Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
January 16, 2023
Read Matthew 7:7-12
7 “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door is opened. 9 Who among you will give your children a stone when they ask for bread? 10 Or give them a snake when they ask for fish? 11 If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. 12 Therefore, you should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you; this is the Law and the Prophets.
Good Morning, Rejoice, Rejoice, again I say rejoice!
Ask! Search! Knock! Yesterday I preached on the action verbs: come and see! This morning we encounter more actions that Jesus is calling us to take. Somewhere as we progressed as a society, it seems we took a wrong turn and became church congregations who sat and listened respectfully. I was raised in a time when you sat as still as possible in church. Even as a child, you didn’t have toys or snacks or even activity sheets to keep you occupied when the words being spoken were above your level of comprehension. I don’t blame my parents or my church family for this because this seemed to be the norm at that time.
Gradually, church leaders decided that children should be given opportunities for engagement with children’s sermons and special activities. But for many congregations, the adults continued to sit and listen respectfully except for singing the hymns and reciting creeds or responsive readings.
It seems that we have missed the boat. Jesus invites us to take action: come, see, ask, search, knock . . . Isn’t within our church family a great place to try following these commands? Of course, we have Sunday School and Bible Study groups that are more conducive to a give-and-take setting, but I still look for ways to make worship more interactive.
Our God wants to be in a relationship with us! Meaningful relationships include interaction between those involved. I challenge all of us to find ways to engage in worship directly. Yes, there is a time for sitting respectfully, but there is also room to include active participation. If you were asked to describe your church worship service experience in one word, what would you respond? Think of those boring meetings that you have been required to attend in your life. How many times did you walk away wondering why you wasted your time being there? I pray that people don’t leave worship with those same feelings.
Being a Christian requires us to take risks and be bold in our approach to living a life of faith.
Loving God, Thank You for being with us. Help us embrace the understanding that being a Christian requires us to take action. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God is waiting to join together with us in a meaningful relationship.
Reach Out and Claim your gift! Pastor Liz
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