"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the
east and have come to worship him. (asked by some foreign wise men)" (Matt 2:2
NIV)
We had made a detour from Fussen, in Bavaria, Germany, to visit the renowned
Klosterkirche (monastery) in Oberammergau. We arrived just as the evening
service was beginning, and rather than disturb this assembly of the saints, we
decided to explore the gardens. It soon became apparent, however, that we were
the only tourists who worried about disturbing the service, and when the rest
entered the cathedral in droves, we finally joined them.
It wasn't hard to find seats, for the huge cathedral was 95% empty, and because
I couldn't understand the service anyway (It was all conducted in German, and as
far as I was concerned, it might as well have been conducted in Chinese!), my
eyes strayed to the lavish works of art surrounding me.
As if on cue, those of us who were tourists jumped up as soon the service was
over. We quickly took out our secret weapons, our cameras, out of hiding, and
started shooting. The fact that I was having problems taking pictures due to the
lack of adequate lighting didn't deter me in the least. I just kept on snapping
my camera. However, even the myriads of pictures we took didn't do justice to
the beauty around us.
All of a sudden I heard a loud "Ahum". I turned slowly towards the exit door,
and saw the priest impatiently waiting for us to leave the sanctuary so that he
could lock its doors.
Not exactly a warm welcome, if you know what I mean! In hurrying us out of the
cathedral, hadn't the priest missed a potential opportunity to share his faith
with the visitors?
But before I could think about that, guilt began to creep into my own heart. I
been so taken up with the beauty of the building that I had completely forgotten
to worship the One who made this beauty possible! I had missed an opportunity to
commune with the Lover of my soul amidst this utter beauty! I had missed the
point with my visit to this monastery!
How often don't we attend church with a backpack of problems to contemplate? Or
perhaps a plastic bag full of our week's accomplishments to admire? How often
are our hearts really into the praise service? How often do we listen to what is
being said? Are we possibly missing the point of why we attend church? Isn't it
about spending time with our Maker and Saviour? About savouring the little bit
of time we spend together? Isn't it about thanking Him profusely for His
abundant help and wise guidance that He gives us so generously throughout the
week?
Or is it possible that we didn't even take the time to contemplate how many
times He has come through for us?
Do we even have an inkling of David's longing for God?
"I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your
wings." (Ps 61:4 NIV)
Nothing is more thrilling than to realize that we are indeed in the presence of
God. When we fully realize this privilege, we can't stop ourselves from falling
to our knees and worshiping Him instead of ourselves! After all, He is, indeed,
the Lover of our souls!
Shouldn't Christmas be a time for us to worship our Saviour as well? Let's learn
from the wise men of the East! Let's stop missing the point.
"Ahum! Guys, I really need to lock these doors!"
"But, but, but…"
Why are we really here?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.