Macedonian Ministry welcomes pastors from throughout our program to contribute to our weekly articles. This week, our thanks to Pastor Mark Honstein of the Watford City Area Lutheran Parish and MM Watford City, North Dakota cohort member, for his reflection.
I am told by parishioners that life in general is chaotic, so they value coming to church for the familiar, the consistent, the safe place to relax and engage in familiar worship of our Lord. They value the church and want the sanctuary to remain the same.
On the other hand, I have also worshiped with a community that lost their church and had to worship in a couple’s large living room. Even though it wasn’t a conventional church building, and the first few services were disjointed as they figured out how to configure the space, it became one of the holiest worship spaces I have encountered.
God tented with Israel in the wilderness and it was holy; Jesus communed with the disciples in the attic of a home and it was holy. It seems the space God primarily cares about is the space we make in our hearts and our schedules to worship our creator. Other elements can be dressing for our comfort and connection, but we would do well to consistently return to the spaces that matter most.
Pastor Mark Honstein, Associate Pastor, Watford City Area Lutheran Parish & Macedonian Ministry Watford City, North Dakota Cohort Member.
Pastor Mark Honstein is the Associate Pastor of the Watford City Lutheran Parish and Keene Parish.
No Comments