Something’s Missing
Many people keep their Christmas tree up until Epiphany. Traditionally, that’s either January 6th, or the first Sunday in the New Year. Epiphany is a feast day that commemorates the visit of the Magi. However, I like to keep the tree up longer – giving the Magi time to safely travel back home too (that’s a joke).
All that to say that I didn’t get my tree down until the last Saturday in January this year. As fate would have it, it was snowing as we took the tree down. And it continued to snow all night long. In fact, it snowed so much that church was cancelled the next morning.
As I walked into our living room that Sunday morning, I couldn’t help but feel the tremendous void where the tree had stood for nearly two months. The room looked and felt so incredibly empty. It just didn’t feel right.
I mentioned this occurring on a rare Sunday when I was home because I got that same, empty, “something’s not right” feeling about not being at church. I had my regular quiet time. I read from God’s Word and I prayed. Those were good things. But they are also “everyday” things for me. Something was still missing.
Having completed my time with God, I turned on the TV. After about 15 minutes, I asked aloud, “Do people really choose to watch this stuff every Sunday instead of going to church where they can worship God together?”
Please don’t misunderstand. It’s ok to miss an occasional Sunday. Life happens. We get sick; out of town family members may need our help; we need vacations to get away from it all. But then we need to get back. Just as the absence of my tree left a hole in my living room, there’s a hole in your heart that can only be filled by the people of God.
This is not intended to guilt anyone into anything. It’s an invitation to explore the many wonderful benefits of being an active part of a loving church family. Each of us is a light on a tree; it’s simply more beautiful when we’re all present and plugged in! –Dave
“In the great throng of worshipers I will praise him.” (Psalm 109:30)
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