They say if all the ice melted, the ocean would rise by as much as 215 feet, flooding New York City and leaving the Statue of Liberty waist-deep in water. The city of Memphis, Tennessee would be on the Gulf of Mexico.
But there’s no need to worry. Though the sea level has increased over the last few years, it’s only risen by 6-8 inches over the last century. How they know that--I haven’t a clue. What I do know is that too many churches have their own kind of “ice cap” and “glaciers” in their worship services and practice of their faith. Those definitely need to melt, flooding all around with Rivers of Living Water.
Since I am a Baptist, I will pick on “us”: it is often said that one of the best things that could happen in a Baptist church worship service on Sunday morning is for something to take place which wasn't printed in the bulletin. I’m not arguing that worship services should not be planned and structured, but it’s too easy to plan and structure ourselves out of a visitation from God.
I have been in many worship services in the years since I became a follower of Christ. Some of them were so filled with God’s Being that I just basked in the holy glow of His Presence.
But others were not so. What had been practiced for so long had become a ritual, something that could almost be done with our eyes shut. There was no movement of the Spirit, no awareness of His Presence, no joy, and no lives transformed by the Power of Christ.
Are we alone? Probably not, but nothing will change until we openly admit that a visitation of God in our worship services is not something which can be programmed or scheduled. It must be nothing other than the moving of God's Spirit among us, convicting, searing, healing, transforming, remaking, molding, inviting.
But before it can happen, the ice needs to melt. Sadly, there are some worship services in our land which are so frozen over with indifference, habit and tradition that God’s Spirit could sweep through, touching lives for eternity, and many would never even notice.
They wouldn't notice because they are too far under the ice.
--Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com