Wow! What you see at the Fair.

I went up to the Woodstock Fair this morning with Lori, the girls and our friend, George. It was a beautiful day and the Fair was great. The smells, the sounds, the crowds brought me right back to when I was a teenager. I used to love going to all the local fairs. My father would drag us along to look at the tractors and to watch the oxen and horses. Back then I didn't appreciate all of that stuff. I was more interested in the games and the rides.

A funny thing happened today. When I saw the tractors I got all excited. And when one of the guys started one of them up and that gassy smell filled the air, I thought of my father. I was transported back in time and I suddenly got what my father saw in all this stuff.

It made me think about church. Sometimes we take the tradition and ritual for granted. We want the contemporary music, the good preaching and a hot cup of coffee afterwards. That is how we measure church. But the truth is that it is so much more than that. Worship is about sitting in the presence of God. It is participating in timeless worship and sharing that moment with people you know and love.

Cal