Memorial Day was a special one around here. There was activity all around the church. The Bake Sale was in full swing, the labyrinth garden was abuzz with church members of all ages – weeding, pruning, planting, watering, and cultivating. Several church members came by to watch the parade from a great vantage point, and we had several of our cutest members sitting on the curb – John Akers, Sam Rogers, Maddox Reinhardt, Lilah McNeal, Ellie Williams – prompting extra amounts of candy from the parade participants. There was a lot of work and a lot of laughter.
It was an apt microcosm of our church.
We have many opportunities for fellowship here at FCC. We are a group that likes to gather and share meals, stories, and lives. We like to laugh. We are not afraid of hard work or pitching in to make someone’s life easier. We meet in small groups to pray and share the struggles and joys of life with others.
But one of the best opportunities for fellowship remains worship. That is a time to sing and pray and listen and receive communion from one another; a time to slow down and be still and wait upon God. And, if the truth is told, it is a time to shift the focus from ourselves to God. It is so easy to become the center of our own universe – and not even in a malevolent or selfish way. It’s a simple matter of going on auto pilot: our own schedules, our own preferences, our own family and friends, our own concepts of ‘better’ and ‘not so good’. Worship helps us move beyond that and gives us a True North on our compass, a realignment that is essential for a balanced and thoughtful life. Lois Chaney writes in her book God Is No Fool:
I once knew a young man who was searching for God. And I was touched by his search; and I prayed for his search; and I loved his search.
He read a lot of books. He thought and thought about their ideas. He talked to many people, in pairs and in groups; they matched their minds with his and they furthered his search. He walked and sought God in the rain. He climbed and sought God on the mountain. He closed himself off from the world and sought God in his soul.
He would describe his searchings and travel for truth. He would explain how he had meticulously and prayerfully sorted, rejected, and accepted.
As the years went on, I changed from anticipating the recountings of his searches to simply receiving them; to being bored with them; to avoiding them; and him. You see, he had fallen in love with his search.
God just isn’t that hard to find.
It was an apt microcosm of our church.
We have many opportunities for fellowship here at FCC. We are a group that likes to gather and share meals, stories, and lives. We like to laugh. We are not afraid of hard work or pitching in to make someone’s life easier. We meet in small groups to pray and share the struggles and joys of life with others.
But one of the best opportunities for fellowship remains worship. That is a time to sing and pray and listen and receive communion from one another; a time to slow down and be still and wait upon God. And, if the truth is told, it is a time to shift the focus from ourselves to God. It is so easy to become the center of our own universe – and not even in a malevolent or selfish way. It’s a simple matter of going on auto pilot: our own schedules, our own preferences, our own family and friends, our own concepts of ‘better’ and ‘not so good’. Worship helps us move beyond that and gives us a True North on our compass, a realignment that is essential for a balanced and thoughtful life. Lois Chaney writes in her book God Is No Fool:
I once knew a young man who was searching for God. And I was touched by his search; and I prayed for his search; and I loved his search.
He read a lot of books. He thought and thought about their ideas. He talked to many people, in pairs and in groups; they matched their minds with his and they furthered his search. He walked and sought God in the rain. He climbed and sought God on the mountain. He closed himself off from the world and sought God in his soul.
He would describe his searchings and travel for truth. He would explain how he had meticulously and prayerfully sorted, rejected, and accepted.
As the years went on, I changed from anticipating the recountings of his searches to simply receiving them; to being bored with them; to avoiding them; and him. You see, he had fallen in love with his search.
God just isn’t that hard to find.
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