I always find church attendance interesting on Mother's Day and Father's Day. On Mother's Day attendance is usually up. It seems that some husbands, who normally do not attend church, feel obligated to go on the second Sunday in May because "mom" asked them to.
Father's Day is different though. Unfortunately, the trend is that fathers' wishes are different. "It's Father's Day! I'm going to sleep in. I'm going to play golf. I'm going to watch golf." Because it's Father's Day, men sometimes feel like their reward should be a day off.
But what is that saying about church? Should church be something we need a vacation from? I hope not. Is our perception of church right when our first thought on a holiday is, "Good, I don't have to go to church today"?
And what about our eternal Father? If it's Father's Day, shouldn't our first thanks go to our perfect Father who adopted us into his everlasting, heavenly Kingdom?
This Father's Day, let us worship. Be a dad worthy of the cards and gifts you'll get by showing your kids what real, godly men do. They worship.
See you on Sunday, dads.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Prepared Praise
I was reading this morning from Matthew 21. It's the passage about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. On a donkey.
As he enters the people are gathered and shouting out praise to God: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Beautiful scene. Must have been emotional.
Obviously, this was not the reception the Pharisees wanted Jesus to have, so they were a bit ticked. It's pretty amazing. They confront Jesus after hearing children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Beautiful. It says they were indignant and that they said to Jesus, "Do you hear what these are saying?"
Here's what I got hung up on. Jesus answers, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise'?" I happened to be reading in the NLT which reads, "You have taught children and infants to give you praise.'"
That's what hit me. God has prepared praise from little children. Jesus said (quoting Psalm 8) that He has prepared praise from children and infants. He has taught them to give praise.
As a pastor I work hard to teach people praise. Praise that the Father seeks. Praise that comes from true worshippers, those who worship the Father in spirit and truth.
But I'm also a father, the pastor of my home. And I wonder if I am working as hard to teach my children to praise, the way the Father seeks? God has prepared them for praise. Have I? Am I getting in the way of what God has prepared?
I want to be a catalyst for the kind of praise that God has already prepared my children, and even infants, to proclaim.
As he enters the people are gathered and shouting out praise to God: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Beautiful scene. Must have been emotional.
Obviously, this was not the reception the Pharisees wanted Jesus to have, so they were a bit ticked. It's pretty amazing. They confront Jesus after hearing children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Beautiful. It says they were indignant and that they said to Jesus, "Do you hear what these are saying?"
Here's what I got hung up on. Jesus answers, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise'?" I happened to be reading in the NLT which reads, "You have taught children and infants to give you praise.'"
That's what hit me. God has prepared praise from little children. Jesus said (quoting Psalm 8) that He has prepared praise from children and infants. He has taught them to give praise.
As a pastor I work hard to teach people praise. Praise that the Father seeks. Praise that comes from true worshippers, those who worship the Father in spirit and truth.
But I'm also a father, the pastor of my home. And I wonder if I am working as hard to teach my children to praise, the way the Father seeks? God has prepared them for praise. Have I? Am I getting in the way of what God has prepared?
I want to be a catalyst for the kind of praise that God has already prepared my children, and even infants, to proclaim.
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