As we noticed last week, the church is filled with all types of people. Some are happy and content, while others play one role in public yet privately they struggle with guilt, pain, loneliness and an assortment of other issues. Some play this part because they don’t want people to know the real them for fear of abandonment or lowered position and prestige. Some come to church to find something that is lacking in their lives. Last week we saw that the church can offer them peace. This is just one component to why I love the church.
I love the church because it is a place where I can gather with others and encounter God. I can sit in a seat (it may or may not have my name on it) and allow the troubles of my daily life to seep into the fabric as I discover God. I can take these moments of worship and focus my attention on the God of the universe and realize He knows me, is with me and is for me. The Sovereign over all is here to care and provide for me. No matter what the week has done to me, I can come to church and find that God is here for me. I don’t have to worry about what other people are thinking of me, nor do I have to worry about how I look, or what else is happening in the world. I can simply re-discover that God is for me. I love that each week I can leave the building, but not leave my God. I have been reminded that I do not walk alone. I do not walk unaware or blindly into the next week. I have God who is with me, for me and ahead of me.
I love church because it is a place that reminds me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made and I am not alone.
