His mother is a believer who came to Christ as an adult. She has seen a large number of family come to know Christ's forgiveness through her witness and prayers. We're looking forward to her "graduation party".
We spent quite a bit of time talking about church in general and reaching multiple generations. One indicator of a healthy church is intergenerational activities. We agreed that there are a few keys though this certainly isn't a comprehensive list:
- Authentic worship - the leaders have to be worshippers first and not "cheer leaders" of the service. They have to be in awe of the One Who is Worthy and not just following the schedule of worship.
- Quality - this is not to say that every aspect has to be professional grade, but that the Lord deserves our best. Shoddy effort or product won't enhance worship.
- Right Focus - Worship is about Christ. It's about who God is and what he desires of us. It's an opportunity to lay our lives before him in surrender and adoration. Worship is about Him - not about us. True worship may not make me feel anything - though I hope it does. True worship is when I've declared the goodness of God and surrendered to his purposes. It's not whether I've sung my favorite song, had a stirring conversation with a friend or heard a sermon that I agree with. True worship is about Him.
There are a lot of other things that can be said about worship. Suffice it to say that it is perhaps the highest privilege a believer has. That the Great God of the universe would allow me into his presence for anything - would take any notice of me - is an astounding thing. That he wants to relate to me, spend time with me, that he invites me into his presence is a wonder I'll never understand.
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