Sometimes... A Prayer Narrative

Following the pandemic shutdown, the number of people returning to the church building in person for worship has dropped significantly. At least in mine and other mainline faith communities I know about. People have become complacent, dare I say lazy, and prefer to have Zoom turned on, cameras turned off, so that they can stay in their bed clothes to 'attend' worship service. This is not secret information nor privileged secrets - folks have talked about these gaps over social media pages for a while. Persons who must have forgotten about how God wants to be worshiped - compare Exodus 19:9-11,17 and Nehemiah 8:1-8; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 11:17-22; Ephesians 5:18-20; Hebrews 10:25. We praise God that He had made available the telecommunications that allowed us to worship remotely when everything was shutdown and person-to-person contact was dangerous. We did not have to 'skip a beat' in our worship. However, that was not to be a permanent situation; that situation has been suspended. 

And here we are. Kind of like the African Americans in remote places of the south who did not know that the Civil War had ended and slavery abolished - they believed that the status quo was to be the status quo forever. That slavery would never end. Some believed they were still slaves even throughout the remainder of the 19th century. That's the locked mindset of some professing Christians. 'I'm used to being a remote 'worshiper' having only myself to deal with. Getting washed up, dressed and traveling to a building is not necessary in order to worship.' Worshiping in person has become more of 'I'll worship when I get there - if I choose to come. Who knows? Zoom is so easy - all I have to do is click some keys and 'I'm in'. 

Not only has in-person worship become distasteful, Bible study has become less of a priority so that it is no longer on the menu for too many persons who profess to follow Christ. There is no longer the appetite for it to the extent it once was. I'm not talking the kind of Bible study that is lecture-driven and that are one-way orally so all you do is sit back and maybe look up a scripture during the talk or view it on the mag screen. Or online studies where you are the only participant - where there is no 'iron sharpening iron'. Nor am I talking about personal study and Bible reading time which are essential daily disciplines. These are commendable for the purpose they serve, but is not the same as small group Bible study. I'm talking about members of a faith community coming together with Bibles open and discussing together what the Spirit wants us to learn during that session. Some churches are able to do a hybrid type of group Bible study so that some meet in person and also accommodate via Zoom members who cannot drive, who may be using their work break to participate, are at home with their young ones and might be able to listen and engage in discussion a little at a time, etc. Other churches may do Bible study solely on Zoom where vibrant discussions take place.  Many church leaders have sought ways to engage their members in this vital spiritual discipline through as many practical means that are available, and yet, participation has either decline or has become almost nonexistent. I may be out of line, but I have to ask myself, how can we legitimately refer to ourselves as followers of Christ, if we do not study the scriptures together? How will we come to a knowledge of the truth? When a person of 50 has attended church services for all of his or her life, and is unable to grasp who the "Let us" of "Let us create mankind in our image" is - which is fundamental/foundational truth, how has such a person been using their Bible? Is it truly an open book, a place to seek God and determine His will, or is it on the shelf? What has happened to the desire to see the treasure God has given us in His Word, to taste and see the goodness of God throughout His Word? Do we even consider it to be God's Word, to even consider that it is meaningful for all who consider themselves human, created in God's image? Christ values every utterance from the mouth of the Father, so much so that He is called The Word! That He is the wisdom that we are to seek in scripture. He shared scripture amongst His disciples in an interactive way all during his ministry. Sometimes, it seems that we have recreated worship to please ourselves so that it is just enough 'Christian' in it to get by. What god does a person with that mindset serve? When will a person who belittles the gift of God's Word realize that with such distaste, how can you be saved? What would you even be saved for if worshiping God in the way He wants to be worshiped has no appeal for you?

'Thus saith the Lord:'  (Hebrews 2:1-4)   1)Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2)For if the message declared through angels proved valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, 3)how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? It was declared at first through the Lord, and it was confirmed for us by those who heard him, 4)while God added his testimony by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to his will. 

Sometimes, only a very small percentage of a congregation may gather for Bible study. Where are those who bend the knee to commune at the Lord's Table, for it is the same Word who commanded the observance of this New Covenant? I ask God will it always be this way? Am I doing enough to engage others? Please tell me what more I should be doing! [I want to say to those who give the excuse - "well, I don't want to seem ignorant because I don't know all the answers and embarrass myself! So maybe later." -- I want to ask them, "Be sure to rehearse that excuse convincingly well, because Judge Jesus is coming soon and He will be asking."] 

But a recent small group study completed, and after the closing prayer, the picture that came to my mind was Abraham speaking to God, who was angry with the people of Sodom and Gomorrah: "How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin!" and who was poised to destroy completely every human in those places. Read the account in Genesis 18:22-33 in your own Bible. Abraham began to plead with God because his nephew Lot and his family lived in that wicked place. Lot would go to the gate - which in those times was like the convening place for conferring with the leaders of the city or town and where they held their town meetings. In that way, he figured he had bought time or some kind of favor to be relieved of any unwanted assault or attention, for the people were aggressive with their sexual immorality and lusted with heat - seeing any and everyone as someone to be joined with regardless of gender or species. Lot thought that he had made peace enough with the people so that they would not prevail against his family. The money and illusion of power and importance Lot enjoyed took precedent over hating the very thing that God hated, and instead, deluding himself into justifying his continued presence in that wicked and evil city was not an issue for him.

