Devotion
One
Sunday morning the organist was changing her shoes so she could play,
and I changed into my dress shoes, and I was reminded of a Sunday morning
when I forgot to change my shoes. Midway through the service, I was
sitting in front pew with a guest speaker, and I noticed I was
wearing my Crocs. Now Crocs are comfy, they have arch support and
they are cushioned and they are very popular with folks who are on
their feet all day, like chefs and nurses. But the 'old school' ones
are just about the ugliest things ever created. And this being
wintertime, my Crocs had salty smudges from the parking lot and some
other yuck on them...and I groaned to see them still on my feet
during the service. And my guest speaker whispered, “it's
worship..not Broadway”.
What
a great saying! “It's
worship..not Broadway”. I have said that to myself a few..no
several, even many times since. This morning I was reminded of a quote
from a prayer by Thomas Merton, who said, “But I believe that the
desire to please you does in fact please you.”
If
we bring our best to worship, and all that we do as pastors, through
the bedside visits, with the mother of the bride, the meetings, the late night
phone call, and oh yes, our home lives....if we remember to say that
quick prayer “Lord help me” and we really do try to please God
-then I believe we do please God, even when/if things are messing up
all around us. And God will guide us.
“My
Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road
ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I
really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following
your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe
that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I
have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do
anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you
will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in
the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and
you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”
―Thomas
Merton, Thoughts in Solitude
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