Experiencing Church

I have been wondering what it is like to be a visitor at our worship services. What does someone off the street remember about being with us? What do they notice? What do they feel? What do they hear? Surely the sum total of their experience with God's people, is not the absence of a piano, no woman preacher and grape juice and crackers? Please tell me there is more! As I began thinking about this, I began praying, praying that when they walked through those doors, our visitors would truly experience church ---the kind of church God intended. As I prayed, I began to wonder what exactly God expected the "church experience" to be.
I love being with the church! Really I do! Sure I get tired sometimes and just need some alone time, and there are, at times, many demands on ministers and their wives, but generally, I love being with the church. I have been known to plan activities and host singings, etc. just so we could spend more time together. To be honest, there have been some negative experiences with church. I have known poor leaders, lazy brothers and sisters, wolves that came in trying to divide and devour. But those experiences are few and far between.
My experience with church happens both inside the building and outside, both in organized and unorganized settings. I love Sundays. Ned and I are both usually completely ready a full hour before it is time to leave---and then we pace and look at our clocks, anxious to be with our brothers and sisters. We practically run from the car into the building, no small feat in high heels. As I sit down for my class, I begin praying for the four and five year olds who will soon be arriving. I pray that they will come to love God with their entire being. I pray they will never lose their faith and always be full of courage. I pray that we will learn from each other this morning and that I will remember how important it is to love like a child. As I prepare to "march in the infantry", I smile and I want to clap my hands because I am "happy and I know it."
We sing, we pray, we cut, we color and we talk about God and His work. We talk about what it means to belong to Him. And we learn what church is all about.
When class is over, I hurriedly gather my things and walk into the auditorium. I am excited to be there. Greeting my brothers and sisters, seeing them smile, hug me and even sometimes kiss my cheek, is a wonderful way to begin worshipping together. As I welcome them all and they welcome me, I feel such a sense of peace and contentment. This is so right! This is what it should be. This is where I belong. The experience gets better and better as we share our prayer concerns and spend time talking to God together, petitioning His mercy for those we love. As the songleader steps up to announce the first hymn, my heart has already begun singing. I am excited to praise God in this way. The blending of the voices, the blending of hearts, the total harmony causes my heart to soar. I listen as God's Word is read and I am amazed how pure and true the text is, how applicable to everyday life and every Christian's walk. As we commune together over the Lord's Supper, I find my mind picturing the sacrifice, picturing the undying love on the face of a dying man. I am humbled and grateful and awed by His love.
My heart swells with pride as my husband makes his way to the podium. I whisper, "Preach the Word". I know he has been praying about this moment, praying God will place in his mouth and heart the exact words those listening need to hear. I am not worried that he will teach false doctrine for I know he is more than just my man, he is God's man. The worship service ends all too quickly and as we visit with our church family, I am thankful for the evening service because I know I want more. I am grateful for such an amazing church experience.
I have also experienced church outside the building. When my first husband was in the emergency room dying, approximately forty of my church family showed up in the ER to pray with us. Their prayers and their very presence gave me strength and courage. When I was a single mother, struggling to provide for my children, the gifts, the phone calls, the cards, even just the hugs made parenting much less daunting. The church helped raise my boys. Several men took them to do "man" things. They helped me with automotive problems and general repairs. When I decided to go back to school and get my degree, my church family rallied around me, offering encouragement and support and even help with college algebra. When I remarried, they celebrated with me. I was grateful for their example of church. Over the years I have experienced church in many ways, many places and many many times. If I chronicled all them, this post would go on and on. God has blessed me by placing me or allowing me to worship and live and work with incredible Christians. They are my family! We have laughed together often, prayed together frequently, wept together occasionally and will love each other eternally. I have realized over the years that experiencing church is more that a touchy feely subjective event, it is an everyday, every hour, every minute occurence. And until we truly experience church, we cannot understand love, we cannot truly grasp fellowship and we cannot really comprehend community. This is what I want for our visitors, this is what I want for my community, this is what I want for my world. Oh that we could all come to experience church!

Peace
Neva