Did Christ show up for worship yesterday - Psalm 66:4 with a story, an observation and a prayer

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 66:4 (The Message)
The whole earth falls to its knees - it worships you, sings to you, can't stop enjoying your name and fame.

A STORY:
A visitor to New York wanted to visit Ralph W. Sockman’s church which was called Christ Church. He got into a cab and asked the driver to drive him to Christ’s Church. The driver took him to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. “What’s wrong?” asked the cab driver. “I wanted to go to Christ’s Church.” “Well, sir,” responded the cab driver, “I don’t know about you, but when He is in town this is where He goes.”

AN OBSERVATION:
Yesterday the “church” gathered at it various locations around the world.

Doors were opened, greeters greeted, ushers passed out bulletins, choirs sang as the organ/piano played, people gathered in the pews and the preacher did his/her thing. The question … the real question … is: Did Christ show up? Did the Holy Spirit move among the people? Did we just go through the motion, get our ticket punched for heaven and go home to live the same old, boring existence?

Do we ever really expect anything to really happen when the church gathers at the designated hour?

And now, the real question, are we in the process of preparing for the church to gather next Sunday? And, will we change our level of expectation and anticipation as we join others for the church’s regular worship service … or will it be irregular, an unanticipated event where something unusually exciting happens? Will we be looking for it, praying for it, longing for it?

PRAYER:
Help us, Eternal God, not to take lightly the gathering of your church nor the need to prepare for the gathering. Prompt us not to leave it all up to the preacher and choir and others. Come Holy Spirit fill us, lead us, mold us, shape us after your divine will! Amen.