Cold weather  and I do not get along.  Perhaps you can relate.

I find that I have a healthy tolerance for many discomforts.  The discomfort of my body feeling cold however is one I’d do everything in my power to avoid.  I avoid exposure to cold temperatures like Jack Bauer avoids accountability (shout out to my “24” peeps).

So, when I was asked if I wanted a couple free tickets to a Bears game…in Soldier’s Field…over Lake Michigan…in the WINTER of Chicago…I felt…well,  conflicted.  On the one hand I’d get to experience the thrill and excitement and joy of watching a live game with my son who LOVES the Bears.  But…on the other hand, there’s that little problem between me and you know what.

Of course we went to the game.  And it was off the chain!  And, you know, there was something I realized midway through the contest.  I was so excited to be in that electric atmosphere that I was rarely aware of how cold it was.  Imagine that!

As a pastor, I naturally carry a load of concerns on Sunday morning.  My concerns are mainly for the people and the myriad of worries and fears and questions they bring into the worship gathering.  I long for them to get the help they need—to hear a Word that directly speaks to their unique circumstances.  I would lose heart if God did not in His compassion remind me that their concerns are His burdens.  And just by being in His Presence we are relieved of our baggage, even if those issues are not directly addressed from the pulpit.  Much in the same way that the excitement of the game made me forget about the cold, it is the glorious Presence of God in God-centered corporate worship that produces a supernatural joy and peace and holy confidence in the hearts of God’s people.

One of the reasons why people experience very little of the power of God in our churches is that we have a tendency of making much of ourselves (man-centered worship), while making so little of God.  As John Piper rightly observed, “the sickness that needs healing is the main hindrance to the remedy”.  May the church of Jesus Christ return to only a God-centered worship gathering.  This is our prayer at NCC.  This is what we long to be.

In Him,

Pastor Mark