Like many of you, our family was hunkered down inside during the brutal cold temps and dangerous windchills our community experienced over the weekend. Our church’s leadership wisely decided to cancel services and classes on Sunday morning so families could stay safe and warm at home. I shudder to think of having car trouble out in the extreme cold!
A great blessing our family enjoyed (pastor families seldom get to worship sitting together) on Sunday was being able to watch a church service online together. Surrounded by frigid arctic air, we decided to head south virtually to the warmth of Texas! It was a true joy and quite edifying to join fellow, like-minded Christians worshiping and hearing God’s powerful Word and singing beautiful familiar hymns together. (A shout-out to Rev. Daniel Ruiz for a great job at Faith Lutheran, San Antonio, Texas!)
We are in the church season of Epiphany — a time when we look to Jesus as the Light of the world. He is revealed, manifested as the Savior of all people. In the Scripture lessons (I Samuel 3) we heard the Lord calling the boy Samuel during the night, and Eli the priest encouraged him to answer: “Speak, for your servant is listening.” In the Gospel (John 1) we witnessed how Jesus found and called Philip and Nathanael to follow him as his disciples, to listen to him as the Messiah promised by God.
How important it is to realize that it’s our merciful Lord who seeks us out and calls to us through his Word. By nature you and I are sinful, hostile toward God. We are unable to seek him or find him on our own. We were enemies of God.
Out of perfect unfathomable love, he comes to us and longs for us to be a part of his family. It is the Holy Spirit who powerfully works faith in our hearts through his Word and Baptism. Our Good Shepherd seeks us out — lost lambs and sheep that we are. He rescues us and graciously brings us into his fold. The same Jesus who lived a holy life in our place, who loved us so much he willingly died on the cross to pay for all our sins and failures. The only Savior who rose victorious from the grave assuring us of forgiveness, peace, life, and heaven.
What a joy it is to worship dear Jesus! How important it is, and how much our family missed being able to gather together in God’s House to hear his Word, sing his praises, and receive the Lord’s Supper.
Yet what a blessing to have online worship for those occasions when you and I are not able to leave our homes or when our job or health prevents us from attending church on a Sunday morning. What a gift to be able to see and hear your brothers and sisters in Christ through worship that is live-streamed or recorded. May the Lord bless your time spent in his Word!