I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. Psalm 89:1-2
I was so nervous. I looked up at her for reassurance as she smiled back at me and gave a nod. This was a big decision and one I had to make alone. Once again, I heard him say, "Is today the day you welcome Jesus into your heart?" I stood up, stepped out of the pew, and walked towards my pastor. This was the memory that came to mind when I heard the truck pull up. I walked towards the door and was met by my son. He smiled and I burst into tears. Was it the church pew I grew up sitting on every Sunday with my grandmother? Was it the pew that I wiggled in until I was pinched to be still. Was it the pew I would walk from when I accepted Christ, and the pew that my family sat in when I said "I do"?
I remember when I found out the church doors were closing. My son was a youth minister there and it was hard hearing the news that it would no longer exist... but there was hope! Instead of becoming a corner gas station, the church would be occupied by another church family. They had great ideas of how to meet the needs of their growing congregation while meeting the needs of the community. The congregation decided that the main sanctuary would need a face lift and the pews would have to be removed. I received a text from a lifelong member of the church that watched me grow up there, and she asked if I wanted one of the pews. I couldn't type "YES!!!" fast enough! I thanked her and added that I would love the second pew from the front on the left and she said she didn't know if it had already been claimed but she would do what she could to tag it for me. I knew there was no guarantee but I hoped it hadn't been claimed already. Receiving it would be the best tangible gift anyone could ever give me, so I found myself holding my breath but also very grateful. I was thankful to be considered to receive a pew but was soooo hoping and praying it would be the one I sat in with my grandmother. I didn't have any of her belongings, and while the pew never belonged to her, it held a special place in my heart. I was moved and overwhelmed with emotions when my son opened the door, pointed to the pew, and said, "second pew on the left. It's yours."
You may be wondering what this has to do with week four of advent? Well, I cannot think about the love of Christ without thinking about the display of love in that small church on that Sunday that I gave my life to Him, along with all the Sundays before and since. Love called my Aunt Carrie and many others to build the church. Love opened the doors, sat us down, and taught us all about God's love for us. Love moved mothers to volunteer in the nursery and VBS, and love moved fathers to pull us around on fall hayrides and repair the ramp on the side of the church to accommodate our aging congregation. Love was spoken there with every prayer. Love opened the hymnals and moved us to worship. Love was crying together. Love was the back pew packed with teenagers, shoulder to shoulder, laughing together. Love united us. I remember one night in particular that our prayers brought us together, the children of Gracewood -- we heard about a church member's brother (a teen) being badly injured in an ATV accident. The other children in the hand puppet ministry and I stood together in a circle, hand in hand, and we prayed for him. We cried for him and his family as we hugged and held his sister as she wept. She was scared but we surrounded her with love and assured her that we were there for her. We praised God with them when he survived. Through the years, we mourned together as we buried our loved ones, we celebrated weddings, and held baby showers in the social hall. It was love that brought us all together...the love of a Savior who conquered death for us. A love so strong that it broke hell in two and rescued us from death. A love that will bring us home again, no matter where we are and what church we attend. We are all family united by the love of God.
As I sit here looking at the pew in my living room, my heart is full! It isn't the pew that brings me to tears, it's the love it represents for me, my family, and my church family. So, as we celebrate and remember the love of God this week, let's lift one another up in prayer and thank Him for His love!
"Saints, before the alter bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn king."
Additional Scripture:
Psalm 89:1-1-4, 19-26
Micah 5:2-5a
Titus 3:3-8
Luke 1:39-55
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