One Sunday, the pastor of a church in Florida gathered the children in front of the altar for a children's message. He began by asking the question, "What does the word 'holy' mean?"
After a short pause, a little girl raised her hand. She answered, "Being holy means that you do what your mother asked you to do the first time!"
Children's messages are just one of the reasons I love being in church on Sunday. You never know what priceless answers you just might get to one of your questions.
But the main reason I love being in the Lord's house on Sunday is because this is the place where we encounter our gracious and merciful God.
David says as much in Psalm 27:4 - One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; 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 seek Him in His temple.
In Psalm 84, a choir sings - Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere.
As the pilgrims made their way to the Temple during times of religious celebration, they would sing - I rejoiced with those who said to me: "Let us go to the house of the Lord." (Psalm 122:1)
Not only is the Lord present in His house, He showers His people with rich gifts of grace - His Word of forgiveness, His very body and blood, in, with and under the bread and wine of Holy Communion, the rich renewal of the Holy Spirit who comes to each of us in the Gospel.
I pray that every time you approach the doors of your church, you breath a silent word of praise - I love the house where You live, O Lord, the place where Your glory dwells! (Psalm 26:8)
