Isaiah recorded a promise of God that a child, in fact a son, would be born and he would be the Savior that the World was looking for.  Luke records the fulfillment of that promise in Luke 2.  This is what he wrote.

"And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.  She gave birth to her first child, a son.  She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger.  Because there was no lodging available for them.  That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them.  They were terrified, but the angel reassured them.  "Don't be afraid!" he said.  "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethelehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others - the armies of heaven - praising God and saying, "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

Genesis 12:7 records an interesting scene, which I for one had often overlooked.  It reads, "Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'I will give this land to your descendants.  And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the LORD, who had appeared to him.'"  An author commenting on this verse wrote, "With gratitude for what he had not yet received, Abram worshiped as if there were no doubts about God's truthfulness."

At LifeQuest we've been examining Worship.  It has been a wonderful journey so far and we have discovered a lot about God, ourselves, and our relationship with Him.  One of the things we talked about is how, in the Scriptures, an encounter with God always resulted in Awe and Wonder.

Awe and Wonder.  We were made to experience Awe and Wonder.  Humans are the only ones on earth that can stand in awe and wonder amazed by a sunset over the Ocean or the snow on the peaks of a mountain range or the emotions stirred up by a beautiful piece of music.  We experience Awe and Wonder because God formed us to be in relationship with Him and to be able to experience His presence.  Awe and Wonder can produce some very meaningful moments in our lives.

So, in one of our services I asked the question, "Where do you go when you want to experience awe and wonder?"  There were a wide variety of answers.  Some said the beach.  Others said the mountains or the woods.  Some said a night with friends and others talked about family and watching little children experiencing life.  Some talked about the excitement of new adventures.  And the list went on for awhile.

But there was one thing that was not mentioned: Going to church.  Going to church to worship with others in the presence of God or even our own private time of worship never made the list.  Yet one of the primary purposes for coming together as a community is to experience God together which should include the Awe and Wonder of being in His presence.  Why is it that the church is not at the top of our list for being a main source of Awe and Wonder?