What the church needs: Reverance

   It isn't unusual to hear people talk about the "good old" days of church. They tell of how God came, altars were lined, people got right with God, churches were set on fire (spiritually) and the whole town knew something was going on at the church.

  Have you ever wondered what changed? Why we don't have that today? The contributing factors are many and different people would come up with a list that wouldn't be the same as my list or your list. I wonder if one of those contributing factors is that we have lost reverence for God's house.

  God isn't some stiff figure who hates fun and laughter, but I have found myself wondering if we approach going to church with the right attitudes, mind set, and demeanor. We all need fellowship, but is it reverent to be going nosily into church, laughing and not even thinking about why we are there?

  My church has the most advanced age class in the main sanctuary. After the Sunday School time is over, people start gathering back in the main sanctuary. We always sing a chorus, sometimes take an offering, and occasionally there is an announcement or something else in the few minutes between the Sunday School time and worship service. Not everyone comes in immediately. The vestibule is full of people waiting for the brief goings on between the services before they come in and find a seat..... and they are noisy, very noisy. It sounds like there is a party going on out in the vestibule..... even with the doors closed.

  It happens in the evenings also as one service is ending and another about to start. It happens before any service starts. Sometimes there is a lot of talking and noise in the sanctuary while waiting for a service to start. I am not guiltless, but there have been times I have sat there and found myself wondering at how loud everyone is when we are about to start a worship service.

 If we are coming into God's house to worship Him, shouldn't we be coming into His house and presence with more reverence?

  And it isn't just limited to how quiet or noisy we are, if we are joking and laughing or not. It should be an attitude of the heart. We should have already prepared our hearts before we got to church, and be ready to worship Him; not carry on and have fun before we enter the worship service.

 Would it be extreme or radical of me to say that if we have to close the doors between the vestibule and sanctuary to block out the noise in the vestibule, then people are being entirely too noisy and irreverent in God's house?

  Would it be even more radical to say that if the people sitting in the pews are being loud and carrying on before the service, they are lacking reverence in God's house?

  And most radical question of all: Could it be the reason God doesn't come on our services as often as He used to and in the ways that He used to, is because we have ceased to be reverent in His house when we are gathering to worship Him and invite Him into our midst?