I hate to admit this but in order to write this I will have to admit it.
We rarely go to a church service when we are on vacation. Okay, rarely is being generous. We never go to church when we are on vacation. Practically speaking it is so that we do not have to pack some nicer clothes but with the casualness of church over the past couple of years that is not the issue. Mostly it is because we are looking for a break from out normal week which includes a week full of church activity (especially for me).
So, this trip has been unusual for me. It is not the normal vacation b/c my family is not here with me. This is a 'hearing' trip where we are seeking God for Scotland. Mostly I suppose listening for God's heart in regards to those people David and Beth are connected to in this country.
Add to this that there is literally a church on every corner that is historically significant or at the very least extremely cool looking; so, I have been enjoying visiting lots of different churches.
Here is the list:
a Catholic service Saturday evening in Aberdeen
Machar Church in Aberdeen which was originally built in 1050
Sunday morning an Assembly of God service in Aberdeen in the church David came to be my brother
Sunday evening a 4-Square service in Kristiansand, Norway with a pastor the Reid's know from Calif
Monday afternoon a Lutheran church building built for the Vikings in 550 that were being saved in Norway
Tuesday afternoon a Lutheran church in the middle of Kristiansand
Thursday afternoon a Church of Scotland church on the west coast of Scotland in Oban
Friday afternoon a church service (15-minutes long, Peter!) on the spot where Saint Columba first
landed in Scotland and brought christianity to the natives of Northern Scotland.
I was able to pray for a bit in most of the churches, although all of them did not have services. Different denominations were represented and each of them believes different things. However, it is amazing how little they disagree on the major tenets of Christianity but how much these little differences tend to divide them.
God is the God of creation; the God of the Bible. He is not limited to a church building nor is He limited to a denomination's belief system. God is outside of time and the universe fits in the expanse of His hand. He is not limited to one form of worship or one culture's preferred way.
A bended knee in the Viking church in Norway was an act of worship. Raising my hands in the spirit-filled church in Aberdeen was also. Reciting a creed (set of beliefs) that is over a 1,000 years old in a catholic church was as moving as singing the most current christian worship tune at the church in Norway. Sitting in the pew in the massive Lutheran church (green steeple in the photos) in downtown Kristiansand and praying brought me just as close to God as if praying in my home town.
I am the church. I bring God with me. Where I am He is. I just forget that when I am in trouble. I act like He is not there to comfort me when I am afraid. I think that I need a team of people to keep me going or a worship CD to motivate me. But then I remember...I am His house. He is in me and me in Him. He is above me, beside me, beneath me, and in me.
So, this week as you are being troubled by life remember that God is with you and you can reach out to Him as He is always reaching out to help you.
Churching It in Worship,
Les
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