Sam Griffiths

“God was really in the house today”
Recently, I came across an expression that I stored away somewhere in my subconscious because it sounded something to meditate on – “God was really in the house today!” I saw it again this week in an advert for Christian summer camps in tents in Devon. They actually altered it to say “tents” rather than “house”, which I suppose is a fair enough kind of thing to do.
But then I started to think about the expression in a little more detail. What did it mean? I wonder if it’s a new expression for the old subjective comment “I really liked the worship today!” Over the years I’ve heard this put in several other ways – “Wow! The worship was really anointed today!”
Now on one level these can be quite encouraging comments, particularly if you are the person responsible for leading worship or happen to be in the worship group that day. And goodness, do we need to hear comments that encourage and build up, because put plainly, the church can so often be a place called “The Desert of Encouragement.”In other words, it just doesn’t happen. And that’s good, because often words of encouragement will spur people on to even greater things. Whilst of course, words of discouragement can do the opposite.
But then again, the trouble with these kind of comments is that they so easily point out the subjective nature of worship. After all, it may have been good for you, but it wasn’t for me. I might have been up late last night and to be honest anything you ask me to comment on is going to get negative feedback! And what works for one, may just not do it for another. And in any case, who on earth is the worship for? Us and to make us feel good, or God and to give him glory and honour, no matter what we feel like or what is happening in the midst of our life and it’s struggles?
One final point came to my mind which may well be worth further reflection. There is a verse in Acts 17: 24 which makes clear that God “does not dwell in temples built by man.” Now that is interesting! If it’s true, then could it be, as free churches (a la non-conformists) have always held and thus chosen not to have altars, that God actually is not in residence in our church buildings?