Strengthening Our Spiritual Sight

In a world that no longer values Sunday morning church services the way it once did, a reason often given for non-attendance is that God can be worshipped anywhere. I can worship God in my pajamas. Which is absolutely true. God can be found on the golf course or the ski hill. God can be found at the coffee shop with friends or the breakfast table with family. Without a doubt.

But, while God is most-certainly present in all those places, I’m not sure God is always recognized at those places. Because seeing God everywhere takes effort. It takes work and commitment and intentionality. It eventually happens more routinely and effortlessly, but not without stringent training. We must discipline our spiritual vision and exercise our sacred sight. We must dedicate ourselves to being aware of God’s presence in specific and intentional ways if we ever expect to casually and naturally observe God’s presence all around. It doesn’t just happen.

Which is just one of the reasons for the significance of regular, communal worship. Finding God in the obvious places of the world—in beautiful sanctuaries with devoted Jesus followers; singing songs, praying prayers, and hearing from God’s Word—trains us to be holistic worshippers in all of life. We start easy—by gathering with our faith community on a Sunday morning to recognize God’s presence and give praise for God’s goodness—and in the process, we become more adept at seeing God everywhere.

So, the point of Sunday worship gatherings isn’t that these are the only times and places where we can find God. God is not restricted by the four walls of our buildings, but is present and powerful in all places, at all times. But these gatherings are vital for molding our spiritual muscles and training our sacred sight to be able to find God in all parts of our lives. There’s power in our worship rituals, because they prepare us to be God’s people all throughout our week, with everyone we encounter, in every place our journey leads.