"Snow-Day" Sunday

Well, the weather this winter has been interesting.  It was 70 degrees one day and 30 degrees the next.  One day, the tornado sirens were sounding as I drove onto campus at the university that I teach at.  It was snowing the next day.  The winds blew so strong one evening that it knocked trees down, and the next evening was calm and peaceful.  And now there is snow.  Classes at most local schools were either cancelled or put on delay on Friday.  And while it does not happen often, the leaders of my congregation have wisely decided to cancel worship services Sunday.  In essence, we are having a “snow day” this Sunday.

So I guess this means that we can skip on worshipping God when our congregation cancels worship, right?  Of course not. J While we may not be able to gather with our regular church family, we can still worship God.  Here are some options:

• “Attend worship” via a webcast.  Many larger congregations have developed the option of webcasting their worship services live online.  While I do not recommend it on a regular basis for those who can attend worship, it can certainly provide benefit on an occasional basis.  A couple of good options are Saddleback Church (www.saddleback.com), North Point Community Church (www.northpoint.org), and Kentucky Christian University's chapel services (www.ihigh.com/kcu;I recommend the service from January 29)  .
• Have a family worship service.  Everyone can sing with worship songs on YouTube or iTunes.  Dad can read his favorite Bible passage and discuss why it is important to him.  Mom can serve “bread and juice” for breakfast or lunch as a lesson on Communion.  And the kids can take up a collection for a local charity.  Some resources are Ernest Boyer’s Finding God at Home, J. Bradley Wigger’s The Power of God at Home, and Terry Johnson’s The Family Worship Book.    
• Spent some time alone with God.  I am a firm believer in Christians maintaining a daily devotional practice.  Whether it is a daily Bible reading and prayer, working through a study plan, or reading a devotional book, our regular practice can be just as meaningful as momentary Sunday worship as gathering with our regular congregation.  You can even have a personal Communion service: prepare a Saltine cracker and a glass of juice, read one of the narratives (Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-20), and thank God through prayer for the blessing of Christ’s presence in our lives.

However you choose to spend tomorrow, let us make sure that we continually seek to “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples” (Psalm 96:3)!