When I was a kid I liked to move around the church during worship. From the front pew to the balcony you could see people encountering God in so many ways. I learned that some people cried. Some laughed. Others danced, and not always well 😂. There were singers and shouters, those who wailed and those who whispered but there wasn’t a seat in the house of God that could disappoint. It was glorious from every angle. Except when I was caught in a seat talking to my friends- that wasn’t glorious. .
My first ministry assignment was as a youth group worship leader. My first youth camp experience was on an island infested with snakes- that seat wasn’t a favorite. I’ve had other positions in the church that felt uncomfortable, sometimes as a volunteer and other times as staff but God was teaching me to appreciate every angle, every view, every vantage point. He was teaching me to steward my assignment well and honor the process of growing and understanding His Church.
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I was learning that the best seat in His house wasn’t about the location of the seat or proximity to a platform. The best seat wasn’t about who sat next to me rather all about those God has entrusted to me for that season within arms reach. Would I love them? Would I pray for them? Would I serve them? .
I watched a lot of us get frustrated in our late twenties because we were finding that in the Kingdom of God we aren’t asked to climb ladders. .
Instead, we are asked to build tables and invite others to their seat God has just for them. .
But it requires confidence in our own seat no matter where it might be in the house to empower others to take their own. .
I confess I’ve almost quit because I didn’t like my seat. But it was the view that captured my attention. The stories of those around me, the people of God, the commitment of the body to fulfill the Great Commission which never asked me if I’d GO only when I liked my assignment…but to GO and make disciples because Jesus made a way and that’s good enough for me. .
Look around. If you have been entrusted to serve God’s people, that’s a pretty amazing seat. What a view.
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