The Odessa Record -

Mark, Chapter 14, tells us of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane just before his betrayal by Judas into the hands of the crowd bent on killing him. He had gone, “a stone’s throw away” to pray to the Father, leaving the disciples to watch and pray. When he returns and finds them sleeping, He says “could you not watch one hour?”

This quote reminds me of how easy it is to let the desire for recreation, or sleep, intrude on our Sunday worship, especially in the summer. That hour or two in worship can look like a huge hole in our plans!

The true measure of a person is not what they do when compelled to do something, but what they do when free to do anything. If you are having your appendix out and can’t make the worship service, it only tells us you are sick, but if you are on the golf course during worship, it tells us a lot.

It is an effective spiritual check-up to ask ourselves, when free to go, where do we go? When free of the pressure of work or school or business, what do we think about? In what group of people are we most comfortable?

The answers to those questions may tell us more about ourselves than we want to hear but the time to face the big questions is now, for time is short. The choice of whether to attend worship, or not, is a personal one, but scripture does admonish us to not neglect the gathering of ourselves together and, we are given the freedom to choose the place and times to do it. I do wonder though, if we choose not to fellowship and worship for an hour on Sunday, are we really looking forward to an eternity of it? Though this is just an imperfect shadow of what is to come, it might be good practice! I know a guilt trip is a poor way to get someone reactivated to attend worship, so it is my sincere prayer that a spirit-led desire to worship the Living God would compel you to show up! See you in Church?

Pat Estes, Layperson

Christ Lutheran Church

Editor’s note: Estes is also the secretary of the Odessa Community Ministerial Association.