This is a fun new meme hosted by Jamie. She posts the video and the lyrics on Friday and by Monday, we post whatever it has prompted in us. Very thought provoking!
The song says Sunday morning is one of the loneliest feeling times there is. I agree that it can be. If someone has been raised in a Christian tradition of any kind in which Sunday was the day of worship, the claim the Lord places on you goes deep. And even if you enjoy the extra time you have on Sunday by missing church (or the extra sleep), there’s still some seed of discontent that harkens back to the early training.
Humans were made to worship God. Sunday is the day we have elected as His people to draw together and worship him corporately. If someone was raised in that tradition and belief, and has fallen away, Sunday morning might just be one of the saddest, loneliest times there is. People normally don’t miss what they’ve never had.
The songwriter appeals to our shared positive memories – the smell of fried chicken for Sunday dinner, a daddy swinging his little girl, Sunday School voices raised in song. He seems to yearn for that day and time in his life when he would have been part of Sunday morning activities such as these. But then he misses the whole point of Sunday morning and the message being taught in the churches by walking away and continuing to feel lonely.
You don’t have to keep walking away and feeling like you don’t belong! Sure, His people are not always as welcoming or loving as the new attendee wants. We get that wrong sometimes. But you shouldn’t let imperfect people determine your relationship with the Creator of the universe! Instead recognize that the reason Sunday morning resonates in your soul with loneliness is because He is calling you back to Him.
Do I believe that to know of God one must be a Christian? No, I don’t. I believe God reveals Himself to all people in many ways. Certainly through his Word, the Bible, but also through Creation which sings His name and praises. So the recognition of who God is does not belong solely to Christians. And in fact, no matter what tradition someone comes from, once they recognize that God is the Creator, they should be compelled to seek Him in all ways, including studying His Scripture.
Do I believe that to experience God fully, in the way that He has offered us freely, one must become a Christian? Well, Scripture teaches that there is only one way to accomplish that -- through faith in Jesus Christ as our savior. And whether or not the songwriter knows that, I think he’s yearning for that feeling of belonging in the safest, most loving environment he ever knew. And the safest, most loving environment possible is the presence of God. How do you get there? By faith in Jesus Christ. John 3:16
5 comments:
That is a beautiful tribute to the Christianity that should be in effect all the time. Thank you for taking part.
Enjoyed the read on this. Well done my friend :)
I surely can relate to your thoughts. I am having a very difficult time finding a worship experience in which I can feel comfortable out here in California. Although the same words are "on the door," I am having difficulty finding comfort with the people who worship at the different places I have visited. I feel a sense of fake-ness from them. I keep saying that some day I will find a place of worship, but at the moment I have stopped looking.
Jamie, thanks! Even as I came home from church I wondered whether I'd been the encourager today!
Thom, glad you enjoyed it. Have you read "Riding the Bus With My Sister?" I think of it with you all the time. Your route must give you lots of human stories!
Carol, don't give up looking. It's out there somewhere. In the meantime, you can worship by just experiencing His presence taking a walk and seeing his signature in the trees, rocks, flowers, small children, . . .
This is a beautiful, well written post. I spent years struggling with a feeling of incompleteness -- as if something important were missing from my week. No matter how much I accomplished or how many activities I put in, there was a void. My return to weekly worship filled that void completely. Now I only experience that emptiness if I fail to make time in my week for God.
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