Sunday Morning

Today is Sunday morning and it feels weird not to be responsible for a worship service somewhere. Actually I wasn't responsible last week at our farewell service at NewSong - but it really feels weird today. I am in another state at the present moment - my "adopted" home state of Mississippi. I'm about to go to a small country Baptist church - one where my Dad was a member when he was a young man. In fact, there is a family legend that says that Dad was the song-leader at this church many years ago. I would have loved to have seen that.

The good thing is - God will meet me at that church this morning. He'll meet folks in churches all over the planet today; under tall banyan trees in Africa, in frozen villages in northern climes, in major cities, in secret, hidden-away rooms in countries where Christianity is outlawed, and in little brick or frame country churches, complete with a cemetery just outside the door like the church I'm about to go to this morning. After all, that's why I'm going to church this morning - to meet with God.

I just finished reading the story of Jacob in Genesis. Jacob had a very famous meeting with God and so he set up a stone and named the place Bethel, "House of God," because, as he said, "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place" (see Gen. 28:11-19).

The Psalm for the day is Psalm 15, where the Psalmist asks, "Who LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?" and then he (David) goes on to answer the question...

"He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken."

That's not a bad code for living.

Help me, Father, to meet you at "your house" today, and to begin living the way David spoke of ... even if just for today. Amen