the basic message #E208
10/30/03
Do you understand the difference between corporate worship and a direct relationship with God? I'm not sure that the majority of the Christian community does, considering their actions. I happen to worship in a Catholic church, although I disagree with some of the policies and procedures in the Roman church. There's one thing I do agree with, and that's kneeling while praying. When Catholics enter the sanctuary, they will generally kneel in prayer as soon as they reach their seats. That's good, but what's not so good is that simply kneeling isn't getting the job done. After I finish my prayers, I sit back and just like to watch people. I see people kneel, but then they immediately look back and forth, back and forth. They look like that little animal that I think is called a lemming. But wait, how did I stray from my subject: Corporate worship versus a direct relationship with God? Perhaps what's really sad is that some Christians don't have a direct connection to God, and when they go to church Jesus could tap them on the shoulder and they wouldn't notice because they're too distracted by people and situations.
If and when I get to Heaven, I have a long list of questions for God and Jesus. One of which is: "Was our worship on Sunday important to you?" I think the Father and Son will likely say, "We really expected Christians to worship us during every waking hour, with Sunday simply being a time to connect to others for a concert of worship." Where have we gone wrong? I think we Americans just tend to get more and more distracted all of the time. Last night our electricity went out for a few hours. I guess every time the electricity goes out I always say the same thing: "I wonder how the old settlers made out without electricity?" I'd tend to think they made out pretty good, since they went to bed at a reasonable hour, slept for a healthy spell, and then got up ready to take on the day. I'd also tend to think that before people began to work in high-speed, high-stress jobs, they probably talked to God a lot more than we do. Think about it- a man walking behind a plow is a lot more likely to have a conversation with God than a Wall Street trader.
We have, over the centuries, formalized worship to only occur on Sunday. In recent decades we have restructured Sunday to look much like every other day of the week. We have virtually flip-flopped the idle time and busy time on Sunday from what it was in the 1950's. There will be those who will remind me that we should not, "Forsake the assembly of believers", but I'll counter with "where two or more are gathered." Sunday morning services, for the most part, have become a social event in which people catch up on what's been happening in the lives of their friends for the past 7 days. That's not a bad thing, but it's not why we congregate on Sunday (or Saturday, depending on your faith). If your connection to God only happens for one hour on Sunday morning, you're missing out on a valuable and satisfying relationship that could be had for the asking for the remainder of the week. God is like any other parent- he likes to hear from his kids, and when we withhold that connection from God we lose.
If you don't have that personal link to God, may I make a few suggestions? First of all, just start talking to God at any opportunity. I talk to God quite a bit while I'm driving. Sometimes I might ask him to give me more patience with some of the rock-head drivers that have no concern for the law, while other times I might just compliment God on what a beautiful sunset he has created. There's one thing I'm absolutely sure about- the more I talk to God, the more I think he's listening and taking notes. Some folks ask God for something and wait expectantly for it to happen. When they tire of waiting, they simply say, "God doesn't answer my prayers." Sorry friend, but God can and does answer every prayer, but not on our timetable. If we could utter a prayer and God would deliver instantly, that would make him our servant. Always understand that we are God's servants, and as his servants, he will take care of us. I've learned that God generally answers my prayers just about the time I've forgotten I've prayed them. Don't try to keep score, rather offer up thanks to God when things happen for your good. I tend to believe that God appreciates each and every little "thank you LORD!" that we offer up to him. God loves his children no matter what, but I think he's happiest when his children work hard to make him proud and when they appreciate what he does for them. Do you have a personal connection to God? Why not start today? It will be the best investment you'll ever make.