Church Without a Roof

I imagine there are more churches worldwide with no walls, than there are those with walls.

Sunday morning Peter and I went to the church with no walls at Smith Park. As he jumped out of the car, I parked. He likes to help with the sound equipment and after the preaching and breakfast, go with his friend David to shepherd the folks to the van and back to the rescue missions, bus stop, etc.

As I was parking, I thought of how I had lain awake the night before. In the dark I had reached for the lamp string, and my Bible. It opened to the Psalms. The honest writer was wailing to God, "Lord, I feel like dying, but surely you don't want me to die! If I die, I can't fulfill my purpose in life. I can't praise you from down in the dust!"

So the reason I was made is easy - to praise God. Not to thank Him must be a serious sin, literally a slap in the face of the one who made me.

As I climbed out of the car, I was greeted by a pleasant looking, tall, black gentleman. Thomas was feeling really overwhelmed by life. We sat down together on the curb, and I explained why God made him, what God had explained to Job while he and his friends were sitting on their curb. That we are to thank our Creator.

Together we looked upwards at the clear blue, blue sky and the pure white of the wispy clouds, at the creamy, white magnolia blossoms amidst the green, spring leaves. Together we said, "How great you are, God! Thank you for this beautiful world you made today."

After a minute, he turned to me wide-eyed and shook his head slowly back and forth. "Mrs. Sylvia," he said, "You did it! You did it! You got me to see!"

Thank you God, for helping us to see! And thank you that our church has no walls, so it fills the whole park and extends to the curb of the parking lot across the street. But more than that, it also has no roof!

No roof means there is nothing to stop us from looking right up at all Your beauty and majesty. As we do, we feel You reaching down and lifting us up with Your huge hands of love on the days when we feel overwhelmed.