Friday, January 25, 2008
Anticipation
As the Florida High School baseball season (yes, I know, we were just camping out in the 30’s) approaches and my son plays his senior season, I grasp and hold on to rituals that I once thought would have no end. One of those rituals is leaving school as quickly as I can to watch my son at practice.
Our field may be one of the best in all of Florida when it comes to high school baseball fields. For baseball aficionados that in of itself might be worth the trip. For me there is a certain rhythm of life that occurs in my visits. As I drive up there’s certain anticipation on my part as I look to see where Steven is. In his freshman and sophomore years my gaze was affixed to the larger Varsity players due to Steven being one of the smaller guys on the field and in the hopes that he would make the Varsity.
In fact one of the dads of a freshman was talking to me yesterday and he spoke about how strong Steven appeared now and how he was hitting “some bombs” (that would be homeruns for any non-baseball jargon types) in practice. He then commented that his son (freshman) needed to grow and get strong like Steven. In a milli-second my mind flashed back (cue the theme from the T.V. show “Kung Fu”) to Steven’s freshman year where I’m sure I made the same comment. Before I could comment another Dad said, “Your son is a freshman and Steven is a senior. Be patient.”
I guess that’s the second dynamic that occurs at our field, the dads. We huddle together and discuss everything from our sons, the game, and even politics. There is a lot of laughter and kidding as well as unannounced hopes, especially in the eyes of the freshman and sophomore dads. I know, I’ve been there.
I wonder if our churches have the same dynamic. Is there “anticipation” on our part as we drive up to the “field” or in our cases, our buildings? When was the last time I drove up into our church parking lot with an anticipation of what God might do in our worship?
I love our church because I’m sure we have the second dynamic – folks gathering together, talking, laughing, and sharing. In fact we were talking about expanding our foyer which is small for a building our size. Then someone noted that what usually takes place in a foyer of a church takes place in our auditorium – fellowship.
Got to go family and remember, let’s all anticipate God moving in our worship this Sunday.
Our field may be one of the best in all of Florida when it comes to high school baseball fields. For baseball aficionados that in of itself might be worth the trip. For me there is a certain rhythm of life that occurs in my visits. As I drive up there’s certain anticipation on my part as I look to see where Steven is. In his freshman and sophomore years my gaze was affixed to the larger Varsity players due to Steven being one of the smaller guys on the field and in the hopes that he would make the Varsity.
In fact one of the dads of a freshman was talking to me yesterday and he spoke about how strong Steven appeared now and how he was hitting “some bombs” (that would be homeruns for any non-baseball jargon types) in practice. He then commented that his son (freshman) needed to grow and get strong like Steven. In a milli-second my mind flashed back (cue the theme from the T.V. show “Kung Fu”) to Steven’s freshman year where I’m sure I made the same comment. Before I could comment another Dad said, “Your son is a freshman and Steven is a senior. Be patient.”
I guess that’s the second dynamic that occurs at our field, the dads. We huddle together and discuss everything from our sons, the game, and even politics. There is a lot of laughter and kidding as well as unannounced hopes, especially in the eyes of the freshman and sophomore dads. I know, I’ve been there.
I wonder if our churches have the same dynamic. Is there “anticipation” on our part as we drive up to the “field” or in our cases, our buildings? When was the last time I drove up into our church parking lot with an anticipation of what God might do in our worship?
I love our church because I’m sure we have the second dynamic – folks gathering together, talking, laughing, and sharing. In fact we were talking about expanding our foyer which is small for a building our size. Then someone noted that what usually takes place in a foyer of a church takes place in our auditorium – fellowship.
Got to go family and remember, let’s all anticipate God moving in our worship this Sunday.
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One of the things I love about the ZOE conference is getting that fellowship/worship all weekend instead of just on Sunday. Our churches sound very similar. Sometimes it's hard to get people to quiet down and often that's okay!
There is always a Sunday anticipation ... will the sermon be long or short? How many songs? Will the communion devotional be right on or will it drag on and on and on? Can we do without all the announcements, just one Sunday? How many spelling errors will be in the bulletin? Where will we eat lunch? Can I stay awake? "Going to church" is filled with anticipation!! :)
Great challenge for each one of us as Christians. Imagine what would happen if everyone went to church with this attitude?! Wow. Thank you so much for this great post. I hope you have wonderful weekend.
In Him,
Kinney Mabry
In Him,
Kinney Mabry
Ignoring Greg's thoughts, the shared love you mention and the excitement of being together in the Lord are wonderful witnesses to what God is doing and to what we all desire to experience.
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