And Abraham, some distance away, knowing that God was going to wipe out completely both cities, kept asking God these 'what if' questions: what if like 50 people might be righteous in the city, will you still destroy everyone--what if forty-five are in the city, will you still destroy everyone--what if, what if, what if, and Abraham, sensing that he's walking a thin line here, stops at what if ten - hoping that would cover Lot's situation. I was thinking, what if, Lord, our study group was only 30 people, would you still show us your favor and blessing? What if there were only twenty-five of us, would you still show us your favor and blessing? What if, what if, what if, what if, what if there are only 4 of us studying your Word together regularly, would you still show our congregation favor and blessing?  

Lord, not only am I praying for the 100, or the 30, or the 4, but Lord I am asking you to please send more laborers into this harvest, persons who believe Bible study is a vehicle to open our minds, hearts to the revelation of You, to knowing You, to growing closer to You, to living in this wicked world and yet not being of the world, that it is within your Word the stuff to teach us to pray and to shape and inform our prayers so that they will be in alignment with your will, to understand your will for each of us? I should be praying, What if our congregation could be a congregation that studied your Word zealously and applied it? What would our congregation look like?  What if we choose not to neglect so great a salvation, so great because your only Son was hanged on a cross to make a way for us to know you, to commune with you, to worship you and serve you and each other? What would our congregation look like then? What if we obeyed Christ's commandments - for which we must open His Word to find - with our whole hearts, minds and souls - what would our church community look like? What could we accomplish in our surrounding neighborhoods? What gifts could we employ that You have or would graciously be giving us to use to your glory and to serve others which will bring people to Christ? 

Sometimes, I wonder what if and pray, like now, to see such faith in action before I leave this earth, to see more congregations become on fire for Christ and what He would have us do. That we would be the community of love, that we would enjoy learning more and more about our Lord so that we can effectively lead our households to become lovers of righteousness? Lord, what if we prayed your Word together regularly? What if what we do daily will cause you to say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant'? 

Why would you let us build a house for you if we are not worshiping you now in the way you would have us do? If we fail, would You not be justified to take that house from us and give it to those who have a zeal for you and who sacrificially serve you daily? 

Father, I beseech your mercy, I offer up confession that we have forsaken what identified us as your children. Like the prodigal, we left well dressed, full of life, eager to be independent. We are now in tatters, unsure of where we are in your plan, unsure of our ability to do anything, and with our faces pressed into the mire. If it is what it would take, please chastise us, also, so that we can be shocked back into spiritual sanity and return to you without question, without hesitation. Lord, for the sake of your name and in the power of the Holy Spirit may He saturate us in awareness of what we must do now, rather than choosing to wait "for just the right time, sometime." Today is the day of salvation, now is the time to return. Praying for that miracle, Lord, praying and trusting that our sometime has come to fullness and our what ifs into faith in action. In Jesus Name. Amen.

The House of the LORD

The following are thoughts inspired by an act of God today, and represent my personal understanding of scripture.

One of our favorite Psalms, Psalm 23, is one in which David understood the blessing of relationship with God -  that it was not a thing solely about being happy and having material rewards. He believed with all his heart that being in relationship with the God of Creation, with Yahweh Elohim was the true and utmost blessing of his life. (Psalm 18:1-3; Psalm 136, 139)

David also understood - as we must today - that the House of the LORD was an expression and gift of God to His people as a place of worship and praise to God, a beneficial, encouraging exhortation of how to show God's love to one another. It was a place of learning, and the center of schooling corporately in the way of God and the importance of learning to trust God. It was a place where they would spiritually meet with God uniquely and see His glory.

David's love for God's House was not a matter of a particular room or space per se - he saw the entire house as God's dwelling! (Psalm 26:8; 93:5; 134:1-2; 135:1-3)

My recent experiences in the role of caring for God's House has been enlightening. Just a few minutes ago, God opened my mind to the broader understanding of what it means to be in the House of the LORD, to be a caretaker - a steward - of His House. I dropped everything else I was doing (my stomach is demanding food, but that can wait!), and hurried to write these things down before the concerns of the day overwhelmed.

There are 'perspectives' within our house of worship held by a number of persons as to what is "important" in God's House. One group honors as 'sacred only' their meeting space, where they pray and praise, to the extent that anything that is not considered holy or used in worship must be considered profane and removed from the space and put into another part of the building that the group considers less than holy, but where others need to meet to commune with God and to worship Him. There are some who consider the single, most holy part of the building is the place where the altar sits under or next to the cross, with the second place being the sacristy (a room that holds sacred implements of worship). Everything else is, for them, regarded as less holy or perhaps not even considered to be in the camp of holy. 

