Tune My Heart

One of my favorite hymns over the years has been "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing". As I played it for church recently, I got to thinking about its words which were penned by Robert Robinson in the 1700s. Whether or not you're familiar with these words, they bear reading again:

Come, Thou Fount of ev'ry blessing, 

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing, 

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above; 

Praise the mount --I'm fixed upon it--

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer-- 

Hither by Thy help I'm come; 

And I hope by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger, 

Wand'ring from the fold of God;

He to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee;

Prone to wander-- Lord, I feel it--

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart-- O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

Our hearts need to be "tuned" to sing of God's goodness. After all, if the only thing we had to praise God for was our salvation from sin and an eternity in His presence, we still would have enough to keep us busy praising Him every moment of our lives. 

Charles Spurgeon once said, "God is so good that every moment of His love demands a lifetime of praise."* God's goodness is what, as Robinson wrote in his hymn, binds our wandering hearts to God. We are prone to leave Him, to get distracted and wander off spiritually. But the remembrance of His goodness to us should bring us right back to His feet, hearts tuned to sing His praise. 

Romans 2:4 states that "the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance". When we consider God's goodness, we are naturally led to a deeper realization of just how far short we fall in comparison. A heart tuned to sing God's praise is a grateful heart, but also a humble heart that acknowledges just how much God has done for us, and how gracious He was to do it, considering just how unworthy we are apart from Christ.

So as you get ready for church tomorrow, consider: is your heart tuned?

"I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me." 

Psalm 13:6

*Spurgeon, Charles. The Practice of Praise p. 43-44

Why Church is Important (even when it doesn't feel like church)

I don't know what church looks like for you these days, but likely, it looks different than it's ever looked before. As our church has begun the process of reopening, I know many of us have struggled to get back into the routine of "in-person" church. 

For some, the challenge has been to break away from the pull of comfort. Inertia can be difficult to overcome, whether we've gotten used to sleeping in on Sundays, or having a cup of coffee in our pajamas while we watch a livestreamed service. The struggle to break away from comfort is real. 

And why is it a struggle to go from couch to church service? Because comfort feeds our flesh, and Satan most definitely does not want us to break away from a habit our flesh enjoys. 

But that's not the only challenge these days. For many, the greatest challenge is that church just doesn't feel like church anymore. 

In our state, the coronavirus restrictions require us to have no more than 25 people in the same room, which necessarily limits how many people can interact with each other. We are also required to wear masks when inside the building, which, again, makes things very different. There are no hugs or handshakes, no passing of an offering plate, there's no choir, and any special music is prerecorded. 

I have heard many people say that they wonder if it's even worth going to church, if this is what church is going to be like. Perhaps we should all just stay home and watch the service on our couches.  Why put ourselves through all the effort of showing up, if it's not going to feel like church?

In thinking through this for myself, I realized there were two basic questions that needed to be answered: What is the purpose of church, and can that purpose still be fulfilled with the regulations that are in place?

To answer the first question, I checked my initial thoughts against what Ryrie had to say in his Basic Theology. I came up with three purposes for meeting as a church. 

1. Church is for the purpose of corporate worship. Honestly, I think this might be what is tripping many of us up. Satan wants us to think church is for us, when really, church is for God. Whether singing, reading from God's Word or hearing it preached, telling our friends about an answer to prayer, or even giving, every part of our church experience should be focused on God. Worshiping together is a major function of the church. 

2.Church is for the purpose of fellowship. Now, this is where most of us will get teary-eyed, thinking about all the fellowship we used to have at church before the pandemic.  And it's true, our fellowship is somewhat limited by all the rules and regulations, but I was convicted by Ryrie's description of what fellowship is all about: 

"The goal... is to increase the health, strength, commitment, and numbers of the body"*

With this in mind, think about what you're missing. Is it the opportunity to strengthen, nurture, or build a fellow Christian up in the Lord? Or are we just missing chatting with our friends about our week? 

3. Church is for the purpose of meeting physical needs through giving. There are lots of passages I could quote on this one, but I want to point out that this isn't just about weekly tithes and missions giving. This is about that one single mom who comes to church burdened because she doesn't know how she will pay her rent. She asks for prayer, and after the service, a church member puts an envelope in Pastor's hand with just the amount she needed. --That's not going to happen over livestream. 

