What Reverence Looks Like After You Leave Church
By Webster ·
You might leave church with plenty to think about from the service. You have listened to Scripture and joined in worship. Then the afternoon gets away from you. Someone says something irritating. A message arrives that you would rather ignore. Before long, you are speaking in a way you would have felt uncomfortable with an hour earlier.
That conversation is one place where what we have heard needs to shape how we live.
Those are precisely the circumstances I want us to consider when we talk about Holy Ground. The collection draws its meaning from Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush. Its message asks us to consider how reverence for God affects our everyday conduct.
The next conversation matters
James 3:1–12 gives considerable attention to speech. He describes the inconsistency of blessing God and then cursing people made in God’s likeness. Reading that passage should make us think about the people on the receiving end of our words.
We can use our words to embarrass someone or express contempt. We can also offer an honest correction with care. A difficult conversation may still need to happen. Reverence for God should shape how we conduct it.
Sometimes we need to pause before replying and ask whether we have understood correctly. Moving the conversation into private may also be appropriate. Sometimes it requires more humility. We need to return to a conversation and acknowledge that what we said was unfair.
It is easy to regard an apology as something that can wait until we feel less annoyed. Taking God seriously gives us reason to deal with our words while we would still prefer to defend them.
Pay attention to the person in front of you
Reverence also reaches into how we regard people. James 2:1–9 warns against favouritism in the church, particularly the different treatment given to rich and poor visitors. Status can distort our attention before we even recognise it.
That warning travels with us. Do we become patient when someone is influential and dismissive when they are serving us? Do we listen to a person who has nothing to offer our plans? Are the people closest to us receiving the care we are happy to show in public?
The response depends on the situation. You may need to listen properly or follow through on a commitment you have kept putting off. The point is to consider the real person affected by our choices, rather than leaving our concern for others at the level of an intention.
Private choices belong to God too
Paul’s teaching about the body in 1 Corinthians 6 makes belonging to God deeply practical. He addresses sexual conduct and tells believers that their bodies belong to the Lord. Earlier in the chapter, he reminds them that they have been washed, sanctified and justified through Christ and the Spirit. The passage asks us to take bodily obedience seriously as people God has already brought to Himself.
Ephesians 4:25–32 addresses truthfulness and honest work, including sharing with people in need. It gives us reason to examine the habits we keep when nobody is watching. We may need to tell the truth about a mistake or follow through on a responsibility we have neglected. The same question about obedience reaches into what we choose to watch.
Choose something specific. A general wish to become more reverent can remain comfortable because it never identifies the conversation or habit that needs attention. Specific obedience gives us something to pray about and put into practice.
Come back when you get it wrong
An honest reflection on our conduct will expose failure. 1 John 1:5–2:2 gives believers reason to confess their sins and trust God’s forgiveness through Christ. We can bring what we have done into the light instead of avoiding it.
That confession should also lead us to consider whom we have hurt. Forgiveness does not remove the need to apologise or repair damage where possible. If a pattern keeps harming someone, it needs to change. Reverence includes being willing to hear what we would rather excuse.
As you think about the coming week, start with one question: where do I already know that my response needs to change? Bring that to God, return to the relevant Scripture and take the next faithful step.
Holy Ground is intended to help us remember that question. A hoodie or cap can bring the meaning back to mind. We respond by putting it into practice when the next conversation or decision arrives.
Explore the Holy Ground collection. Available to order. Each piece is made to order; production and delivery times vary by item and destination.