A child, with her father and mother, had been to a service of worship at their church. That night, saying her prayers, she put this in: "... and, Lord, we had a good time at church today. I wish you could have been there!"

Well, of course, the Lord had been there. He is always there. And one of the essential requirements for true worship is that the worshiper understand the truth of this. You know, Jacob almost missed the Lord at Bethel - perhaps he did altogether. You remember, he had a dream there, and it was only afterward, when reflecting on it, that Jacob began to suspect what had happened. He said, "Surely, the Lord was in this place, and I did not know it."

Please know, my friend, that as we meet here today, God's presence is very real. Worship is an interaction between the worshiper and the worshiped. When we worship, God participates in it. There is an interflow of giving and receiving between us and him: as we offer our penitent hearts, he gives forgiveness; as he offers us his grace, we open our hearts to receive; and there is a flowing back and forth of love - from our hearts to him and from him to us.

Yes, today God is here - not passively standing by, but actively present. Let us be aware of this, and may this awareness make this a time of true communion between each of us and our Lord.