But let's assess each of these: I'm going to use my church's situation as an example, just because that's what I'm familiar with. 

First of all, can we still worship together? You could say, the answer is "yes and no". No, we can't all of us worship together in the same room. But yes, we can worship together. In our case, each group can have up to 25 people worshiping together. But even on Wednesdays when we're only livestreaming,  and there's just three of us sitting in the sanctuary, it's still church. Remember, Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) 

So can we justify the effort of coming to church even if our group ends up with only two or three people? Certainly!

Next, there's fellowship. Can we still increase the health, strength, commitment, and numbers of the church? Again, the obvious answer is "yes, but not as much as usual." However, we make the most impact on those with whom we have a relationship. Much of our interaction at church tends to be with those we're familiar with. But now that we have smaller groups, and people thrown together who usually may not have interacted as much at church, we have an even greater opportunity to fulfill the purpose of fellowship. We will naturally find ways to communicate with our particular friends, but what about others in the church? This limitation (and it is a limitation) of fellowship could actually be turned into a great opportunity. The dividing up of God's people could actually lead to greater unity when we come together later on.  So, is it worth the effort to seek to strengthen and nurture those with whom we "do church" each week? Definitely! 

Finally, meeting physical needs through giving. While we don't pass a plate around at our church, there is still a way to give in person. But of course, there is still online giving, so why should we make an effort to be at church because of giving? It is because of instances like I mentioned above. In the course of fellowshipping, we often discover needs that people wouldn't have told us of otherwise. Perhaps it is a need God will prompt us to pray about, or perhaps He will prompt us to meet that need, but my point is, meeting together gives the church an opportunity to find out about needs so that God can use the church to meet them. Is this still possible in a smaller group? Of course it is! In fact, people might be more comfortable sharing needs in a smaller group. 

If you still need an answer for the question of why church is important when it doesn't feel like church, go back to the first point again. Church is about God. Church is important, because God is important. Surely honoring Him is worth the effort!  

* (Ryrie, 499)

Walking in the Light of God's Countenance

Sometimes, life can seem bleak. We can become so consumed by the ordinariness of everyday duties and routines that it seems as if nothing else exists. Particularly now, during this period where life has slowed to a crawl across the nation and even across the world, it can seem that there is nothing to be anticipated but tedium, trouble, and worry.

I have been thinking a lot lately about how much loveliness God has allowed in my everyday life, even during this time of difficulty. There are leaves and flowers beginning to burst from their buds, a flurry of birds has suddenly appeared, cheerfully singing as they dart from branch to branch, and even when I am stuck inside, there is the loveliness of having time to take a few extra minutes to read and enjoy a cup of tea.

Even though it may seem that our days are being wasted while we are stuck at home, the reality is that every day has both purpose and beauty, because each day is the day that God has planned specifically for you to live. As the Psalmist says, "This is the day the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24)

For the Christian, there is always a reason to rejoice, because God is always present and at work in our lives. At the very least, we can rejoice that God's mercies are new every morning! (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Consider Psalm 89: 13-18

"Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is Thy hand, and high is Thy right hand.

Justice and judgement are the habitation of Thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before Thy face. 

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance. 

In Thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted.

For Thou art the glory of their strength: and in Thy favour our horn shall be exalted.

For the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king."

What did it say about those who knew "the joyful sound" of the mercy and truth which accompany God's presence? It says that "they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance."

So how do we walk in the light of God's countenance?

To walk in the light of God's countenance is to see all the world around us in the same light as God sees it. For example, if God intends your life and mine to be lived for His glory, do you think He will put us on a path that wanders aimlessly or without purpose? Throughout the Bible, we can see glimpses of what God is like, and at every turn of the page we see Him. Down through the ages, at every point in history, through every blessing, every calamity, God is there, working out a distinct purpose.

If I believe that God is good, loving, powerful, and at work in my life, how can I complain that life is purposeless or bleak? There is something to be learned, done, or said each day that brings glory to God. To view my life in the light of God's countenance will necessarily mean viewing it as having purpose and meaning.