But God said that His House was holy - not just some of the square footage, but all of it! (compare Psalm 122; Deuteronomy 23:18; 1 Kings 8:6-11; 1 Chronicles 26:27; Psalm 26:8; Psalm 116:18-19) David knew that truth. David also knew that it was God's House - not ours; God owns it and God provided it. For whatever reason, we have allowed our personal biased viewpoints to lead us into actions, attitudes, activities - or lack thereof, that dishonor God's House, and we may not even be aware we are doing it. Yes, the sanctuary altar is where we offer sacrifices to God, praise Him, bless Him, seek His face during solemn worship. In ancient Israel's Tabernacle and later the Temple in the Most Holy room, God's presence would be evidenced by a cloud of smoke above and/or within those holiest rooms. The Most Holy is referred to as the Holiest of Holies, conveying that all of the House itself was a holy place, with spaces assigned for varying acts of worship and service. During the exile of the Jews by Babylon, profiteers (the main ones mentioned by Nehemiah are Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem [2:19]) came into Jerusalem and set up camp. When the priests and others were released from captivity and ensued upon the project to build a temple that would replace the one Solomon built, which had been destroyed completely, the completed project yielded the fleshing out of the plans that God had given Ezekiel (chapters 40-44) to give to those upon whom the assignment to rebuild rested. The profiteers tried to halt the work through "shenanigans" which failed; yet, would at an opportune time seize on the chance to use God's House for their selfish gains: taking rooms appointed for the priestly activities and turning them into boarding rooms for profit and gain, with the assistance of a dishonest priest. Misusing and desecrating selected spaces within the building defiled God's entire House. (Nehemiah 13:1-14)

Again, the entire building is God's House; He does not lay claim to only a portion of it - all of it is His. He is the one who deems it holy before Himself. He is the gifter/provider; we are to be the stewards of the whole House. No ifs, ands, or buts. To do otherwise, is either a passive or deliberate offense and defilement of God's House. (compare Nehemiah 13:11) Sure, we are not perfect and we may forget or get busy with other things, but if we, regardless of what church we may belong to, are being reminded frequently that we are needed to be hands and feet for Christ, and continue to shrug it off, it should make us take stock of where priorities lie. God may be calling us to steward even a small fragment of what needs to take place, but if we shut up our ears and dull ourselves to that call, we will never know the special blessing that comes with that request. (compare Matthew 25:14-30) So whether it is in a sanctuary or place of corporate prayer, in a classroom, in a storage space, in a remote part of the building used by stewards of the plate offerings, in the restrooms, in a meeting room, in an office space, in the hallways, the courtyard, the parking lot - it is ALL part of God's House. To neglect any part, to cheapen its intent, is an offense - intentional or otherwise. To 'trash' or disrespect any space by leaving the space neglected or unclean, or to leave it in a run-down condition is an offense. To willfully deface any part of the building is an offense. To dismiss the maintenance and stewardship of any of the spaces is an offense. An offense to God!

So, this awareness should give anyone whom God has blessed with a dedicated building for worship and fellowship in praise and thanksgiving cause to pause: whether the building is by lease or ownership, and regardless of what denomination, but one that claims Christ, and where God has provided His people with a building as a launching pad for greater witness and service within the surrounding community - how are we responding to this gift? Do we see it as a reminder of Whose we are and all of what He has made us stewards of? Does it expand in our hearts and minds deep gratitude, the comprehension of what it means to glorify God in His House and in our lives? 

Consider that the physical building is to reflect the building up of God's spiritual house stone by living stone, and vice versa. We who are called by God to serve and be adopted as children are individually living stones, but when placed one beside the other we become built into the Spiritual House of God. No stone is lesser than the other!! (1 Peter 2:4-10; Ephesians 1:3-14,17-23)

IT IS HIS HOUSE - ALL OF IT!  We cannot love one space and disregard or hold profane another.  We must ask ourselves: what does this mean to me, for me, and about me? Am I thinking like David and seeking to dwell in the House of the LORD, where His Name dwells, to worship, honor and praise Him for the gift of relationship and of a special building made available by Him no matter how old or new, that He has set aside for us to revere Him in? Or, am I thinking like Sanballat and crew and dismiss, even desecrate, the holiness of God represented in the building and misuse it, rejecting the stewardship of it?

Let this be our prayer: I love you LORD with my whole heart, my whole mind, my whole soul! Thank you for the gift of your House to us where we can come together in assembly and serve and worshp you, because you deserve all praise and honor and glory! No act of worship is too small to you, Almighty God and Father, no service in your House and among your people too little when it is from the heart. Father, your mercy and goodness in my life are like the grains of sand at the seashore -- who can count all the moments of grace and favor you bestow? In your House, we will raise holy hands; we shall use those hands of praise to be stewards of all that you have gifted us with - both physical and spiritual to your glory and by your grace. Lord, may I never fail to praise you; let me dwell in your house, the house of the Lord forever, may I never turn away from your presence. Amen.