Thought for Today
1 Chronicles 22:1 Then David said, "Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel."
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
Last night we had our monthly Church Council meeting. Our faith tradition is congregational. Our congregation’s by-laws say in part, “10.2.1 The Church Council acts as the executive body of the Church and oversees all matters concerning the church not expressly delegated to other bodies of the church. It visualizes the big picture of the church, and how everything fits together to keep moving towards the expansion and fulfillment of the church’s vision and mission.” That is typical for most congregational churches.
The efficiency and effectiveness of any church council is dependent on the individuals who comprise the council. Anyone who has ever participated in any committee or council knows the truth of the adage, “A camel is a horse designed by a committee.” However, properly comprised and operating in a spirit of mutual cooperation to advance the Kingdom of God, church councils (or Sessions in the PCUSA) are very effective.
It is not bragging for me to state that the Church Council of First Parish Church of Newbury is so comprised and operates very effectively. Since my arrival, I have been witness to an amazing display of cooperative effort. It is not that we all agree on every issue. It is that we all work together.
Often, in my opening prayer, I include words praying for us all to sense God’s presence with us during our meetings. Last night I did so. And, as we met and discussed the various workings of our congregation, I could not help but think about 3 terms we sometimes casually bandy about when we speak about our Creator God: omniscient; omnipotent; and, omnipresent. Or, in my mental shorthand, the ‘omnis’. These are words we hear often, but how often do we really think about what they represent? They are our attempts to capture the reality of the Creator of all Creation using our very insufficient human language.
Last night, I was once again reminded of the very strong sense I always get of God’s presence when I am at church. That has been true in every church that has figured prominently in my life. In the churches of my youth, in the church where Greta and I were married, in the church where we raised our children and in every church I have served as pastor, I have felt God’s presence. Whether I am there for worship, for a committee meeting or for a social event, I feel God’s calming presence and God’s guidance surrounding and enveloping me. For me, that is one of the strongest benefits of corporate worship.
Jesus’ words from Matthew’s gospel always resound in my mind, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." For me, somehow, all of those gatherings in a church invest that sense of Jesus’ and God’s presence so strongly that even if I am the only one anywhere on the church’s property, I still feel that sense of God’s being there.
That word ‘omnipresent’ means even more. That word reminds me that anywhere I am, God is right there beside me. ANYWHERE!! EVERYWHERE!! And, whatever location immediately comes into your mind when you read this, yes, it means God is there also.
The ‘omnis’ do present us with a bit of a dilemma. We believe God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. We believe also that “1 John 4:16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” Yet, evil exists. We cannot reconcile what seems to our human minds an inconsistency. We can and must remember the words of Paul, “faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” Remember, “Jesus loves me this I know, ‘cause the Bible tells me so.”
Stay safe, be aware of God’s presence always everywhere, trust God,
Pastor Ray