Wishing, Not Missing

Yesterday's worship and Palm Sunday celebration was one of those that everyone seemed glad to have witnessed.  But as always, there were some who missed.  Life has a way of doing this.  In fact, surveys report that the average churchgoer now attends once every 3 weeks.  I get this.  I sometimes wonder what my attendance at church would look like for my wife and me if it weren't quite so "mandatory."  I'm SURE it would still be high (ideally!).

But what struck me the most about this Sunday was how many came up to me after each service and said they wished someone they knew would've been there.  "It was exactly what [he/she] needed to hear...  It would've made such a difference for [her/him]...  It was as if you were speaking directly to [him/her]..."

That's an awesome remark to hear repeated on a Sunday morning.  Of course, it makes a pastor feel good when he finds that he knows where his people are at in their lives.  But what's far more powerful is knowing how present God is in the ministry at Horizons!

It was truly by the Spirit's leading that we have embarked upon any of our sermon series journeys, and it was only by the Spirit's leading that this last sermon series "Growing through Failure" turned out the way it did.  In fact, the Holy Spirit and I did quite a bit of heavy wrestling before the path for this series became apparent to me.

And so ultimately, this is how I know that God is living and working miracles:  it was God who gives us the words to speak and the timing for sharing.  God looked over the life of Horizons, examined the hearts of those to be reached through Horizons, and then breathed the necessary words, guidance, and instruction into this ministry.  In other words, GOD IS WORKING IN TREMENDOUS WAYS at Horizons!

It's exciting and oftentimes overwhelming.  God has chosen to dwell among us!

So, the next time we think about church, about whether we should go, and about the guilt we have about not going, just remember this:  It's not really your attendance we're interested in, it's your heart.  You never know when God has crafted words to be spoken on a Sunday that were meant exactly for you--UNLESS of course, you're there!  So instead of wishing we were there, let us not miss those moments when God is speaking directly to us.

See you at this Friday's service and Easter Sunday!

More to come!


Jason <><