One Weekend, Two Church Visits

This past weekend while in Indiana, I had the opportunity to visit two churches. The larger of the two I visited on Saturday evening (this was the first time I had ever visited this particular church). The other I attended on Sunday morning. This second church is one that I have visited several times before. As I reflect on my experience, a few thoughts come to mind:

1. The church is alive and well on planet earth (or at least in certain places!). In both churches I observed people who were engaging in ministry and worship and were passionate about their faith walk. Praise God!

2. Not every church does "church" the way we do. And that is OK. The "different strokes for different folks" adage comes to mind here. Having said that, I must say that the bread and cup celebration that I experienced in the Saturday evening service left me wanting more! The whole segment took no more than five minutes (which included the distribution of the elements). Jesus told us (in regard to the bread and cup), "This do in remembrance of Me." However, there was a woeful lack of attention given to Jesus and His sacrifice for us as we observed the bread and cup. It left me feeling that this was something the church had to "squeeze" into their worship script for the service. It also made me so very thankful for how we practice the Lord's Supper, giving a whole 1 1/2 hours to the practice (and if you have never participated in a three-fold communion service - which is based on the events of the Last Supper - I encourage you to join us at Grace this coming Sunday (Nov. 15) at 6 PM in our Family Life Center).

3. There's no place like home! I love my church. Yes, it's not a perfect church. But is a church that lives up to its name. Grace is in the fibers of our church - and I love it! So to all who call Grace Church at Willow Valley "home" - I want you to know that I am privileged to be serving you for Jesus' sake!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj