“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the wicked will perish.”
We were early for church on a beautiful day and got to walk around the spacious grounds, and on the corner of the property are the crosses that we have noticed when traveling Interstate 79. Had there been a place inside where we could have sat, we would have missed the crosses.
I was anticipating a large cross in the Sanctuary, but there was none.
The Sanctuary has a projection to one side that houses Sunday school and restrooms and probably nursery, but no signage.
A real blessing was the greeting we received from the children: it was clear and welcoming, and they not only offered a greeting, but waited for a response. Before the passing of Christ’s peace we were welcomed by one man in the pew in front of us.
Something else that I found unusual was when the music started the congregation took seats and only a few came in after. It has been the norm in every contemporary service we have attended that the congregants always straggle in.
The sermon was the first in a series on the Psalms, covering the types of Psalms. Today was “Finding Happiness.” The pastor used a personal story of large trees on a riverbank to present a mind picture of prospering and accomplishing what is intended. He led the congregation through defining happiness, to how to get there, to using this short Psalm as a prayer.
Communion was served in the pews silently and the pastor served himself.
This building sits on a gorgeous piece of property and boasts a picnic shelter, a well-equipped play area for children, and lots of space. On this weather-perfect day, it made for a peaceful walkabout while we awaited the time we could enter the building without disrupting the Sunday school in the Sanctuary. Once inside, we toured briefly and perused the large bulletin board indicating a fair amount of global mission involvement.
I noticed no directional signage. We did locate the restrooms, but signs protruding into the hallway would have been helpful there.
It was a joy to see so many children in worship with their families.
The chairs were comfortable and spaced to provide adequate legroom.
Surprisingly, I only knew one of the songs, but they were led by a gifted praise band and I was grateful for the moderate volume.
Several people greeted us during the Passing the Peace, and one person spoke with us outside of that time.
I applaud a church’s efforts to be hospitable to visitors, but it always bothers me when it comes time for the offering and visitors are told that they are not expected to give. I don’t understand why our giving should be viewed differently because we are not members. Visitors have as much need to give as any member of any church. So I want to say “Thanks, but please allow us to give to God also.”
The message was the first in the pastor’s summer series entitled “A Summer of Psalms.” Today’s was Psalm 1 (see above) and the message entitled “Finding Happiness.” I agree with the pastor that the Psalms are generally considered devotional reading and I loved the statement that the Psalms “put in our mouths the kind of worship God wants.”
The pastor defined success as “accomplishing the intended purpose.” He stated that the person who knows God will succeed, and we must seek God’s will in all situations…meditate on God’s word by “active thinking” including talking to ourselves…and he suggested turning this Psalm into a prayer. Doing these things will not only allow us to find refreshment, but to give it as well.
Success…happiness…prosperity…sometimes seem like such elusive goals. But I am encouraged to hear him map out steps I can take such as keeping my mind and heart close to God and well-watered by His Word, and sinking my spiritual roots deep into the things of God. And I tend to forget that God’s definition of success is unlike that of the world because what is of the world is temporary and success in God’s eyes has eternal value.
I was blessed by receiving Communion.
Father, we pray that this church continues to examine themselves and assess how they present themselves to those that You lead to their doorstep. We lift up the children to You in gratitude for their unselfconscious welcome and pray that You will continue to guide and protect them. We pray that You would lead the church in how it might use the grounds to introduce You to the community. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
1 comment:
Jan and Bob,
It was a pleasure having you worship with us last week! Thank you for your kind words of encouragement and challenge. I hope to see you again soon!
Pastor Jon
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