This one truth holds a powerful application: it means that each new day is like a gift to be unwrapped. God already knows what it will hold, for He has planned it out for our good (Romans 8:28). It only remains for us to open it and choose to see the gift through the eyes of the Giver.

I say this a lot, but it bears repeating because it is true. What we need when we feel that life is dull, boring, or tedious is simply to renew our focus on the Lord. After all, it is in God's name that the people in Psalm 89 will rejoice. He is the One that brings favor, strength, protection, and leadership. He is the source of all things for the Christian, and it is to Him we must look to be satisfied.

When we are focused on God and His plan for each day, we can live in joyful and constant anticipation of what He will do. Even when we are by ourselves, God can work. He is not limited in His ability to be glorified simply because we are limited in our ability to interact with others.

So look to tomorrow with joy and hope, and let us all choose to walk in the light of God's countenance.

Staying Close to God when Away from His People

These past two weeks have been very strange. Without church, and with substantially less interaction with my church family than perhaps ever in my life, I have been impressed by the truth of how this time in partial seclusion really highlights the fact that Christianity is a personal relationship, not dependent upon routine or ritual to feed or nurture it. We are fed and nurtured by the Holy Spirit through God's Word and by communion with God in prayer. Since our relationship with God is not dependent upon church attendance or fellowship with others, it is possible to thrive spiritually, even while longing for fellowship with other Christians. 

Of course, we are not to "forsake the assembling of ourselves together", as Hebrews 10:25 states, but when necessity prevents us from gathering, it is amazing to me just how much we can end up flourishing in our relationship with God, as long as we choose to stay close to Him.

Last week, I was reading in Joshua 22, and was struck by the thought that our situation is not altogether new. Here's the passage that stuck out to me:

"Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you: 

Ye have not left your bretheren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God.

And now the Lord your God hath given rest unto your bretheren, as He promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side Jordan.

But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents."

Joshua 22:1-6

The men from the tribes of Reuben and Gad, had asked for lands across the Jordan river from where everyone else was to settle. You can read about their request, and their interchange with Moses over it in Numbers 32. Basically, the deal was, they (and apparently half of the tribe of Manasseh, as well,) were to be allowed to settle west of the Jordan, but only on the condition that the men would go with the rest of Israel and assist the other tribes in taking the Promised Land.  

Once the tribes were basically settled in their lands, Joshua dismissed them, with the words of the passage above. The men from these tribes had been faithful to their word. They had risked life and limb to claim a land they would not inherit --apparently without complaint. Now it was time for them to return to their own lands. They had the honor of being found faithful, and were returning home in the joy of both victory and proven character, not to mention the commendation of their leader. 

But now the most difficult work was before them. Joshua charged them: "But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." (22:5)

They were heading towards home, ye, and it was a well-deserved reward for their labors to be able to return to their families and begin to build a "normal" life, but in heading towards home, they were heading away from their spiritual leadership, their place of worship, and the accountability of their fellow Israelites.

They were going with permission, even blessing, but also in the understanding that theirs would be a more challenging task; it would take diligence and great effort for them to do those things which were commanded of the Israelites. They would have to cross a river to get to where the tabernacle was when they needed to make offerings or celebrate the feasts. It would take extra effort to remain diligent and faithful without the accountability of the other tribes.

Perhaps the application of this passage has already stood out to you as it did to me: Just like these two and a half tribes, we are at home, with permission (perhaps even compulsion) from our authorities. The reason for the separation is different, but the principle remains the same: In being at home, away from the assembly of our fellow believers, we face the same challenges as these tribes. We face having to make an extra effort in getting our offerings in, we face the temptations that come with diminished accountability, and we face the great responsibility to remain faithful --even to grow and flourish-- apart from some aspects of the Christian life that provide accountability and encouragement.  

So as we face this time of being apart from our assembly of believers, may we do as Joshua charged: May we take diligent heed to obey God's word, to love God, to walk in all His ways, and to keep all His commandments, cleaving to Him, serving Him with all our heart and with all our soul.

