During service yesterday, I was moved during one of the musical pieces. This isn’t the first time (as blogged here) and it got me thinking about all the tears shed in that sanctuary. Tears of joy; tears of praise; tears of guilt; tears of repentance; tears of forgiveness; tears of relief; tears of compassion; tears of sadness; tears of loss; and tears of love. So many deep and heartfelt emotion in one room. Whether it be worship, communion, baptism, a wedding, a funeral, a talk or a sermon. I would hope that most sanctuaries that truly embrace the human element, receive those tears as liquid bricks that make up the place.
However, I know that there are some worship rooms that are just religious museums. I know, because I have been in them. I’m not saying that you need to cry every time you worship, attend a wedding, go to a funeral, or sing songs of praise. What I AM saying is that the sanctuary should be alive with honest, human emotion of the heart given over to Christ — not just lukewarm liturgical motions. That is Christ claiming his right place in our heart.
Make sure you are attending a sanctuary — not just a religious museum.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
