Your Presence Matters

We live in a culture that has never been more connected. You can instantly talk to someone on the other side of the world, and yet we also are marked right now by being the most lonely and feeling alone. Generations in all of history. Right? Distats. And the sociologists call this attendance drifts. We would almost rather talk to someone through a screen than have the sit-down, face-to-face interaction. It almost seems optional. [00:02:38] (36 seconds)  #ConnectedButAlone

And yet, what happens is that next week becomes the week after that and the week after that. And eventually, this habit of presence becomes this memory of being involved and active and all the time here. [00:04:30] (15 seconds)  #HabitOfPresence

He tore the curtain both in a literal sense and a spiritual sense that once served as this barrier that said, you can come close, but not that close. And now that curtain is pulled back and we can step into his presence, which would have been radical and revolutionary for the first century church. [00:07:25] (22 seconds)  #CurtainTorn

Let us draw near is written in the tense that says, keep on coming close. And so every time that we gather for worship, every time we pray, every time we come to the Lord's table, we are drawing near again. And as we draw near to him, we are shaped and formed more into his image. [00:09:05] (26 seconds)  #BringItToGod

Worship, gathering together, trains our hearts to trust the one who is faithful. Right? We recall his promises and the times that he has showed up in the past, and we remind ourselves that he is the one who continues to make a way. He continues to shape us and meet needs and respond to our situations. [00:11:05] (27 seconds)  #FormedInFaith

The author reminds us that ultimately this full assurance of faith, this confidence that you have, is not just developed and yours, but it's built from the community. Because as the community comes together, we're able to, to survive and persevere together, because none of us has the strength to persevere through life's challenges in isolation. [00:12:51] (26 seconds)  #EncourageEachOther

Our presence has power, because it lifts one another up. And sometimes all someone needs to keep going is to know that they're not alone. And so for us, as the body of Christ, when we show up, when we are present together in worship, we strengthen each other's faith, because we are reminded that we are not alone, that we are in this together. [00:15:24] (26 seconds)  #ImpactByPresence

We show up and worship, not out of guilt, not out of to earn anything, but to be filled and formed and shaped into more of who that God has created us to, so that we can see and sense our identity, that we can be reminded of who we are in Christ, and that we can be filled so that when we step into the meetings on Wednesday afternoons when we're tired and at a loss, that we are still carrying His presence mindfully in a way that says, I want to bless others. [00:19:22] (33 seconds)  #PresenceWithPurpose

Your presence matters to God because he delights when his children draw near to him. Your presence matters for you because it's where you are shaped and formed and you're encouraged and you're strengthened and you're able to withstand the difficulties of life because you're connected to the family. And then it matters to others because through you, people get to experience God's goodness and God's presence. And you get to encourage one another and build each other up to do all and fulfill their purpose that God has given them. Because when you show up, God shows up through you. [00:22:48] (43 seconds)  #PresenceMattersToAll