The Importance of Giving During a Financial Drought

Perhaps your state, like mine, has issued some sort of "stay at home order". Ours was issued about a week ago, and throughout this past week I have been hearing of more and more of my family, friends, and acquaintances who have had their income cut off or significantly diminished. This has even touched my own household, and has made me more thankful than ever for the blessing of my little income!

The truth is, we are in exactly the right position for our giving to accomplish what God intends it to. I know this topic is one that is annoying or offensive to many, but it is an important one, and the Bible has some greatly encouraging things to say about God's provision when we are using our money as He desires.

Now, I'm going to be totally honest with you: I'm terrible at remembering to put my tithe in the offering each month. It is a struggle to remember, and sometimes, --like this month-- it is nearly the end of the month before I finally get that check written and put in the offering. Part of that is because, as organist, I am often up front during the offering, but that's really no excuse. It's something I'm working on, but it takes intentional effort to remember. --So I understand that forgetting happens, especially during times like these where we are not meeting physically at church to be reminded by seeing the ushers walk to the front to take the offering. But that it why it is more important now than ever to remain faithful and make that extra effort to remember and follow through.

There are just two things I want to address here about giving: our responsibility and our faith.

Our Responsibility:

 Each one of us has a responsibility to do our part in supporting the local church. It's a bit like the offerings in the Old Testament. The offerings brought in were not all to be burnt to ashes. Many were meant to be used, at least in part, for the maintenance of the tabernacle or temple as well as for the sustenance of the priests. Nowadays, we don't have the same system, but giving in order to support both the work and the workers of the ministry is a New Testament principle as well.

Do you like meeting in a warm building? Do you appreciate having lights on and a sound system making it easier to hear the preaching? How about water so you can use the restroom or wash your hands or get a drink when you have a coughing fit? Are these things you enjoy? They are also things that cost money.

Does your church support missionaries? They are relying on God's people to be faithful in giving during this time so that they can continue to work for the furtherance of the gospel in countries that are being touched by this same crisis that we are facing. In a sense, your church is their "employer". Will you and your brothers and sisters in Christ be faithful, or will your missionaries face being laid off like so many in the secular workforce?

If everyone in a church were to do the bare minimum God requires and give just ten percent of their income, churches would be well provided for, and have the wherewithal to function and meet the needs they were designed to.

Has it ever occurred to you that God has a specific plan for the funds He desires you to give? Part of the joy of giving is the fact that none of it goes to waste: God has planned to use the money you give to meet specific needs. He is a God of detail and order, and knows exactly what He plans to do with your tithes and offerings.

But, you might be thinking, how can I give right now when there is such a strain on my finances? 

That brings us to faith.


Our Faith:
 
Not only do we have a responsibility to keep giving through whatever hardships God allows, we also have an opportunity to see the loving, gracious, generous hand of God that has already promised to meet our needs as we obey Him.

I read in my time with God this morning Luke chapter 5:1-16. It is the account of Peter and his fellow fisherman taking Jesus into their boat while he preached to a large crowd. When He had finished preaching, He told Peter to take the boat out into deep water and let down the nets. Peter's reply was

"Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net". 

 As I read, it struck me that Peter and the others had done all that they could do, to no avail. They had been utterly unsuccessful. I'm no expert on the fishing industry in Bible times, but it seems to me that for the fishermen back in Jesus' day, the formula looked something like:  no fish = no income.

Sound familiar? These fisherman had toiled, had worked their hardest all night long, but were faced with returning home empty handed. Yet, Peter did as Jesus said. Perhaps it was out of politeness or respect, perhaps it was to prove Jesus' plan would not work, perhaps it was with the smallest glimmer of hope that maybe there was some chance a fish might wander into the net --whatever his reason, Peter obeyed.  --And the result?


Fish.

Lots of fish.

So many fish that boat began to sink.


And Peter was brought face to face with the reality that God was standing before him. Struck by the consciousness of his own sin, Peter dropped to his knees, saying, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord". But Jesus told him not to be afraid, and commissioned him for a new calling.

I know this account isn't necessarily about giving, but it is about obedience, and obedience is at the heart of why we give. --And when we obey, God blesses.

