Day 22

The Joy of Sunday Morning: Part 1
Introduction

What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear “Sunday morning church service” ? Is it obligation, tradition, or even boring? How do you feel about going to church on Sunday morning, and more importantly, why do you feel that way? Unfortunately, for many people going to church is not the highlight of their week. They might go because they are expected to, or because they want to keep up appearances of being “good Christians.” I found this proverb, and think it is fitting: “Some go to church to see and be seen, Some go there to say they have been, Some go there to sleep and nod, But few go there to worship God”. This is not the way it should be, however, and this is not the way Christ intended us to view it. Christ is madly in love with His Church, His bride, and He calls us to love it as well. The Sunday morning service is just one aspect of what the Church of Christ Jesus is, but it is a fundamental part. A church service brings the family of Christ together to worship God, hear His Word, fellowship with one another, and minister to one another. It is just one setting in which the Body of Christ can perform the tasks that God has called it to do. For this reason, Sunday morning church services should fill us with joy. Do they?

This is the first part of a five part series on this subject. I love going to church on Sunday mornings, and I hope that everyone who reads this blog does as well. Gathering together with the body of Christ is a privilege, and the fact that we can do it so easily and without threat or danger in this country is an added blessing. I have broken down the things that take place on a typical Sunday morning into four categories, and will look at each of them in turn. I pray that you will be edified and encouraged with this series.

Note: I realize that many churches offer services on alternative days and times than just on Sunday mornings. Please realize that I am just using "Sunday morning" as a general term for going to a church service, since that is the most widely recognized.

Day 21

I got a call from a friend today that reminded me that life is hard. I don't know about you, but I'm a fixer. Whenever I hear of someone who is going through a hard time, I want to fix the problem the fastest way possible. Too often that is how I pray as well: "Dear God, please heal so and so. Please provide so and so with a job. Please help so and so overcome this battle." I don't actually pray like that, but many times at the root of my prayers is the exact thing that I wrote above. There is a problem. I have a solution. Unfortunately, too often I pray for my solution and not God's solution. I know as well as anyone that God uses different phases of our journey to mold us and refine us in specific ways. Does God care if we have a job, or good health or whatever else we "need"? Yes, He does. However, what's usually more important than the job, or good health, or victory from a particular sin is the journey that God takes us on to get us there. Faith and trust in God is not usually built when sailing is smooth. We discover who we are, and more importantly, who God is, when the storms of life come. He is our provider, He is our strength, He is our fortress, He is our help. The list could go on and on. The lessons God teaches us during the storms are ones that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. I look at it like building blocks. God teaches us to trust Him, and then He teaches us how to trust Him more, and then He teaches us how to trust Him even more. The Christian life should never be a stagnant one. If we aren't pushing ourselves to grow, then God will.

I once was praying to God about a situation. I don't remember exactly what it was, but it was a big issue. I remember praying for my solution, and God asked me if I wanted the situation to turn out the best way, which was His way, or my way. I had to wrestle for a minute with that one, because there was a lot at stake. My way and God's way are not always mutually exclusive of each other, but neither are they mutually inclusive. God's best way could have been to answer my prayer exactly as I prayed for it to be answered, or it could have been the exact opposite. That's the tricky part about trusting God: we know His way is best, but we might not see it like that at the time. I told God I wanted the best way, even if it meant losing everything.

I don't really remember the outcome because I'm not exactly sure what situation was. But that doesn't matter. The point is that God had strengthen my faith and taken me on a journey of building a relationship with Him that allowed me to trust Him completely in that situation. Sadly, I don't always remember that lesson when I pray. But I pray that I will. And I pray that you will.

Day 20

Tonight my husband and I have the privilege of having my brother and his girlfriend over for dinner. I have been looking forward to this all week, and I will tell you why. First of all, I love entertaining. I love having people over, feeding them good food, enjoying their fellowship, and getting to know them better. How much do I love entertaining? Well, I just spend 40 minutes setting the table. I know, I know that's a long time. But I had to try about half a dozen napkin folding masterpieces before deciding on the appropriate one, and then there was the trudge in the snow to retrieve some fall leaves, and then the big decision about which color fondue fork everyone would get (I'm serious). Yes, it was some work, but I enjoyed every minute of it and it is completely worth it if they feel welcomed and loved.

Second of all, I especially love hanging out with my brother, and now with his girlfriend as well. I am really looking forward to getting to know her better. The first time, and longest time, I have hung out with her we bonded through nearly starving to death in Denver after a Bronco's game. We just barely pulled through by eating Jelly Bellies and black market Burger King jr. whoppers. It was quite the adventure. Over the past few months I have interacted with her in more normal circumstances, and she has been lovely to get to know. We are planning on playing a funny/embarrassing game tonight, so that should cause good bonding as well. There's nothing like making fools of yourselves to really forge friendships.

Fun, laughter, friends, family and snow. What a perfect evening.

Day 19

I don't know if you have noticed it or not, but it has been nineteen days and I have yet to write about the thing that brings me the second greatest joy in my life apart from the gospel and being a Christian. Why have I not written about it? Well, it's complicated. I'm not sure how to do it in a way that is edifying to my faithful readers. For you see, the thing that brings me the second greatest joy in life is being married to my wonderful husband.

I could go on and on about why I love my husband and how he brings me so much joy. However, if I did that, who would I be encouraging? I know the feeling of someone who is single and wishes to be married, and I don't want to make it ache any more than it already does. God's timing is not our timing, and sometimes God's timing has a lot of loneliness in it. On the other side, I don't want to create discontentment by having married people start comparing their spouses with my spouse. So really, a discussion on that topic would not edify many people, except maybe my husband and me.

