Pastor David's Monthly Message

Dear Disciples of Jesus, “For this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 Every day is a gift from God—one worth rejoicing in and finding cause for joy. At Trinity Emmanuel we have the opportunity to remember this as we proclaim this verse each Sunday at the beginning of our worship experience. I want to share a few thoughts about worship and a concern I have that troubles me. We gather together in worship to honor the One who has given us life, sustains life and who one day we will spend our eternal life with. In our fragmented and fractured world, which pulls us in numerous directions and exposes us to countless influences and pressures, it is very easy to loose sight of who we are, what life is all about and to whom we belong. Worship has the potential to draw us back once again to God where we regain that sense of who we are and see a bit more clearly what life is about as we are open to the Holy Spirit who draws us to Himself. Worship is extremely important if we are to sense the presence of God’s Spirit in our lives. Worship is a way to intentionally reach out to the God who is always reaching out to us. I am concerned that, more and more, it would appear that for many, worship is becoming less and less important. It has become just one of many activities in a too busy lifestyle that can easily get pushed aside for a multitude of reasons. Have we come to the place where worship of God has no more prominence or significance in one’s life than the many other activities that compete for our time? When we look at our schedules and the choices we must make, has it become easy to push worship aside? How we act and how we choose to spend our time; speaks of what is important and what is not important to us. Life requires us to make choices. We make those choices in regards to what we value and what we determine is needed to give our lives the meaning we desire them to have. During this season of Lent, I would like to encourage all of us to reexamine our attitudes regarding worship and its importance in our faith journeys. May worship be an opportunity where we expect God to touch our hearts and move our spirits and open our minds to his Spirit. May this be our prayer and our solemn desire. “Come, now is the time to worship Come, now is the time to give your heart Come, just as you are to worship Come, just as you are before your God Come.” (Song - “Come, Now Is The Time To Worship” by Brian Doerksen) Thanks be to God!