wonderment

I attended the 1115 service yesterday and though it wasn’t the first time I’ve been there, the feeling was totally different. I remember how the kids used to complain about the traditional service because of the liturgies to recite, the boring long hymns to sing, the doddy old preachers who rambled on for hours ..

Perhaps because of how edgy I’d been feeling the past few days, I had to take myself out of my situation and put it into concentrating on the service, which was very very good.

I began to feel the meaning of all the liturgies we sung, and actually singing it so slowly prepared us to come into the presence of God. Instead of feeling like 110MPH/hr, we could actually WALK into God’s presence.

I now realise why tradition so important. It isn’t the rituals that matter, but the “heart-set” it introduces you into. The early fathers of the church knew how Man was so prone to rushing into God’s presence, and as a form of “spiritual brakes”, they formulated things like liturgies and service orders.

As I listened to the words, and read them myself, they were so rich in meaning, so full of wisdom. Though the hymns were none that I’ve never sung before, you could feel the faith of spiritual ancestors who went through so much before penning down a single word.

When the time flowed into Holy Communion, I looked around at my friends who with me, some of them looked so eager to partake of Holy Communion but could not because they weren’t baptised yet. Imagine my shock and awe, for I was brought up in an environment that everyone, even the kids, could take Holy Communion. To see that such a ritual was so highly sought after by people my own age was awakening. I’ve taken it for granted.

The preacher was a dynamic pastor who preached on a topic I truly needed to hear: Faith.

I still freaked out quite a bit last night, but as I woke up to a new morning today, I have lots to thank God for. He is the one who opens and shuts doors, He is the one who keeps me alive second by second. He is the one who exalts me, the one who accompanies me even through the hardest times.

Why do I find it so hard to believe then?
I’d forgotten to thank Him

So no matter what happens this week, I shan’t complain anymore, but praise Him I shall.

Freak out I shall not, but quietly trust and obey His leading.