward to the conversation that is about to take place between God and you.