While I was serving as a parish pastor, I made two observations when it came to regular worship, one that filled my heart with thanks and one that gave me great concern. First, I observed how many people made worship a priority every week. The second was the number of people who often just “skipped church.” Things that could have been postponed until later took priority. “Are we going to church today?” should not even be a question we discuss at home, I believe. It should be a given, unless a really legitimate reason for not attending services exists!
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Under the Cross of Jesus[/caption]Considering the importance of regular worship, I wish we would all be cross-eyed! Look at the cross with me. First, we see the vertical bar. When our eyes follow that bar they are lifted up and we are reminded of our relationship with our dear Savior. When we come to worship we are standing on holy ground! We hear God’s word speak to us, and we respond with praises and prayers.
I read that the Dutch have a legend about a spider living high in the rafters of a barn. One day it looked down and said to itself, “I wonder what the world below is like.” So the spider swung downward on a long, sturdy thread and came to rest on a beam far below. Pleased with its new home, it spread its web and set up a home. There it lived, spending long days catching flies and growing fat and fulfilled.
After quite some time the spider noticed a long, sturdy thread running into the darkness high above. The forgetful spider said, “I wonder what that thread is for! I cannot see its purpose. So the spider broke the thread and its little world collapsed.
Sometimes we act like the forgetful spider and cut our ties with God, only to discover that our whole world tumbles down about us. Acts of worship build a tie between the security of heaven and the instability of earth. Worship gathers spiritual reserves that brace us in times of trouble and bring us out again into the sunshine of God’s love. We need the connection even when we wonder, like the spider, what it is for. I might add--even when we like other songs better, even when the pastor’s message did not especially speak to us that Sunday, even when… (you name it).
Cross-eyed! The horizontal bar on the cross reminds us of our connection with fellow believers—the communion of saints! We need to be with other Christians. A good picture of the church is a clump of grapes connected to one another. Sometimes we prefer the inferior picture—that of marbles unattached in a box. Experiencing our connections with one another is part of the importance of regular worship. Even when we do not see eye to eye with others, as long as we are cross-eyed, we will determine to be part of the regular worship community and experience the joy of worship!“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