This account of God's abundant provision in response to Peter's obedience reminds me of Malachi 3:10. Here, God literally tells the Israelites, "prove Me", that is, to try Him and see if He would do as He had always said He would if they were to obey.

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

God is saying that if Israel obeys and brings in all their tithes, He will provide so much that there will not be enough room for it all! (Remind you of Peter?)

Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that if you give lots, you will become a billionaire, but it does mean that God is faithful, and often uses our times of financial dearth as an opportunity for us to build our faith by "proving" that He really can and will provide as we obey.

Those of us who have made a "faith promise" commitment, this is where the "faith" part comes into play. If God prompted you to make the commitment in the first place, surely He has a plan to provide for you to be faithful now, when it matters most!

So, be faithful, whatever financial stresses you may face, because God is always faithful, and His resources are unlimited!

Keeping Sunday the Lord's Day When Stuck at Home

We live in unusual days. The Coronavirus has caused several states to put their residents under a "shelter in place" order, and the states that haven't gone that far have at least issued a ban on meeting in groups. Across America, Christians are faced with the prospect of Sunday at home, whether for the short term or for an indeterminable "month of Sundays" as the saying goes.

 This is a challenge for us, because God has always intended for Christians to fellowship with other Christians. His plan for the church hasn't been that we each spend Sundays in our separate houses, reading our Bibles in solitude, so it is naturally  difficult to keep the Lord's Day feeling like the Lord's Day when we cannot be with other Christians. 

So, what's a house-bound Christian to do? 

Whether we stay home because of illness, cancellation, weather, quarantine, or whatever other uncontrollable circumstance might keep us from gathering with other believers on a given Sunday, we are still to take a day to rest and to focus on Him.

As I've thought through for myself how to keep Sunday the Lord's Day without the option of going to church, I settled on a few ideas that I think will help me accomplish this. Perhaps they will help you, as well!

1. Start the day with God.

This is something I try to do anyway, but it can be easy to fall into the rut of habit and not really pay attention to one's time with God. It can become just one more thing to check off one's list. A Sunday at home presents a reminder to bring the heart back into your time with God. It also (hopefully) is a time when you might have some extra time in the morning which you could use to prolong your time with God.

Time with God can, in fact, include nearly all the elements of an ordinary church service: worship in song, prayer, Scripture reading, and perhaps a sermon or commentary on the passage you have read.

 Our time with God on Sundays should be at least as precious and refreshing as on any other day, and while at home, with nowhere to go, we should be better able to keep what we have learned in our time with God with us all day long, thinking and meditating on it throughout the day.

2. Gather together (as you can).

For those who are housebound or under quarantine, this might seem to be a silly thing to say, but in our age of technology, it is easy to reach out to others and fellowship verbally when we cannot be physically present with them. There are lots of possible applications to this idea.

For those, like myself, who live in a house with other family members, it is quite easy to gather together on a Sunday and have one's own "church service". After all, Jesus did say that "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20).

I have warm memories of the few Sundays we were unable to go out to church during my childhood, whether because of weather or illness. If all of us were to stay home, Mommy and Daddy would cheer us up by bringing the "Sunday School box" down out of the attic. This was a box full of interesting items left over from the days when they had taught Sunday School before we were born. Because this box was reserved for churchless Sundays, we did not get it out very often, which made it quite a treat. We would pull each item out of the box, one by one, and then my parents would lead us in our own at-home Sunday School class. Honestly, I remember the box better than the lessons, but the principle still holds that Christians stuck at home together can still have their own "church service".

From what I have read, this was a common daily practice in Christian homes during the Victorian era. Now, I won't say that the Victorians were perfect, or that we should all try to make society go back to what it was then, but as with any time in history, there were some good things going on. One of these was the concept of the "family altar", where the whole family, and often the whole household, servants and all, would gather together to sing, read Scripture, and pray. There would often be a short lesson for the children to learn or recite, and the head of the household would often give some explanation of the text of Scripture read.

