Yesterday, for the first time since the epidemic moved leaders to close church doors for corporate worship, Carol and I participated with about 50 others in a regular Sunday worship service at our home church in Parker, Colorado.
Praise God that our church doors here are again open for worship with friends, visitors and fellow members! The singing was great, the liturgy was comforting, the Gospel of Jesus was proclaimed, the Sacrament of the Altar was joyfully received, and the service was memorable. (Government guidelines were, of course, followed.)
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one whose eyes brought tears of joy as we finally could be together again. True, it has only been three months since churches were closed, and yes, we could participate in recorded online services in our homes. But worship together with others is most beneficial, so we praise and thank God for His renewed gift to us.
Lamentations 3 tells us, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies will never come to an end; they are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness!” It is my fervent hope that we Americans will always have, and never lose, our Constitutional right to freedom of religion. It is far more precious than we realize.
As our worship concluded, we sang together, “Thank the Lord and sing His praise! Tell everyone what He has done. Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear His name! He recalls His promises and leads His people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving - Alleluia, Alleluia!”
We left there with thanksgiving that God has brought us back together. There are those in our nation and world who would close church doors forever and that would be tragic to us all. Thus, it is my fervent prayer of thanks to God, and a request that we shall always be allowed the privilege of meeting together for mutual strength and worship.
May our doors to corporate worship never again close, O Lord!
Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com
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