The golfing world held its collective breath this weekend as the legendary Tiger Woods prepared to tee off at Augusta on Sunday – in contention to win. Despite possessing four green jackets from previous Masters tournaments, few thought he would ever win this prestigious tournament again. The anticipation for Sunday among golf fans has not been experienced since the time when Tiger formerly dominated the sport. As he made his two-foot putt on the eighteenth hole, crowds roared as Tiger became a five-time Master’s champion. Now, there is one question the permeates the sports world. What now?
Although the hype for Sunday lived up to the anticipation, and the excitement was overwhelming, the truth is that it is all over. For those outside of Tiger’s immediate circle, life goes on the same regardless of whether he won or lost. Despite the excitement, the question still remains, “What now?” Maybe you have no connection to golf and are beginning to wonder why this, of all things, appears in this church blog.
The answer is quite simple. It is a good illustration of what I have seen regarding worship. Our collective worship to God on Sunday can, and hopefully should, be the climax of our week as Christians. It is the time when we set aside our daily struggles and offer our praise to our amazing Creator. It is the time when we reflect on the sacrifice of our Savior that forever altered our eternal destiny. It is a time that should elicit strong anticipation and emotion. However, that time eventually ends. Then what? For many, the desire to serve God through the week is strong on Sunday but is quickly extinguished with Monday’s normal life events. If you have ever experienced this, then maybe I can help. On Tuesday I will offer you a bible thought that is related to the life of our family at Manchester that will hopefully provide some possibilities for, “What now?”
Your thought for this week has already been prepared in our week-long devotional challenge, “A Week to Remember.” If you did not pick one up on Sunday, you can find it on our website under the member’s tab (which is accessible to non-members as well). Each day is a devotional thought that pertains to something that happened to Jesus during His final week. Join us as we focus our minds on our Savior prior to this Sunday’s worship service. Also, as a challenge, share the devotional study with someone you believe could benefit from some reflection time on Jesus. Our service to God and spiritual mindset does not have to end on Sunday. What now? There is always something to do in God’s kingdom. Please join me on Tuesdays.