I didn't go to church this morning, due to reasons of physical health (in other words, I felt miserable). And yet in the midst of two weeks of feeling miserable, and two weeks of missing out on the fellowship of church, I've realized a few things for which I'm thankful.
Firstly, I'm thankful that even when I can't manage to go and sit through the service, I can still hear the sermon online. Yes, I spend most of this morning lying on the couch feeling alternately sort of okay and really crummy. But I got to listen to the words of the psalms as they were sung, and to Noah's preaching as he brought home important points from Peter's words. I missed out on the communal aspect of worship, but at least some of it was there. And after missing last week entirely, it was refreshing to hear God's word preached.
And that brings me to the next thing I'm thankful for - the fact that I actually have a desire to worship and hear God's word. That's a big deal for me, because for several years, that wasn't the case at all. At that point, missing two weeks of church would have been the norm, rather than something that made me long to feel better so I could get back to worshiping together with my church family. It wasn't that I loved my church family less back then (they were the folks I'd grown up with, and some of my very best friends). It wasn't that my church was somehow deficient (it wasn't perfect, but neither is my church now...). I was just really struggling with my faith, and church was about the last place I wanted to be. I've come quite a ways in the years since then, and I'm really grateful that God has renewed my desire to worship him and hear his word preached, and also helped me realize that even when I don't feel like it, I should do it anyway.
Lastly, I'm thankful for a church where the preaching is sound. I grew up on sound preaching (although it was less enthusiastic than Noah's preaching...), and really struggled when we had difficulty finding a good church in NJ. After enduring unsound preaching for several months, it's really amazing to know for sure every Sunday that God's word will be preached, faithfully.
In short, I'm really glad for Enid Reformed Church - for the preaching and the community. And I'm glad that I can be glad about church, even when life isn't always so great.
