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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
Savor The Moment
May 11, 2006
When you get up at 3:00 a.m. it is easy to lose track of where you are and
where you are going as the day progresses. Last week I was on route to
Elizabethtown, Kentucky for a pre-Mother's day visit to my folks. I had to
be at the airport by 5:00 a.m. for the early flight and didn't have a chance
to really begin my morning routine until my plane touched down in Detroit
at 7:30 a.m.
I had almost an hour and a half to kill so I found a little breakfast shop to
have my bagel and coffee. On route I stopped at a newspaper stand to
grab the local paper to check the sports scores. What I saw came as a
shock. I looked down and there was a stack of newspapers with the
Detroit Free Press masthead clearly visible. I couldn't believe my luck.
Then it dawned on me that I was in Detroit after all, where my Tigers
were the hometown team.
So I savored the moment, read the paper and enjoyed the connection I had
with my sports heroes in this "sacred space". As I boarded my connecting
flight, I realized that if I hadn't paused to think about it, I would have
missed the fact that I was even in Detroit. I would have missed those
delightful moments at the coffee shop where I felt so close to my
childhood idols of Alan Trammell, Al Kaline, Willie Horton and Mark "The
Bird" Fidrych.
Many of us are so busy flying from one place to another, that we often
miss the divine appointments that God sets up for us. These grace
moments are all around us but we are too busy to enjoy them. It even
happens when we are intent on going to worship.
For many of us the hustle and bustle of Sunday morning can be grueling.
Getting the kids up, dressed and fed before church can leave a parent
feeling frazzled and exhausted by the time you reach the front door of the
sanctuary. Rising up from under the covers on a Sunday morning, after a
long hard week, can be the most challenging activity of all. When you do
get up, sometimes you find your brain is still set for snooze even after the
opening hymn is sung. If you have a number of obligations at the church
like singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School, setting up a coffee hour
or handling nursery duties, you could rush right through the morning
without ever stopping to enjoy the experience of being in the presence of
the Lord.
The truth is that we need to be intentional about our worship. We need to
stop the clock, sit down and claim a few minutes, even on Sunday
morning, so that we can enjoy God's presence. Just because we are in the
church, it doesn't mean we have spent time with God. We need to plan
for, recognize and then claim that special moment when heaven and earth
comes together in the midst of our busy lifestyles. Then we can open our
heart and minds to God as we offer up our praise and worship. Before you
know it we will feel His blessing upon us and know we have been with the
Lord.
So this week don't just go to worship. Take the time to be present with the
Lord and enjoy being together on holy ground.
God bless. See you in Church. Cal
May 11, 2006
When you get up at 3:00 a.m. it is easy to lose track of where you are and
where you are going as the day progresses. Last week I was on route to
Elizabethtown, Kentucky for a pre-Mother's day visit to my folks. I had to
be at the airport by 5:00 a.m. for the early flight and didn't have a chance
to really begin my morning routine until my plane touched down in Detroit
at 7:30 a.m.
I had almost an hour and a half to kill so I found a little breakfast shop to
have my bagel and coffee. On route I stopped at a newspaper stand to
grab the local paper to check the sports scores. What I saw came as a
shock. I looked down and there was a stack of newspapers with the
Detroit Free Press masthead clearly visible. I couldn't believe my luck.
Then it dawned on me that I was in Detroit after all, where my Tigers
were the hometown team.
So I savored the moment, read the paper and enjoyed the connection I had
with my sports heroes in this "sacred space". As I boarded my connecting
flight, I realized that if I hadn't paused to think about it, I would have
missed the fact that I was even in Detroit. I would have missed those
delightful moments at the coffee shop where I felt so close to my
childhood idols of Alan Trammell, Al Kaline, Willie Horton and Mark "The
Bird" Fidrych.
Many of us are so busy flying from one place to another, that we often
miss the divine appointments that God sets up for us. These grace
moments are all around us but we are too busy to enjoy them. It even
happens when we are intent on going to worship.
For many of us the hustle and bustle of Sunday morning can be grueling.
Getting the kids up, dressed and fed before church can leave a parent
feeling frazzled and exhausted by the time you reach the front door of the
sanctuary. Rising up from under the covers on a Sunday morning, after a
long hard week, can be the most challenging activity of all. When you do
get up, sometimes you find your brain is still set for snooze even after the
opening hymn is sung. If you have a number of obligations at the church
like singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School, setting up a coffee hour
or handling nursery duties, you could rush right through the morning
without ever stopping to enjoy the experience of being in the presence of
the Lord.
The truth is that we need to be intentional about our worship. We need to
stop the clock, sit down and claim a few minutes, even on Sunday
morning, so that we can enjoy God's presence. Just because we are in the
church, it doesn't mean we have spent time with God. We need to plan
for, recognize and then claim that special moment when heaven and earth
comes together in the midst of our busy lifestyles. Then we can open our
heart and minds to God as we offer up our praise and worship. Before you
know it we will feel His blessing upon us and know we have been with the
Lord.
So this week don't just go to worship. Take the time to be present with the
Lord and enjoy being together on holy ground.
God bless. See you in Church. Cal
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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