Going into any place or situation where things are done in a slightly different way to what’s familiar to us often makes us uncomfortable or perhaps even judgemental. Churches and other places of worship can make us feel that discomfort strongly. I’ve sat in churches that did everything differently from worship to preaching to lighting. The smell was different, and the choir looked and sounded so different. I have to admit that it made me feel as though it was a completedly different faith. From my perspective, my church and it’s ways seemed far superior to those of the other church.

I grew up in the Methodist church and got used to the ministers wearing robes, communion in the front on our knees and a choir singing ancient hymns to the chords of the very big organ being pumped in the front of the church. The wooden pews were hard and uncomfortable and made every shift or movement echo throughout the whole church. You either sat very still and hardly breathed or you had the whole congregation turning to frown at you. On one occasion my sister and I found something amusing and our attempt at stifling our giggles caused the (very) old minister to stop and wait for us to gain control over ourselves as the pew creaked along with our laughter. Not our finest moment🤪!

I’m now past my half century mark and sometimes I still balk at very formal or traditional churches. The ‘religion’ driven institutions can make me squirm and even get me comparing them to my home church.

I have reached a point where I have to acknowledge how limited my thinking really is. If God is who He says He is, surely He is operational in many places that are not exactly the same as the one where I worship. In fact many of them are so completedly different from my church that the only recognizable thing is that they recognise Jesus as the Son of God ( the very same God that I love and worship – surprise 😏) and that they believe in the trinity of Father,Son and Holy Spirit. That’s it – nothing else is even remotely the same.

What is that’s ok with God ? What if He sees the hearts and intentions of these other worshippers and declares them as righteous as He declares me to be all because of Christ and not in any way because of their ways of worshiping Him?

I’ve come to realize that I can recognize my God in an unfamiliar place of worship only if my heart is open to doing so. I also have to acknowledge that He recognizes me in that same place. Him and I are still Father and daughter no matter what House of Worship we are in- albeit a totally different and unfamiliar one!

I married into a very formal and somewhat unfamiliar denomination of Christianity and I had to accept a lot of traditions that seemed strange to me. We had never paid much attention to the various saints and the only physical demonstration of our faith was holy communion. The church of my husbands family where we got married is ground in traditions and cultures that are still confusing to me, however I can see the beauty in them.

We now attend a very untraditional church where there is not much focus on the ancient habits and cultures of some other churches.

Years ago I was praying and asking God about all the different traditions in the various churches and if He was OK with them.

God showed me a Christmas tree with all of the fancy decorations and tinsel on it . I believe I heard Him saying that every denomination puts its decorations on the tree – their own traditions and cultures- and He sees each one. What He looks at though is the tree itself. If it’s a healthy tree then He’s happy no matter what it’s adorned with. If it’s an unhealthy tree covered up in bright traditions but rotten underneath,it’s a problem.

I was looking at the decorations and not the tree . God sees the tree beneath the decorations .

From time to time I still visit churches that are different to mine but now I try to remember that my Father is still my Father in His house,even if the House looks different. I’ve realized that as long as He is present it’s all good. And He is. Wherever there are hearts that are crying out to Him, He is there amongst them. Whether they are holding a crucifix, a Bible or just clutching their chests, He hears. If the music is coming from a traditional organ and the congregation is singing from a hymnal, if a single robed individual is chanting in the front of the church, and even if the whole church is singing with arms raised high above their heads and dancing to a worship band, He hears. Whether it’s on our knees or standing up,with head bowed or looking up, He hears. It’s so easy to pay attention to the physical demonstrations of faith, but God looks for the spiritual demonstrations that are often hidden from our judgemental view.

Keep your eyes fixed on the God of the House. If it’s the same God, you’re in familiar company. Worship Him as you do at home and don’t look to see the differences – seek what’s familiar and focus on that.

Be the healthy tree!

“You can tell each tree by its fruit.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:20‬ ‭NIRV‬‬

“Look at the obvious fruit of their lives and ministries, and then you’ll know whether they are true or false.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:20‬ ‭TPT‬‬

“But GOD told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. GOD judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; GOD looks into the heart.””
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭16:7‬ ‭MSG‬‬