From My Point of View

A blessing (one of many) of being a pastor is the point of view I have for every worship service at the altar, pulpit or up in front of the church for worship. I remember a member saying to me, "Pastor, you know we can see everything you are doing when you are up in front of the church." I responded, "And I can see everything YOU are doing when you are sitting in the congregation!" I have been at Epiphany for a little over two years now, and I am getting to learn where you sit, who it is you sit with, and who sits near you. We are creatures of habit, and that's okay. I think you would throw me off if you all decided to sit in a different place one week. (At my parent's church on April Fool's Day, the ushers asked everyone entering the church that day to sit on the opposite side they regularly occupied, wondering how the pastor would respond. Half way through the sermon, he realized something was not right!)

The more I get to know you the more I enjoy taking in the faces I see in church. I love seeing the new parents with the infants in their arms. I think it is great to see the choir and band members sit close to the choir loft or by the praise band or bells, and to see several of the choir members sitting with their loved ones until its time to sing. I am touched to see those who have recently lost a loved one coming to church, and being invited to sit with a friend so they are not alone. I am mindful of those who are hurting, and how the message of God's unfailing love is what they have come to hear. I see visitors and wonder how they are being welcomed (we had a least ONE visitor at each service this past weekend). I look to see how the sermon and service is being received. I can tell when I have lost you and when what I have said has touched you.

Or so I think. I remember one December in a previous church, I preached a sermon, and a man in the congregation whom I felt I could read pretty well by his expressions seemed to have a puzzled look on his face through the whole sermon. His head was cocked to one side and it seemed like what I was saying was not pleasing to his ear. I caught him after church and asked if there was something that I said had offended him or was puzzling him. He smiled and apologized and said, "I am sorry, Pastor, but I really wasn't paying much attention to you today. You see, after we put up the Christmas tree last week here in the sanctuary, I couldn't help but notice the angel I put on the top of the tree is crooked. I was trying to figure out how to correct it." At least he was honest!

From my point of view, what I see is the body of Christ gathered together to do what God created us to do - to love and worship God, and to be fed, strengthened, encouraged and empowered to go out and love and serve others. We gather to give thanks to God for all God has done for us. We gather to realign our lives with God's purpose for us, and to start a new week with a fresh start - forgiven, fed and focused on God.

From my point of view, worship is the foundation of our life together as a church. The church is here first and foremost as a place for worship. And I have found over the years that each Saturday/Sunday, for me (again, my point of view) brings me back to a solid focus of what it means to be the church. We can get bogged down by lots of details, programs, issues and discussions throughout the week, but when we come together, God present, and the good news proclaimed, the journey is so much more manageable - AND enjoyable.

That's my point of view!

Peace,
Pastor Charlie