“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’ ”
My earliest memories of church were of sitting in the sanctuary at the First Presbyterian Church in St. Cloud, MN. I was sitting in the pew with my Grandpa and Granny. They had their regular pew, and everybody knew that was their spot. As a little boy, I don't remember a single sermon Rev. Dodgson gave or any of the music, but I remember being in a sacred place, blessed and filled with love.
What I do remember was praying. I was struck by everyone, including my all-powerful grandparents, bowing their heads and speaking to God. I was awed that the most impressive people in my world stopped and lowered themselves to something greater. Prayer was natural in my grandparents’ home. Weekly worship was as natural as going to school; it was just something that you did.
As I grew older, I realized not everyone went to church or even believed in God. Church was my only real home. As I’ve shared several times, I went to 12 schools between kindergarten and 10th grade. Home felt temporary. After living with my grandparents in 2nd grade, we moved again to Aurora, Colo., for 3rd grade. It was during 3rd grade that my grandpa died. It was at that moment of grief that I learned that even people you loved were temporary.
The one thing in my life, from an early age, that wasn’t temporary was God, in worship. The sanctuaries in each city or town were different, but the Presbyterian liturgy was similar; the prayers and God’s presence felt the same. I’m not elementary age anymore, and I often do the preaching, but what remains the same in my heart is the act of prayerful worship. Whether my sermon was meaningful or a disappointment isn’t the priority. What mattered to me as a four-year-old or as a sixty-four-year-old is the people in the pews that day, and the Holy Spirit who makes my soul tingle as I pray. If the music and sermon are inspiring, that is gravy. The real focus of worship is being in God's presence and loving the people in the pew. 99% of worship is just showing up!
