Sabbath. A day to keep holy. A day to worship. For many Christians it is the day to go to church, hear the word of God, to worship and praise him. And a place to feel close to him and keep the Sabbath
My problem is that I have really never felt close to God in a church. Yes. He is there. He is worshiped there. He is praised there and I am right along with the rest of the congregation in doing so, but I have rarely ever felt His presence in the church. The times I have strongly felt him in a church worship service are few and far between. The strongest of those times was when I was with the Lutheran Youth in New Orleans at the Lutheran Youth Gathering.
Instead, I have strongly felt the presence of God when I am in nature. Quietly sitting in a deer stand. Walking the fertile ground while pheasant hunting. Walking under beautiful trees and along beautiful landscapes. In the mountains, at the beach and around a campfire. At night, laying on the ground, looking at the stars.
My Sabbath is not in a house of God that man built.
My Sabbath in the house that God built. The house of Nature. The house built by his hands that was given to us to live in.
No matter how breathtaking and beautiful a chapel or temple is that the Sabbath is kept in, for me it pales in comparison to the house that God built, be it a rugged mountain, a verdant wooded area, or simply the turned earth of farm ground or a wide open Illinois grassland with only the stars above it.
When I can be outside in His House enjoying his creation, that is were I keep my Sabbath.
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