The Sweetness of Coming Home

     There is nothing like the sweetness of coming home again after being away for a vacation or some other event.  No bed feels softer, no food tastes better and no surroundings seem as welcoming as those of our own home. The same can also be said for our spiritual home.

     Over this past year, many of us found ourselves separated from our church homes due to the Pandemic.  We could, of course, watch services online, but it was not the same as being there in person.  Just within this past month my husband and I finally had the chance to return to in person worship. There are no words to describe the great joy we felt being with other saints, hearing the Word of God proclaimed, and singing the hymns of our faith. Yes, we could watch all of that take place online, but the intimacy of the worship experience is missing on the screen. The Psalmist was correct when he wrote these words pertaining to God's House:  "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness"(Psalm 84:10). Sadly, it is often true that we do not realize the blessings we possess until they are taken from us.  While the virus could not take our faith away, it did manage to keep us from meeting together for a while.

     Indeed, King David loved to be in the House of the Lord and expressed this in Psalm 27:4:  "One thing I have asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple." How precious these words are in light of how long we were away from the House of the Lord!  A year seems like forever. The worst part has been the inability to partake in the Lord's Supper.

     Unfortunately, with recent surgery, I am now homebound for a time and will once again, miss this meal of grace along with the celebration of Easter in person. Truly, absence does make the heart grow fonder.

     This past weekend, we watched a church service online as they received new members.  Among the people being received, many were students and younger elementary aged children.  My heart burst with joy as I saw these new believers come into the fellowship of the church, and tears streamed down my cheeks.  Did they realize how blessed they were to be together in person?  I pray they never lose that desire for fellowship.  Then, when the church celebrated the Lord's Supper, I prayed for that time when we will also be able to join in once again in remembrance of our Savior's sacrifice for us.

     Having gone through this Pandemic has not been easy for any of us, but of this I am certain, we must never take for granted the ability to worship the Lord together and to take to heart the admonition found in Hebrews 10:24-25: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."  Yes, the Day of His return will come, and we will be ready when we remain in fellowship in the House of the Lord.  Selah!   Have a blessed Easter for HE IS RISEN!