Holidays are a season of altered routines for the purpose of restoration. Starting Monday I will be on holiday for four weeks, the longest holiday I have had since high school. During that time I will be doing some construction, reading, running, and spending time with Angela and the kids in our yard, around our neighbourhood, and at Lake Newell. I am looking forward to it greatly. However, the reality about a holiday is its nearly equal potential for restoration or fatigue, depending on who or what I am focused on. The same is true about gathering for worship. It is a weekly altered routine for the purpose of restoration. As we gather to sing and pray, to read and respond to God’s word, to share in communion and the stories of our lives, and to encourage and guide one another, depending on who or what we are focused on, there is nearly equal potential for restoration or fatigue. In his letter to the Ephesian church Paul writes, “because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5). This reality is reason to celebrate, but living in this reality is restorative. As we gather for worship each week, let’s be a people who intentionally engage in this altered routine to restore one another as the body of Christ!
