"My Heart Leaped for Joy"

I would like to argue with her, but how do you take issue with a world-class poet? And anyway, her practice is not far from what I preach.

I have concluded that, just like God loves a cheerful, not a grumpy giver, so God’s invitation to worship is meant to stir joy, not a bad case of the “grumpies”.  I could try to  “guilt-trip” folks into worship, but it makes me feel like a grumpy-old minister who needs validation by their attendance.  Instead I always tell people, you should come to church when you are able and when the idea of joining together with your worshipping community makes you happy, or, as Eugene Peterson puts it, when your hearts leaps for joy at hearing the invitation. (Psalm 122:1, The Message) So, what should I encourage people to do when their hearts don’t leap at the thought of coming together to worship the LORD in community, when they would rather be outdoors enjoying these rare blessed days of summer? 

A Service of Song

Some keep the Sabbath going to church;

I keep it staying at home,

With a bobolink for a chorister,

And an orchard for a dome.

Some keep the Sabbath in surplice;

I just wear my wings,

And instead of tolling the bell for church,

Our little sexton sings.

God preaches,—a noted clergyman,—

And the sermon is never long;

So instead of getting to heaven at last,

I’m going all along!                                Emily Dickinson (Source: Emily Dickinson Poems, discovered at Inward/Outward)

I still would like to make a few good points in response, about the values of regular worship in community, but the birds beckon. God is preaching!