Experience God’s love

A clergy friend of mine quoted a recent Barna study that revealed that 48 percent of Christians in the United States had not experienced God in church in the past year.

I have to tell you that my heart breaks when I read that.

Now don't get me wrong. I know what it is like to go to a worship service and just not experience the presence of God. The truth is that I have led some worship services that I did not really experience God. Now I know God was present because others experienced God. But for me, it was what some would call a dry run.

I would never be presumptuous to say that it was God's fault or even other's fault. If we have to find fault, I would have to confess it would probably me my fault. Maybe I was distracted or tired. It is tragic that when this happens (and it does happen) we try to blame the music, the preacher, the usher, the dog (did you know that in NYC they allow people to bring their dogs to church as long as they stay contained?) and the list goes on.

But what does it means when an entire year passes with no God experience?

Because of our free will, we can keep God out of our lives. We can be in the right place at the right time only to keep God at a safe distance. Experiencing God means giving up control. It is like handing over the remote control to the TV to someone else. It means yielding. It means opening ourselves to a force that will recreate us from the inside out. It means letting God on the inside of our skin. Scary stuff if you ask me.

But with God we are safe. God is not the critical parent waiting to punish us. God is not to be seen as saying, "I told you so…" God's love is constant as the air you breathe. God's always waiting to love you and me unconditionally—even on dry runs.

As a pastor, I am keenly aware of God's presence in worship. Every Sunday, and I mean every, I see people weeping in worship. Now it is not a public weeping or wailing. It is quiet tears of joy and sorrow mixed together. Sometimes as I sing, pray, or preach, MY eyes are filled with tears. You see, the experience of God is an awesome experience. It is overwhelming. It is never about me, always about God.

If you are a part of the 48 percent, find a place where you experience God. Quit rote worship. Just quit.

Find a holy place where God finds you. And you experience God's everlasting love. It will change your life.

Pray for me as I pray for you.