In modern times, we would call this family devotions, and Sunday is the perfect day to make sure this happens. If family devotions are already part of your family's daily life, Sunday could be a day in which you add something to it to make it special. Does your family like to sing? Have a special time of singing together. Do they like to memorize? Have a time for reciting all the verses each family member has memorized. Does your family have a flair for the dramatic? Have some of the family act out a portion of Scripture. Each family is different, so each family's devotion time will be a bit different as well. But as long as it draws the family's focus to the Lord, it will be time well-spent.

For those who find themselves alone, gathering together may mean reaching out to others over phone or text or email or even a video call like FaceTime or Skype. Mommy has a couple friends who regularly "meet" with her over the phone to pray together. Just because you aren't able to be present with other Christians physically doesn't mean you can't still have fellowship with them. --And it doesn't have to be a whole "church service", either. It can be as simple as texting a verse to a friend or telling them you're praying for them.

I'm told that during the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish Flu, many churches had to close for a time, similarly to what we're seeing today. One pastor I read about, Rev. W.B. Hinson, kept in touch with his congregation with the weekly church bulletin, which he sent out at his own expense. In these bulletins, he wrote to his church, encouraging them to keep focused on God while they were unable to meet, as well as bringing to their attention the preciousness of having a church to gather with at all. The result? The very first time the church was again allowed to gather, their congregation had increased "almost two-fold"! You can read about it here.

Many pastors are doing similarly, either through emails, podcasts, or live-streamed sermons. These are meant not only to teach and encourage those in the congregation who cannot meet together, but also to give the sense of fellowship as well as to keep the congregation on common ground, ready to move forward in unison when we can again meet together. After all, part of what unifies a local church is the common teaching we hear each week. It points us all in the same direction and gives us a Biblical foundation upon which to base our interactions with each other. 

3.  Choose activities that draw your focus towards God, and choose to refrain from activities that draw your focus away from Him. 

For many centuries of Christian history, Sunday was considered to be a day only for spiritual pursuits. One problem that arose from this was a cultural expectation that certain things were for "Sunday" but not for the rest of the week. The current attitude of Christianity towards this concept of a day set apart only for spiritual things is largely one of disapproval, citing the fact that we should be focused on spiritual things every day, or that it is "legalistic" to spend a day only doing that which is spiritual in nature, but I think we can learn a lot from those devoted Christians who made one day set apart, choosing to focus only on God and choosing not to focus on worldly things. 

Yes, this should be a daily focus, but that just means that every other day should be like Sunday, not that Sunday should be like every other day.

Obviously reading one's Bible and spending time in prayer are activities which should draw the Christian's focus toward God, but there are other things we can do that will keep our minds focused on the Lord throughout our day. For example, I have a number of Christian biographies I could read, as well as shelf upon shelf of commentaries, studies, and other Christian literature. Perhaps now is the time to get that big concordance off the shelf and do a good, old-fashioned word study.

 Studying the Scriptures is not a dry, boring task. You never know what God might do in your heart through the simple act of choosing a word from a passage you've read and looking up all the other references that use that word. Not only is it a good mental task that will keep your mind sharp, it is a task that the Holy Spirit can use to keep you spiritually sharp as well.

Sometimes, I find myself having to do something "mindless" on Sundays, like putting away laundry or doing dishes, and I have recently been enjoying listening to sermons or Bible study podcasts while I do these things. Another way to focus my mind on the Lord while my hands are busy with "earthly" necessities is to listen to some good Christian music.

Another activity that comes to mind is transcribing Scripture. There are lots of "Scripture writing plans" on Pinterest and other sites, and taking the time to write out verses on a specific topic or even to write out a whole chapter or book by hand can be a good way to spend a portion of your Sunday. Writing the verses out by hand makes us slow down and pay attention to every word, every phrase, even every punctuation mark! It is a good way to train our minds to notice small details as we read God's Word and to think more deeply about specific portions of Scripture.

4. Remember to rest

God is clear throughout Scripture that the "Sabbath" (which Christians began to celebrate on Sunday to commemorate Christ's resurrection) was to be a day of rest.

