SUNDAY AFTERNOON - MORE THAN ENOUGH

Monday, I wrote about the frustration that often accompanies trying to get a family out of the house and off to church on Sunday mornings. Even with large kids who can dress and feed themselves, and living only 10 minutes from the church, we still have difficulty some weeks making it to church on time. This is just a guess, but I suspect that when it's back down to just Steve and me...we may even still have Sunday mornings where we just can't seem to get out the front door!

On those crazy Sunday mornings when every circumstance conspires against us, is it really worth pressing ahead and making the effort to get to church anyway? Wouldn't it just be better to throw in the towel? Concede defeat, take the day off, and veg instead? Maybe. That may be just exactly the right thing to do - pause, breathe, regroup. But I think that in most cases, the better choice would be to lean hard into the yoke and defy the obstacles that erode our joy.

Brother Billy is winding down a series through the book of Exodus Sunday mornings. This week, we looked at the beginning of Chapter 36, where the children of Israel were bringing contributions for the construction of the tabernacle. An unusual thing happened. The people brought so much stuff that the workers and craftsmen told Moses, "The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do" (v. 5). Moses actually had to tell the people to STOP bringing gifts for the tabernacle!

During the sermon, it occurred to me that this is exactly what Christ has done for me. He has supplied "sufficient stuff" - and all that is left for Moses/the Law to say to me, is "STOP!" The Sunday mornings that I find myself most stressed, I am usually aware that I'm simply trying to do too much. I am working too hard to do more, do better, do bigger. I am trying to be sufficient on my own. I have no joy because instead of resting in my Beloved, I am worrying about matching shoes and pork chops and dishes in the sink. Christ, however, has already satisfied all that is required for me to commune with and worship and enjoy God.

And that is why I think it is worth pushing through the craziness of Sunday morning to join the body of Christ for worship. In fact, I think it is especially on the crazy Sundays that we need to hear the Gospel again, to consider the greatness of God's love for us, to be reminded of the efficacy of Christ's atonement for His people. It's not unusual for me to arrive at church feeling frazzled and keyed up. But without fail, I leave just after noon with a soul that is calmer, a soul that has rested, a soul that has feasted on the goodness of God's covenant love.

Life is not easy. It is chaotic, messy, and frustrating. But it's worth the fight to spend an hour in the sanctuary, resting in the sufficiency of Christ.