Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
How much is four plus five? It is a simple question. It is a question I had to know in first grade. It is not uncommon these days for someone to grab a calculator when asked a question of this sort. It gets an answer. But it can be a crutch that lets us down if a calculator is not around. It also keeps us from exploring an entire world of math in the nature of numbers, such as an odd number added to an even number produces an odd number.
Convenience is, well, convenient. But once in a while it is good to break from convenience to appreciate new insights and exercise our brains. We take for granted that as a convenience for worship, we have a designated building and a designated time. It is a fundamental to being a part of a congregation to know where and when we worship regularly. If we feel the need for prayer, we know the time and place to be, even if we have not been a regular gatherer. There is nothing wrong with this, but there is a fullness of the church we are not seeing. We almost forget God being present in various places at different times.
This Lent, we offer services at times other than Sunday morning. What is more, we are moving the gathering place around. We are challenging our comfort a little bit. While this is not the only reason for doing Lenten services this way, it is still an opportunity to marvel at worshipping God beyond our comfort of regular time and place. We can rub elbows with fellow Christians we know less well than our own. We find a new joy of worship as a co-operative venture. We see worship beyond a congregational wall. It is a broader way of worshipping God. It is a different set of calculations.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Martin H. Horn