In a day and age when everything - including churches - is measured for success by the externals, I had a profound experience Sunday. For a pastor, December is a mixed blessing. There's Christmas, which is a wonderful time to be with family and a great opportunity to share about the mind blowing gift of Jesus humbling himself, stepping out of his position of glory and power to become a man so that we might have a restored relationship with God. But, it's also a month where you could have a pretty empty church building on any given Sunday, which is a bit of a downer (again, for pastors... probably no one else really notices or cares).
So this past Sunday I was standing in the back as we were worshiping, enjoying the driving guitar and the pounding rhythm of the drums, turning my focus and attention on God, when I noticed how many people were missing that morning, glaringly marked by empty seats.
But then, rather than noticing the empty seats, I noticed the two who were a few rows in front of me. They have recently gone through a terrible tragedy and God was their source of strength and comfort through it all. Their lives were profoundly changed by the love and power of God.
And then I saw the couple whose marriage was on the ropes a few years ago. They began connecting with our church family, learning what God has to say about healthy relationships, getting good counsel and support and encouragement, and now they are so happy together and have an incredible family.
There was the young guy who's just started his spiritual journey with God. He's been surrounded by loving, encouraging mentors and life coaches. He's been challenged, taught, loved and accepted. He has meaning and purpose in his life and joy radiates from his face.
I could go on and on, person after person, story after story of lives that have been turned around, enriched, strengthened because of their time spent with us, eternities affected. I was so excited, encouraged, fulfilled when I began looking past the empty chairs to see the ones that were filled.
