Mark Twain in chapter five of his book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, wrote of Tom at a church service: The service began with a list of announcements which he thought would go on “to the crack of doom.” He talked about the prayer which was generous in its detail and he resented it whenever anything new was added in. The preacher’s sermon “droned along [so] monotonously… and was so prosy that many a head began to nod.
This reminds us of what happens when we come together to worship. The announcements are a little long, the songs aren’t to our liking, the preacher is a little boring. Some of us even do things to keep ourselves awake. We are at a different time. Forty years ago people didn’t ask, why do I have to go to church (worship)? Things have changed, culturally and intellectually so that we look at life a little differently. Sunday morning is now seen as a time to relax. If we don’t like the way things are where we presently worship, we will look for a place where things are the way we want them to be. Most people when they think about worship do not think about it as essential or the most critical thing they will do during the week.
We come together every Lord’s Day to be in the presence of God. Even though it may not look like much, and even when we don’t leave with a feeling of excitement, what happens during worship is of great importance because this is where we approach Mount Zion and we offer our praise to the One who is worthy of all praise. May we never as Christians take this opportunity in a light manner!
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This morning, as we look in Paul’s letter, we find him addressing those whose pride in their position had caused them to become blind to their own shortcomings. There is…
Have you ever known a stubborn person who was determined to do things their own way, or perhaps raised a child like that and finally said, “Okay, have it your…
Have you ever had anyone ask you if you are a religious person, and have you ever wondered what that truly means? In preparation for this lesson, I looked it…
Does it ever make you angry when someone takes advantage of you—when someone lies to you, deceives you, or steals from you? Even as I speak these words, I imagine…
We have all likely experienced both sides of a common breakdown in communication. On one end, you may have been the parent, teacher, coach, supervisor, or employer delivering instructions, only…
What motivates us to gather, or more broadly, what moves any of us to live a life in obedience to our Lord? To better understand these spiritual drives, we can…
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