My church has a running joke about the Sunday afternoon nap being "the third ordinance of the church", but it is true that Sunday is to be spent not only in focusing on God, but also in enjoying the opportunity of rest He has provided to us. It is good for us to take time to rest on a Sunday, whether we are resting our bodies in sleep or our hearts and minds by taking time to be still before the Lord, rest is an indisputably important part of keeping the Lord's Day.

I think one of the keys to a Sunday at home is to treat it like a normal Sunday as much as possible --nap included-- and to keep one's heart grateful for the extra rest God has allowed for that day.

After all, we spend so much time rushing here and there that we come to view rest as a very valuable (and rare!) thing, but it is also a thing we tend to grumble about when we are finally forced to have time for it. When we are sick or snowed in or quarantined in some fashion, it can be easy to grumble about what we're missing or to wonder why God would allow such a thing to happen. Could it be that God's people need to learn to rest and look to Him for themselves without the external motions of going to church?

Above all, while you are obliged to spend your Sundays at home, remember that God has a good purpose for allowing this trial --for trial it is-- and that He is with you always. He has promised never to leave you, never to forsake you. Nothing can change who God is. Rest in that truth and have a blessed Lord's Day.

The Symbolism of the Saturday Bath and the Sunday Best

When I was growing up, Saturday night was "bath night". Each of us kids would take turns getting washed and scrubbed and cleaner than seemed possible to a small child who liked mud puddles and digging in the dirt looking for bits of "archaeology".

Then we would all sit together in the living room with towels draped around our pajama-clad shoulders with wet hair squeaky clean and dripping, watching television till bedtime. --It's funny, but even now when I hear the theme song from a certain show which had a very long running on Saturday night tv, I can almost smell wet hair and cheap apple-scented shampoo.

At the time, my parents would tell us that we were getting all cleaned up for Sunday, because we should always try to look our best for God when we go to church. For this reason, we also had special clothes only for Sunday (or for very special occasions). This hearkened back to the idea of the "Sunday Best".

In the days of the pioneers, it would be very common only to have two sets of clothes: one for everyday wear and one for "best". A woman would very likely only have one nice dress which was her Sunday dress, but also her wedding dress, party dress, and often would be the dress she was buried in when she died.

The point was, church was an occasion worthy of one's "best". And if you were wearing that treasured "best" article of clothing, you sure wanted to be clean when you put it on! (Especially if you happened to be the one in charge of doing the washing each week.) --Hence the Saturday night bath tradition.

Actually, these two traditions go back much further than the pioneer days, and may quite possibly have their roots in the book of Exodus.

When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He led them to a mountain called Mt. Sinai, and had Moses give the people special instructions for when He would appear and speak publicly to Moses:

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai." (Exodus 10-11)

Did you catch that? God wanted them to wash their clothes in preparation to stand before the presence of God.  Additionally, a quick survey of the passages on worship in the tabernacle and temple will show that washing played a major part. In fact, the priests could not go into the tabernacle (and later, the temple) until they had first washed. And when the high priest put on his priestly garments, he was required first to wash. --Did you notice? Washing and special clothing had a part in God's ordained mode of worship.

Now, we no longer worship at either temple or tabernacle, but we ourselves are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and are instructed to treat our bodies as such (2 Cor. 6:16-19). And what Christ said about ritual washing of the outward brings a helpful explanation of the symbolism behind the practice, as well as some insight to what it means for us today:

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." (Matthew 23:25-26)

The point is not the cleansing of the outside, but the cleansing of the inside. It is important that we prepare to meet God by getting right with Him, confessing sin and resetting our focus on Him. Without this, our worship is just like setting a clean cup with muddy water in it before a guest. God desires us to be clean on the inside when we worship Him.

Notice also the command Jesus gave the Pharisees: clean up the inside so that the outside will be clean. When we are right on the inside, our outsides should show it. That's the whole point of washing up and looking our best on Sundays --to show that we are dedicated to worshiping God with clean, holy hearts, dressed first in Christ's righteousness, but showing with our attire that He is worthy of our very best in every area of life --even down to what we wear.

So next time you wash up and don your Sunday best, remember what it represents! Getting ready for church should not be merely an external exercise, but a preparation of the whole being: spiritual, mental, and physical, to meet with the God who is worthy of our best!