Sunday service for our community starts at 9:30am.
9:30a – 11:30a is the block of time we plan all our elements of worship. This past Sunday as we were gathering for our pre-service meeting and asking God’s presence to come, the presumptiveness of it all dawned upon me.
What makes us think that God would come?
Or at that, at the time we have designated? Or to participate in the activities that we have planned? Or to empower the things that we seek to do at service?
These are questions we ask generally ask of people in power.
People in power generally do whatever they want, whenever they want, wherever they want. Try asking a self-obsessed celebrity to come to an event with a pre-planned agenda (or even your own concert). Try asking the President to come to a pre-planned meeting every week!
And yet God is described and revealed as the King of kings. And as such, above anyone in the universe belongs to him the privilege of disregarding and ignoring the lives of those with greatly less power. And yet here we are, hoping God to visit every week, at the time and location that we have predetermined.
And when he comes it will simply be a testament to God’s humility and faithfulness does he come.
We should expect it, not because we are deserving or because our services are so ornate, but because the one invited is humble and gracious enough to be in the presence of the ones he made. Humble enough to show up our a dinky houses of worship and crown his people with his presence and power.
I think that makes God so extraordinaily amazing. He is too great for everything and everyone but never acts it. Yes, as the Psalmist said, “[His] gentleness has made me great.”
It is proper for us to plan our services. However, I pray we not forget the presumptious of it all and be super grateful to serve and amazing and humble king!
