Day 1
30-day reading plan: Matthew 1 – 9
Daily Verse: Matthew 2: 2b
We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.
I recently saw a church sign that said: “Take God on your vacation.” How do you pack God? Where do I get a Divine size suitcase? Does God fly first class? Will God mind sitting in the backseat with the dog? I’d be more than a little concerned if you think you can fit the whole of God in the back of the minivan or in the overhead compartment. So, how do we take God on vacation?
We don’t have to pack God to take with us to the beach or a cabin in the woods. God is already there, in the trunk of the car and the airplane’s baggage area. God is omnipresent which means God is eternally everywhere all the time. We don’t need to take God with us, because God is here, there and along the way.
The church sign may have had something to do with our inclination to not attend church on vacation. I think the reason we don’t attend church on vacation is because our community is not there. An important aspect of worship is gathering as a community. We consider church our family. When we are on vacation, our community is not there. Worship feels different at another church, because the people we are used to seeing in worship are not there.
The Maji traveled to go to God with us, Immanuel. They left their community in search of God in the flesh. When we travel on vacation, we have the opportunity to seek God in a new place among a different community, even if only for one Sunday. Our vacation is not a time away from God, but an opportunity to meet God in a new place. I’m sure the church community you visit will be overjoyed by your visit.
Questions for reflection:
How do you worship God when you are away from home?
If you winter away from home, have you found a community to worship with at your winter home?
30-day reading plan: Matthew 1 – 9
Daily Verse: Matthew 2: 2b
We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.
I recently saw a church sign that said: “Take God on your vacation.” How do you pack God? Where do I get a Divine size suitcase? Does God fly first class? Will God mind sitting in the backseat with the dog? I’d be more than a little concerned if you think you can fit the whole of God in the back of the minivan or in the overhead compartment. So, how do we take God on vacation?
We don’t have to pack God to take with us to the beach or a cabin in the woods. God is already there, in the trunk of the car and the airplane’s baggage area. God is omnipresent which means God is eternally everywhere all the time. We don’t need to take God with us, because God is here, there and along the way.
The church sign may have had something to do with our inclination to not attend church on vacation. I think the reason we don’t attend church on vacation is because our community is not there. An important aspect of worship is gathering as a community. We consider church our family. When we are on vacation, our community is not there. Worship feels different at another church, because the people we are used to seeing in worship are not there.
The Maji traveled to go to God with us, Immanuel. They left their community in search of God in the flesh. When we travel on vacation, we have the opportunity to seek God in a new place among a different community, even if only for one Sunday. Our vacation is not a time away from God, but an opportunity to meet God in a new place. I’m sure the church community you visit will be overjoyed by your visit.
Questions for reflection:
How do you worship God when you are away from home?
If you winter away from home, have you found a community to worship with at your winter home?
Rev. Tracy A. Siegman
Senior Pastor
First Christian Church (DOC)
14 W. Fifth St.
Covington, KY 41011
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