Worship Where You Are

Shelter in place.  Churches closed.  No singing.  Social distancing.  I never in my wildest dreams thought that our country would be brought to a screeching halt by a virus.   Over the years you watch the virus movies and it simply never occurred to me that this could happen in my life and that it could happen so quickly.  We were on "shelter in place" due to our MN Governor's orders.   The world has slowed down.   Businesses are closed, churches are closed, people are unemployed.   It is a terrifying time for many people.  That evolved to some slow openings and social distancing.  Months later and nothing is normal.

Churches were closed for weeks.   So many churches, including mine, have adapted as best they can to reach their congregations.   Messages of hope and of God's love are important to many.  But, are we sharing that message outside of our comfort zone?   

Now that we no longer worship in the walls of a church, where are you worshiping?

I picked up a book I had started before and hadn't finished.   An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor.

The first chapter of the book talks about where we worship.   God actually told Jacob that he didn't want a "house of worship".   It is easy for Christians to hide in a house of worship.  We are with people we know, people we love.   We re comfortable.  But what do you do when you leave those four walls? 

Jacob encountered God in the wilderness.   When he awoke, he realized the place he was in was the "house of God."

We have had to learn to worship differently.   The whole world is the house of God.  Church can be a front porch, a river bank, a mountain top or even a chair at the dining room table.   Jesus comes to you where you are.   He doesn't need a fancy church, he just needs your heart.

I have been on a new (old)  journey.   Yes, it is another wellness journey.   I have done a lot of clean eating and weight loss programs.   I am always successful with them.  Then something happens.  Someone gets sick, or injured, or something happens at work and I fall back to old habits.   This new journey for me, will include a lot of self reflection.  Clean eating, reading and exercising. 

I added a couple other options, pray, devotion and write.

If you have followed my journey at all, you know that I am a stress eater and when I am caring for others, or stressed, I stop caring for myself.  I talked with our friend and trainer Jason.  I was almost in tears.   I said, "I need your help".  I need to lose this weight.  I will tell you more about the journey later, but he stepped up and is helping me get there.  

So.   Now is the time.

Where is your house of God?