Skip to main content

WORSHIP STARTS A FIRE

“I don’t need to go to worship to experience God.  God is everywhere, so I can experience God anywhere – in the park, on a golf course or resting in my bed on Sunday morning.  It doesn’t matter where I am or who I’m with.  I can experience God anywhere I want and any way I want.”

I’ve heard people say something like that many times.  It sounds so right and so true – and I believe parts of it are right and true. 

It’s true, I believe – God is everywhere.

It’s true, I believe - you can potentially experience God anywhere.  (God is not confined to little boxes called church buildings.)

However, just because something is everywhere doesn’t mean that you can experience it the same way everywhere.

Take the sun, for instance.

I think it’s fair to say that the power of the sun is pretty much everywhere.  (If it weren’t, we’d all be ice cubes!)  However, there are certain things which can intensify that power for us.

Walk outside on a nice day.  Put a piece of paper on the ground.  Wait.  Nothing happens to the paper.  The power of the sun is there, but it’s not affecting the paper.   Then, hold a magnifying glass up to the sun and point it at the paper.  Hold the magnifying glass there long enough and a spot will appear on the paper.  Hold it even longer and the paper may catch on fire.

The magnifying glass didn’t increase the presence of the sun.  The sun was no more or less powerful because of the magnifying glass.  What the magnifying glass did was focus that power to the point that it made a noticeable difference.

Worship is like that.

Pastor Blaik, are you saying that you believe worship is an event designed to enable us to experience God in a concentrated way?   Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying – and I believe it was designed that way by God.   My conviction is that worship is the main “lens” used by God in helping people experience the power of the divine presence – not because God’s presence doesn’t exist anywhere else, but because worship intensifies that presence.

Do you want to warm up, spiritually?  Come to worship.  You may just catch fire!

Blessings on All,

Pastor Blaik

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CHRISTIAN?   CONSIDER THE FOUR L’S! The mission statement of the Newtown United Methodist Church is “Helping Christians Grow and Growing New Christians.”   This statement raises a very important question: What does it mean to be a Christian?   Arriving at a shared understanding of what makes a Christian a Christian is crucial for us at NUMC if we’re going to fulfill our mission! One understanding of what it means to be a Christian is that a Christian is a disciple of Jesus.   The word “disciple” is based on a word which means “a pupil of a teacher” or, simply, “a learner.”   Jesus said that we are to be making disciples (see Matthew 28:16-20).   Another understanding of what it means to be a Christian is that a Christian is one who follows Jesus.   Jesus also said that we are meant to follow him (see Matthew 16:24-26).    Another understanding is that a Christian is a miniature version of Jesus or “a little Christ” (which is the literal meaning of th
Post a Comment
Read more

DUST, DEATH AND DISCIPLESHIP

Lent is that forty-day period before Easter that many churches have set aside as a time of reflection upon Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and our response to that sacrifice.   Lent, basically, is a season of spiritual inventory. In Genesis 2:4b-7, we read how God created us out of dust.   In Genesis 3:1-19, we read how we will return to that dust.   Physically speaking, our origin and our destination are one and the same – dust! Do you know that household dust is made up mostly of the discarded skin cells of the occupants of that house?   Sometime, when you’re brave and you can handle a sobering dose of biblical reality, lift up the bedspread from where it touches the floor, get on your hands and knees and stare your mortality square in the face! Doing so is part of what Lent is all about.   That’s why some people have cross-shaped smears of ashes put on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday.   Those smears are a reminder that we are all returning to dust, which is a rather eup
Post a Comment
Read more
30, 60, 90 AND BEYOND! What is the best way for a new pastor to get started in a congregation?   That’s a question I’ve been asking myself quite a bit since I moved to the Newtown United Methodist Church! There are many ways to answer that question.   One is answer is that the best way to get started is to make some big decisions shortly after arriving so the people in your congregation realize that the new pastor is a decisive leader.   Another answer is that the best way to get started is to quickly begin a new program (which is guaranteed to be a success) so people realize that the new pastor is effective at making things happen.   Another answer is to rapidly make changes where needed while the “Honeymoon Effect” is still in full swing so as to get the maximum strategic leverage from the start up period. My answer is to that question is a little different from those above.   Even though my hope and prayer is that you will realize that I am an effective leader, that I
Post a Comment
Read more