Like staking a tent in the ground to give us cover, to protect us, I find myself going to the places that feel like home to ground me. They make me feel safe. They remind me who I am. At the core, isn't that all faith is? To remember? God calls the Israelites to remember the exodus, the covenant, the promise. We as Christians we remember the cross. We remember not recreate unauthentic experiences but to feel again. We remember to experience again. I return to the places where I worshiped: places where I was the one who God created me to be in the most profound ways. Wesley was one of those places in my life.
Wesley is a place for me where the worship felt like warm fuzzies and butterflies from a new relationship. I learned so much about my faith. It is where I learned what worship really was. It was where I was first led in worship. It was the place that I first felt free in worship. These are all the fun characteristics found in a growing new relationship of substance. Even though I had been a Christian for years, I began to have a real deep and lasting relationship with the Lord at Wesley.
Last night I had a different experience. It didn't feel like butterflies and giddiness. Instead I had a different feeling. Worship felt like the safety of longstanding relationship. It felt like I was leaning back, doubled over in laughter over a reminiscent story. Safe and secure and satisfied. There was history between us that no one in the room knew, but was still present. The backdrop had changed almost completely. We were in a new facility, with a new band, (all of whom were in elementary school when I started at Wesley), new chairs, and new songs. I didn't know anyone in the crowd. I know only a handful of staff, and yet it was the same. The same Spirit I had come to know there 10+ years ago still reigned. The organic nature of Spirit led worship still permeated every aspect of the service.
I was only distracted by one thing. The carpet in the Tate Center is textured and the carpet at the Wesley Chapel was not. My feet couldn't get on board with what the rest of my body was enjoying. It was a sensory memory quirk that made me smile. Praise God for the growth in numbers of those participating at Wesley while the integrity of the ministry has been maintained.
May you take note of the moments in your life when God is so near that it feels like leaning back in familiar laughter.
Soundtrack: Closer, Charlie Hall
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