Wherever We Worship

<p>Intense pain and a debilitating headache prevented me from attending services with my local church family . . . <em>again</em>. Grieving the loss of community worship, I watched an online sermon. At first, complaints soured my experience. The poor sound and video quality distracted me. As I wrestled with my frustrations, a voice on the video warbled a familiar hymn. Tears flowed as I sang: &ldquo;Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart. Naught be all else to me save that Thou art. Thou my best thought, by day or by night. Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.&rdquo; Focusing on the gift of God&rsquo;s constant presence, I worshiped Him while sitting in my living room.</p> <p>While Scripture affirms the vital, essential nature of corporate worship (Hebrews 10:25), God&rsquo;s not bound within the walls of a church building. During Jesus&rsquo; chat with the Samaritan woman at the well, He defied all expectations of the Messiah (John 4:9). Instead of condemnation, Jesus spoke truth and loved her as she stood next to that well (v. 10). He revealed His intimate and sovereign knowledge of His children (vv. 17&shy;&ndash;18). Proclaiming His deity, Jesus declared that the Holy Spirit evoked true worship from the hearts of God&rsquo;s people, not from a specific physical location (v. 23).</p> <p>When we focus on who God is, what He&rsquo;s done, and all He&rsquo;s promised, we can rejoice in His constant presence as we worship Him with other believers, in our living rooms . . . everywhere!</p>