for the beauty of each hour

I've been troubled this past week over something my pastor said during his sermon on Easter morning about the excuses people make for not going to church. Maybe people, he said, claim that going to the beach or taking a hike or spending time with family are ways of worshiping God. But no, he continued, none of these things are a proper substitute for church attendance and surrounding ourselves in worship with fellow believers.

Well... I don't know if I would use the word "substitute" but I absolutely, 100% believe that walking along the beach or hiking through the canyons, or driving with the wind blowing through my hair, or spending a moment in quiet writing are ways of worshiping God. They are my ways. They are the moments when I feel the closest to Him and his creation.

Alright, I admit it: my church attendance as of late hasn't been... stellar. Which is strange for me. I was raised in a family that went to church every Sunday. My parents required that I go to Sunday School after service (something I HATED). I attended confirmation classes every Thursday for two years and was confirmed in May of 1997,  I was an active member of my church youth group,  and I attended youth gatherings and retreats and choir tours. After graduation I turned around and taught those Sunday School classes and confirmation classes for about six or seven years. I took classes to become a Bible Study leader. I was, for all intents and purposes an active member of church life.

But then, for whatever reason, I stopped teaching and started skipping church services here and there more and more often until it's come to pass that I rarely ever go anymore. I'm on the verge of that dreaded CEO title (Christmas and Easter Only).

Maybe it's because my sisters don't go as often. Or because I don't live with my parents anymore and it's HARD to get up when I don't need to and it's so much easier to snuggle under the covers a couple hours later and not set the alarm. Maybe it's because all my friends have moved away or gotten married or had kids (And I can honestly say that it freaked me out the day one of the girls I confirmed with brought her son into my Sunday School class. I don't feel old enough for this to be possible). Maybe it's because some of the political stuff behind the scenes left a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe it's because a lot of what I took away from college, from life in general and so many of the people that I've known over the past few years have made me question those beliefs that were instilled in me from such a young age. Maybe it's everything. Maybe it's me.

Easter church service was lovely. The sanctuary was filled with sweet smelling lilies, the orchestra was powerful, the people were dressed in their Easter finest. But in so many ways for me it was lacking and empty. The hymns sounded robotic and dreary, the sermon was formulaic, the entire service felt akin to a stage production that we were watching and had no part of. How is this worshiping God? In so many ways it would make a million times more sense to go and plant a tree, feed the homeless, hike up to a mountain top and marvel at the sunset.

I believe in God. I believe in Jesus. I believe that He died for our sins. I believe in the love that He preached. I believe that He is in everything. And I believe that I can find him on the sandy shores of a Southern California beach just as well as on the alter of a church sanctuary. Everyone is different. Everyone feels and experiences things in a different way. Who's to say that I can't feel God the most when I'm watching a really good movie? Or when I'm caught up in writing? Or when I'm whipping up a batch of cupcakes? Or when I'm sitting around my parents' kitchen table and laughing with my sisters? Or when I'm talking with a group of friends about the mysteries of the universe? (That sounds weird and pretentious. I'm sorry. I don't actually ever sit down with friends with the intent to "talk about the universe." Usually it's a lot of meandering and nonsensical laughing leading to questions like "what IS the color red?" and "what are cats really thinking?")

For me, church can be found anywhere and everywhere and if I'm surrounding myself with people that can share and elevate and challenge my beliefs, and it brings me closer to God? Then I'm going to keep on doing just that.

Blessings.

 "God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars."- Author unknown, commonly attributed to Martin Luther

"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in." 

- George Washington Carver