Thursday, October 11, 2007

In the throws of Worship

I had the greatest time while I was gone. I preached a gospel meeting at Center Point church of Christ in Rogersville Missouri, right outside of Springfield and I went to the Zoe Conference in Nashville directly after the meeting. In Rogersville I preached 4 days to a small rural congregation. How small? One of the Elders assured me if people brought their dogs there would be about 60 there. And praise be to God there where more than 60 there and each and every one of them had voices like angels. The singing was wonderful. Mostly older hymns. And the rafters of that church shook with the beautiful sound coming from older men and women, country, rural folk; all giving praise to God. Then I went to Nashville. Huge church! Thousands of people in one place. Being lead by a praise team singing praise songs. And it was wonderful!!! And while both experiences were different they were both right. And it had nothing to do with style or number. It had everything to do with the fact that God was in our midst and He was the focus of our attention and adoration. Young, old, big, small, rural, urban, contemporary, traditional none of those things mean anything in the presence of God. What did Isaiah say when he found himself in the midst of a living God? I am undone. And so are all of our differences.