A moment in time
My Sunday School class was given a task, a homework assignment, to complete this past week before returning. The assignment was to find a moment in your life where you were so blessed by God that time could stand still and you could live in that moment forever. However, I was not a good student and forgot to do my homework. So when I arrived this past week I heard stories of moments that were very important people, and most of them dealt with their children. Of course William has not yet arrived, so those moments are nonexistent for me. Then I started pondering moments in my life where I think time could have stood still and this is what came to mind:
Before I moved to Fort Worth I was the Associate Music/Associate Youth Minister at Parkway Baptist Church in Clinton, MS. Every summer we took the youth to a Student Life Youth Camp, most of the time we drove to Covenant College in Tennessee. It was a great location with a great view, so our students loved going there.
In the summer of 2003 we were once again at Covenant College. The speaker for the week was Adam Robinson, a true preacher of the Word. It was an emotional trip for me, for I knew it would be my last with this group of students, however as the week pressed on I noticed something at this camp I had not noticed before. Usually when I have attended camps there has been at least some expectancy of being transformed by God before the week ended. It was seriously lacking at this camp. You could blame it on the rockin’ music or the goth kids who were roaming around or on any other issues, but nonetheless one could tell something was desperately missing from this camp experience.
On the last night Adam Robinson, the speaker, steps onto stage and tells us he is not going to preach the sermon he had planned, instead God had moved his heart in a different direction. His topic for the night was now going to be: “Awe & Reverence,” which was quite apropos considering the previous worship times. They were filled with fun and excitement and I watched a few dance moves I had not seen before, however none of these were directed toward the Almighty.
After mentioning to us that God has given him a new message, Adam proceeds to “shuck the corn” theologically. It was not an “Osteenesque” feel good sermon. It did one thing and one thing only: It drove home to all of us that God is God and deserves Awe and Reverence, especially in worship. Rebuke is a word that is too light. Exhort is outright. The best way to describe this message was severe humbling. Not a soul in the room walked away without examining his or her heart and how they have been flippant in their relationship with their Saviour.
As great as the sermon was, it was not the moment I remembered that could last forever. That moment followed the sermon. Adam called the band back onto the stage to lead us in worship. What a difference a sermon makes. The change in the congregation was phenomenal. True awe and reverence were given to God and lives were impacted by the Almighty. Then the band stepped back from their microphones and ceased playing to direct their own hearts and affections. Then, spontaneously, someone started singing a hymn on one side of the auditorium. When that song was done another one picked up elsewhere, and so on. This spontaneous worship lasted for over an hour. It was past 11:00 at night and they needed us to go to our church group meetings, but they asked us not to stop what God was doing in our hearts. It was quite a time with God and other fellow Christians.
I have heard many worship leaders say that Heaven is going to be nothing but singing praise songs to God all day long. I will not be so bold to make such a statement; I do not know how Heaven will play out. What I do know is that it will be eternity in the presence of the Almighty. This moment I experienced is a slight hint of heaven for me. It furthers the hope of the Christian life. It reminds me there is more than this earth and its evil and persuades me to persevere and seek, wholeheartedly seek, the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I could stay in these moments forever, and one day will.
Before I moved to Fort Worth I was the Associate Music/Associate Youth Minister at Parkway Baptist Church in Clinton, MS. Every summer we took the youth to a Student Life Youth Camp, most of the time we drove to Covenant College in Tennessee. It was a great location with a great view, so our students loved going there.
In the summer of 2003 we were once again at Covenant College. The speaker for the week was Adam Robinson, a true preacher of the Word. It was an emotional trip for me, for I knew it would be my last with this group of students, however as the week pressed on I noticed something at this camp I had not noticed before. Usually when I have attended camps there has been at least some expectancy of being transformed by God before the week ended. It was seriously lacking at this camp. You could blame it on the rockin’ music or the goth kids who were roaming around or on any other issues, but nonetheless one could tell something was desperately missing from this camp experience.
On the last night Adam Robinson, the speaker, steps onto stage and tells us he is not going to preach the sermon he had planned, instead God had moved his heart in a different direction. His topic for the night was now going to be: “Awe & Reverence,” which was quite apropos considering the previous worship times. They were filled with fun and excitement and I watched a few dance moves I had not seen before, however none of these were directed toward the Almighty.
After mentioning to us that God has given him a new message, Adam proceeds to “shuck the corn” theologically. It was not an “Osteenesque” feel good sermon. It did one thing and one thing only: It drove home to all of us that God is God and deserves Awe and Reverence, especially in worship. Rebuke is a word that is too light. Exhort is outright. The best way to describe this message was severe humbling. Not a soul in the room walked away without examining his or her heart and how they have been flippant in their relationship with their Saviour.
As great as the sermon was, it was not the moment I remembered that could last forever. That moment followed the sermon. Adam called the band back onto the stage to lead us in worship. What a difference a sermon makes. The change in the congregation was phenomenal. True awe and reverence were given to God and lives were impacted by the Almighty. Then the band stepped back from their microphones and ceased playing to direct their own hearts and affections. Then, spontaneously, someone started singing a hymn on one side of the auditorium. When that song was done another one picked up elsewhere, and so on. This spontaneous worship lasted for over an hour. It was past 11:00 at night and they needed us to go to our church group meetings, but they asked us not to stop what God was doing in our hearts. It was quite a time with God and other fellow Christians.
I have heard many worship leaders say that Heaven is going to be nothing but singing praise songs to God all day long. I will not be so bold to make such a statement; I do not know how Heaven will play out. What I do know is that it will be eternity in the presence of the Almighty. This moment I experienced is a slight hint of heaven for me. It furthers the hope of the Christian life. It reminds me there is more than this earth and its evil and persuades me to persevere and seek, wholeheartedly seek, the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I could stay in these moments forever, and one day will.
posted by Madison | 11:57 AM
3 Comments:
UMMM i miss you and i am sad that we have not talked in so long. and i miss shareen too. love you!!
I remember so much about that night... and that camp. I am so very thankful that I know you, Madison Grace. I hope you're doing well. :)
Not much is better in a meeting when the Spirit takes over...it can't be scripted or programmed out. My heart's desire is for more "baptists" to experience moments like you describe. The only thing is that people have to sacrifice their control for this to happen.
Travis
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