"Going" at the House of the LORD

I rejoiced with those who said to me,"Let us go to the house of the LORD."Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem...Pray for the peace of Jerusalem...For the sake of my brothers and friends,I will say, "Peace be within you." (Psalm 122:1-2,6,8)

The Sunday service was over.

Most of the congregation had left.

Some were getting into their cars.

The last remnant was talking in the narthex (lobby) or outside of the church on the sidewalk by the benches.

Just then a father and young son walked in. They had never been here before. They were dressed in summer garb: t-shirt, sandals, and shorts. They didn't appear to be there for worship.

But they did have a need they asked us to meet.

"Do you have a restroom my son can use?" the father asked.

He was directed to where he could "go".

In a few minutes, they were gone.

And I wondered...

Had they been stuck in traffic on I-94, with the little boy asking "When can I go?!" and the father wondering "How long will it be till we get some place clean and safe?"

Was there a possibility that God might use our open door and welcoming people to reshape the way these people see the Church? "They didn't even know us but they were happy for us to stop in."

Were we able to be used by God simply by "being there" and being hospitable?

I don't know the answer to any of these questions. But I'm convinced that simply "going" to the house of the LORD brings blessings to us and those around us, even when we can't quantify how much blessing will result or the exact way those blessings play out.

If you weren't with us yesterday, I hope you will be next Sunday. God was present in many other unique ways.

And I trust that God will use all of you this week to bring the Spirit into the lives of other people, even in seemingly tiny, insignificant ways.

Grace & peace