Well, there's no sermon today because I'm on holiday in Seattle. And while I'm on holiday, I don't go to church. Some people get shocked by that, but I think it's important to take a break from church sometimes, not just for clergy but for everybody. It's good to be reminded that worship isn't just restricted to the domain of the religious institutions. Look at what happened to the Israelites when they were convinced that the only place to worship God was in the Temple. When the Temple was destroyed, it took them years to recover.
So I think it helps us to conceive of God in different ways when we worship in different settings. This morning, for instance, my worship took place as I was standing at the window watching a Great Blue Heron against the backdrop of the sunrise over Lake Washington. It wasn't a conscious worship, but thinking about it in connection with God connects me with God in a way that worshipping in a building with four walls and no windows can't.
So, yeah, church is important, blah, blah, blah, but it's not the only way to be with God on a Sunday morning. After all, Christians proclaim God as Emmanuel - God-with-us - and more importantly as God-come-down-to-be-with-us. Which means that God is with us where we are, whether we're in church or not. Worship is simply a matter of being aware of it and thanking God for it.
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