Prone to Wander

I am continually struck by what it means to have communion with God and to know God’s friendship. It is outrageous if you think about it. When I was in Egypt I walked through the second largest ancient temple in the world, in the city of Luxor. It was called Karnak Temple. It was built during the time of the Pharaohs, when Egypt was an ascendent power. It represented what any and every ancient culture seemed to grasp intuitively—there is a great chasm between human beings and the divine. I saw the same thing in ancient sites when I was in Ireland. The gap between God and people was so great no one would have the audacity to just approach the deity without temples, priests, sacrifices, and offering. God is big and we are small. God is perfect and we are flawed.  In fact, temples, priests, and sacrifices were present to bridge this gap. Yet even with all this elaborate rubric no one actually thought that friendship with the deity was possible, the best you could do was appease them, manipulate them, or keep them off your back.And yet… Christianity teaches that we can approach God - not with servile fear, but with audacity - like a child to his parent. Yes, even though at our best we are prone to wander, this Sunday we are going to talk about how we come to God in the Soul Room and what our posture ought to be in the presence of the God of the Universe.Blessings,Jim P.S. Due to an administrative oversight we omitted putting Lee McGlamery on the ballot for Ruling Elder. He is seeking a second term of office and per the EPC Book of Order, he must be duly elected by a majority. We will have a brief Congregational Meeting on February 4th after worship for the election.P.P.S.  This Sunday, just a reminder, if you have been visiting with us and want to know more about St. Patrick: our vision, values, membership and what drives us—please join us at 9:15 for what we call “Inquirer’s Class.” We call it that because it is a place to inquire, to ask questions, and to see if this is a church family God might be calling you to join. There is no obligation to join but if you have been coming with regularity I really, really hope you will join us and check out what we think God has called us as a church to do and be.Also, if you are really new to St. Patrick we will have a Newcomer’s Feast after worship for you. For some of you we only know your face, we would like to feast with you and get to know your name, so plan on hanging around after worship.And, last but not least, Brian Henson, who was an Associate Pastor at St. Patrick for ten years and moved to Austin, Texas to plant a church, is launching his first service this Sunday! Please keep this in your prayers. James Daniels, our other church planter from St. Patrick, launched two weeks ago and is excited about what God is doing among the unchurched and de-churched in Chelsea, Alabama. Keep both of these churches in your prayers that God would bless the preaching of the gospel there.