where do you find God?

 


Last night's episode of "60 Minutes" had a segment on Pope Benedict's blessing of a huge Church (this was from several years ago) and the story detailed how wonderful this building was.
Well, yes, the building was beautiful, but the segment failed to mention one thing. The building is NOT the Church. The people who worship in that building are who the Church really is.
Sounds confusing, but it really isn't.
You see, it does NOT matter what type of building you worship in. It can be the most grand cathedral...or it can be a sod house in the middle of a prarie. It can be a movie theatre (some do rent out space to denominations who need a place to worship until they can fund a building of their own) or it can be the great outdoors under sunny blue skies.

"Where two or three are gathered in My Name...I am there." ~ Jesus

The beauty of a building can be a source of inspiration, but it is not, nor should it be, the main focus of worship. It is the people within a church. As Pope Francis was quoted to have said, " A parish that is focused only on being well organized and keeping members who think and live like they do runs the risk of becoming sick. Think about a room closed up for a very long time. When someone finally enters, there is an odor and nothing feels right." While Jesus stands at the door and knocks, trying to get into people's hearts and lives, there is a possibility that He is shut up inside that parish, trying to get out."

The church (whatever denomination it may be) is called to be a light to the world. Yet I have seen more judgmental folks INSIDE of it...who SAY they put on the armor of Christ, but for whatever reason, choose to leave it behind when they leave...as if to say, "see you in seven days!" My friends, this is not right. You need to wear that armor and wear it proudly! Show others by your intentions that you belong not of this world, but of the place in which religious prosperity is promoted for all people. Why? Because that man or woman is a child of God. Like a tree, we are known by our fruits. We are to be a fruit that is in season. Not withered away, but ripe, vibrant, alive! What point dos it make if you give to your church...yet you cannot give out of the goodness of your heart to your own brother or sister? I know of someone who did just that. He bragged about how he gave his church between two and six THOUSAND dollars per month...yet his own sister lived in poverty! His reasoning was that he didn't want to set a precedent by giving her money. "That would be enabling her to come to depend on me," he said.
How sad! He missed out on the fact that "when you take care of the least of Me...you take care of Me." ~Jesus

Quite similar to putting on an expensive shirt just to hide a festering sore. It may look good on the outside...but it sure can be misery underneath.
Today think about how you see God. Is it in the whisper of aspen leaves on a sunny day? Is it in the first birdsong of morning? Is it in the poor that you see on the street corner? God is there...He is in all of us....you just need to see Him, let Him enter your heart....and then spread that Love to all you meet!