September 13, 2020
When you go online and look up images of awe, you usually see pictures of children. Adults have more experience with things in the world, so a starry night, or a budding blossom isn’t new like it is to a child. Grown-ups can have a sense of wonder when they have new experiences, or watch a child exploring their world.
But there’s a sense of spiritual awe too. The Bible mentions powerful moments that blow people’s minds: The flood waters receding from Noah’s Ark. The dry land when Moses parted the Red Sea. The sight of Jesus, alive after the resurrection. The tongues of flame seen at Pentecost.
Acts reminds us that the early church was in awe. It brought them together as believers, motivated their worship and praise to God, and made them take action to help the community around them.
That sense of awe can enter our lives too. Consider what Job did when he lost everything. He didn’t give up. As weird as it seems, the Bible says Job “tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship” (Job 1:20). As horrible as his experience was, Job did not call out curses at God for what happened to him.
Even in terrible circumstances, we can still come together to help each other. We can keep praising God. We can support one another.
This Sunday is special, because as a church, we met again for the first time since March or April. We met outdoors and we all wore masks. We sat in chairs we brought in our cars, and we kept each family group about 6 feet from every other family group. Everyone took communion using the prepackaged individual “servings” to help avoid spreading germs.
As covid-19 continues to be a risk, we will not meet in person again until two weeks from today.
Do not lose your sense of awe and become jaded by the world. It can be tough, but with a family of believers by your side, you are not alone. We praise God because he still gives us reasons to be in awe of him. We encourage you to continue praising God.