Monday, August 30, 2010

Dearest God,

When I awaken on Sunday morning and prepare to go to your house, happiness fills my soul. To be invited into the holy of holies, what greater joy can there be? The house of my Lord, your house, O God, where I, a sinner, less than perfect, ridden at times with doubts and/or fears am invited to dine with you, to worship and adore, to sing praise and pray, to rejoice, surrender and be fed the things of eternity. I breathe the same air as the psalmist who said, "I was glad when they said unto me, we will go into the house of the Lord."

Do we forget that your house is more than a building with folk gathering? Do we forfeit the awesomeness of your presence to have a good time with our friends? Do we surrender the sacred reality of your son whose love for us was borne out in a cross and in a new reality called the church? If we only realized and acknowledged whose house it is we enter, we your children would fall to our knees in humility and thanksgiving. To be given a place to rest our weary hearts, to confess our failures and shortcomings, to receive compassionate mercy and love from on high, what is this holy space we call church?

To be in your holy presence, O God, is life's greatest gift. To be rendered in faith a child of the living God, is there anything more beautiful? In your loving presence, dearest Father, I am allowed to visit my erring ways and see your eyes upon me. You whisper my name and I know whose I am and whose I always want to be. My sin is before me not to remain locked inside but made ready for surrender, a gentle and pure cleansing by your own spirit. My blots, my dark blots are made clean once again and I feel the purity of love that heals and holds filling me with the glorious joy of heaven.

I am
most at home
in your house,
dearest God;
where am I
more welcome?
As I
take my place
in your house,
as I begin
to sing
the song
of eternity,
I join
the angels
and saints
in singing
your praise.
Abba Father,
I give you
my greatest devotion,
for you alone
are worthy.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Yours always, Andrea