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"Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:23-24).
When I was a child, my mom would often say, “Do they think God takes a vacation?” She would say this during the summer months when church attendance would be significantly lower. She wasn’t begrudging those who took vacations. Our own family would travel “out west” for three weeks of each summer to visit grandparents. Rather, she was more concerned about the people who weren’t out of town but still didn’t come to church.
Or my mom would use her favorite phrase when we were traveling. As Sunday came close, the old “Lutheran Annual” would be pulled out from the car’s glovebox to explore area churches and see what time worship services were held in whatever town we found ourselves. Of course we would attend. It was Sunday! "Do you think God takes a vacation?"
In Jeremiah’s day, the people were being taken from their home in and near Jerusalem into captivity in faraway Babylon. In their minds God was back in Jerusalem, and they wouldn’t be able to worship Him, or even make contact through prayer, if they were far removed from home. God assures them that even when far from home, God is near!
As we find ourselves in the “summer months," it is a good reminder that God is near! In fact, God is not only near — He is actively at work in our lives and in the life of St. Paul’s. Here are some examples:
- Our congregation will extend a call for the senior pastor position in a few days!
- GriefShare ministry will begin this week at St. Paul’s.
- Daily, 95 “summer campers” fill our north campus and attend weekly chapel services, and another 125 children fill our ECC on our south campus to sing and celebrate Jesus.
- Cheerleading camp, basketball camps, and volleyball camps are anxious to be the first on the new gym floor.
- KFUO Bible study and Foundation Bible study happen each Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
- Sunday school children (some brand new) gather every week at 9:30 a.m.
- Joel Stoppenhagen, our assistant kantor, will arrive on July 15 and begin serving among us.
- VBS (July 13-17) and Care and Connect Week (July 26-August 2).
- Youth go on a week-long servant trip, departing July 25.
No, God does not go on vacation! Aren’t we all so very grateful?!
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