So let me go another route. One of the greatest factors needed for joy, no matter whether you are married, engaged, or single, is contentment. If you are single and discontent, marriage is not going to make you joyful, at least not for long. Joy comes from a heart that is content, no matter the circumstances, no matter the relationship status. I can be in the perfect marriage, but if my heart longs for a bigger apartment or a better job or more friends, that perfect marriage cannot compensate for the discontentment in my heart. On the flip side, joy can spring from the tiniest apartment in the worst part of town when ends are barely being met. It's not the circumstances and it will never be the circumstances that will bring you joy. Circumstances might make you happy for a while, but happiness is a fragile blossom while joy is a deep root.

To end, let me quote the apostle Paul. In Philippians 4:11-13 he says, "For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be live humbly and how to live in prosperity. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

I pray that you find joy in your contentment.

Day 18

I stumble through the woods, seeing the leaves on the ground and hearing them crackle beneath my faltering feet. I'm covered in dirt, so covered that it has seeped into my pores and seems to reach to my bones. It irritates my skin, making me scratch at it, but it only makes it worse. All I want is to be clean again, but I can't find anything that can help me. I search in vain. I just want to be clean! And then suddenly the trees thin out and there's a little clearing, and in the clearing there is a man. At first I think that he, too, is covered in dirt, but as I get closer I see that it is actually blood. His blood, coming from so many wounds I don't know how his skin is holding him together. I look into His eyes, and in them see the deepest well of suffering and pain that a person could ever endure. And the worst part is not that I am unable to prevent this suffering,

But that I caused it.

This man is dying, and I killed Him.

I want to tear my eyes away in shame, but something compels them to stay. His eyes, those pools of sorrow, are also a well-spring of love- love that overflows and pours over me. I look down, and I see the dirt that was covering me washing away. It only takes a moment, and then I am clean.

Step out of the story with me. Take away the forest. Replace the clearing with a hill named Golgatha. Replace innocent dirt with permeating sin. And put the man on a cross. What do we have, my friends? We have where guilty was replaced with innocent, condemnation replaced with grace. A place where righteousness replaced wickedness and justice coincided with mercy. We have the truth that we are all sinners, and Christ came and died for our sins when we were without hope. He took the punishment for our sin on the cross, and then he conquored the penalty for our sin by defeating death by rising again from the dead. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why the gospel, you ask? Because, my friends, in order to understand true joy, you have to go to the place where your sin was hideous and your soul was black. For only when you see the depth of your depravity can you understand the depth of grace needed to cover it. Only when you understand that Christ died on YOUR cross and took the punishment for YOUR sins, can you understand what love really looks like. And only that can bring true and everlasting joy.

Ponder the cross. Look at the cause of unimaginable suffering and find the ultimate paradox: true joy.

Day 17

I found this poem by William Henry Davies. Like many poems, the wording is rather cumbersome to those of us who don't read poetry on a regular basis, but the content is very thought-provoking. I hope it gives you reason to pause and ponder for a moment.

Joy and Pleasure
by William Henry Davies

Now, joy is born of parents poor,
And pleasure of our richer kind;
Though pleasure's free, she cannot sing
As sweet a song as joy confined.

Pleasure's a Moth, that sleeps by day
And dances by false glare at night;
But Joy's a Butterfly, that loves
To spread its wings in Nature's light.

Joy's like a Bee that gently sucks
Away on blossoms its sweet hour;
But pleasure's like a greedy Wasp,
That plums and cherries would devour.

Joy's like a Lark that lives alone,
Whose ties are very strong, though few;
But Pleasure like a Cuckoo roams,
Makes much acquaintance, no friends true.

Joy from her heart doth sing at home,
With little care if others hear;
But pleasure then is cold and dumb,
And sings and laughs with strangers near.

Day 16

On Sunday, my brother wrote an excellent post on his blog, Everyday Strangers. It was titled Genuine Worship and it urged the reader to examine themselves during worship and think about if they were half-hearted, just going through the motions, or putting on a show for others. Here is my brother's heart for worship and for writing this post: "I want people to be able to genuinely worship on every song that we sing. I want people to experience the grace of God like never before and fall down in amazement. I cannot command someone to have genuine worship because it is a heart issue. What I can do is pray for them and encourage them to seek Him day after day."
If you would like to read the whole thing for yourself, and I highly suggest that you do, here is the link: http://everydaystrangers.blogspot.com/2011/10/genuine-worship.html

My brother's blog post got a lot of attention this week. When I received the weekly update for Ignite, our church's college and career group, I saw his post at the beginning of it. Our pastor saw the update as well and was so impressed he asked permission to put it on the church-wide email update that went out today.

Apparently my brother stepped on a few toes with what he had to say, because a few hours later our pastor sent out another email explaining the post and that the intent was not to condemn, but to encourage individuals to examine their hearts for genuine worship. This makes joyful and proud of my brother at the same time. He had the courage to write about a controversial topic, and what he had to say did indeed create some controversy. However, that means that he got it right in his post, for only when truth is spoken can a person be convicted by the Holy Spirit. I don't believe someone should step on toes just because they can, but I also know that that was not my brother's purpose in writing. He genuinely wants people to worship with their whole heart, and I believe he encouraged people to do it better by asking some tough questions. If someone felt condemned or judged, it's probably because they know their heart isn't in the right place when it comes to worship, and his post touched a nerve. My prayer is that instead of feeling judged, those people will examine themselves and come to the Lord with a heart full of genuine worship. Our Lord deserves nothing less.

May your heart be filled with joy in worship.