It is during church worship that the barrier between heaven and earth is at its thinnest. I don’t know who expressed this thought first, but the truth of it was most palpable last Sunday. It was my first time back in church after three weeks because of my heart surgery. Even as I entered the door, elder Gary smiled and shook my hand. Then, as we made our way into fellowship hall and headed for our seats in the sanctuary, brothers and sisters welcomed me with warmth. These were people that had been praying me through my diagnosis, surgery, and recovery.

As the music began, and the Pastor called us to worship, the sense of being in a holy place grew. I stood and sang with all my heart. I prayed with the people to the God who knows us and loves us. I listened to the scripture and the sermon and felt that barrier between heaven and earth nearly melt away.

The Bible tells us not to neglect gathering for worship on the Sabbath, for it’s here that God is most present and most eager to draw near to His beloved. On Sunday, there is no  better place to be than in a church with your fellow believers, and with all of the church on earth, and the whole company of heaven, all together singing, praying, and listening as our Heavenly Father speaks to us.

I was glad when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the LORD!”

Psalm 122:1 (ESV)