We’ve had a beautiful week of weather over much of the UK. Last Sunday was especially nice. I was away at a Christian conference, and enjoying the sunshine that had been lacking for weeks further north where I live.

Afternoon cycle

In the afternoon I went out for a cycle along the canal. It was a favourite circular route of mine. Mid-way I took a stroll through some woodlands before moving on to the well-kept gardens of a large institution. A natural sun trap, sheltered on all sides by a variety of looming trees, and a perfect haven for resting, praying and relaxing.

I was so caught up in the sheer beauty of the moment that I completely lost track of time. Glancing at my phone I noticed it was 6pm – just half an hour before the evening service was due to start at church.

I quietly panicked, thinking I’d need to rush to church on time.

I quietly panicked, thinking I’d need to rush to church on time, with no time to nip home for a quick wash and change of clothes or to pick up my Bible.

Meeting the Queen

I remembered a sermon I once heard, which had a lasting impression on me, that good time-keeping was essential for God’s children. A parallel example was given of being granted an appointment to meet the (then) Queen – would we turn up even a minute late? Of course not! That would be highly disrespectful. We’d make absolutely sure we arrived at the Palace well before the appointed time.

How much more important, then – we were reminded – given an appointment with the King of kings, to arrive in good time. The message struck home, and for several weeks thereafter everyone was in church and seated a good ten minutes prior to the start of the service! Needless to say, this pattern didn’t last long, and we gradually reverted to arriving nearer and nearer (or even after) the appointed time. (I have heard of a similar argument in regard to dressing up extra smartly to go to church; after all, wouldn’t you dress in your very finest apparel if you had an appointment with the Queen?)

Stopping to reflect

These thoughts were at the front of my mind as I leapt to my feet. But I paused for a moment. Why my haste to get to a church building when the present ‘sanctuary’ in which I was located was manifestly more beautiful than any church on the planet – certainly than any I had ever crossed the threshold of?

The answer came – so as not to disrespectfully miss an appointment with Almighty God. But I didn’t have any ‘appointment’ with Almighty God at church that evening. No such formal arrangement had been made. The triune God wasn’t going to be hanging around waiting for yours truly to arrive. Nor was I taking part in leading the service, which would duly proceed in my absence.

I was resting in his presence, the sense of which was very real. Why on earth would I rush away from that?

On the contrary, I would actually be deliberately leaving the presence of God to rush to the service! I was resting in his presence, the sense of which was very real. Why on earth would I rush away from that? Besides, I have been to countless church services where there has been little sense of God’s presence. And in any case, I had no sense that God was asking me to dash away. The urge to hurry to church was an internal impression.

Abiding in His presence

Yes, I wanted to go to church – to worship with God’s people, to (hopefully) receive good biblical teaching, and to enjoy fellowship with friends. But arriving five or ten minutes late for once wasn’t going to stop any of that. And so, I lingered in his presence for a while longer, relishing the peace and quiet, the merry chirping of the birds, and other aspects of His wondrous creation. It was such an oasis – a real touch of heaven on earth.

After a while in this oasis, I eventually felt led to cycle home, have a quick wash and change, and make my way to church. I arrived during the ‘worship time’, slipping in unobtrusively, with few even noticing my entrance.

I know someone who will turn and go back home rather than enter a meeting late – in part because of a strong sense of self-consciousness; in part due to an equally strong sense of punctuality. But it’s sad that this at times leads to him missing out on God’s blessings.

Bumping into Lewis

I well remember one Saturday morning, again on my bicycle, making my way to church for a monthly event called ‘Stop for the One’, where a group of us met together for a time of worship, prayer and preparation before going out into the local community to stop and chat with folk on the housing estates, take time to listen to their concerns, offer prayer for them, and hopefully build up good relations. On my way, I bumped into a friendly guy I had got to know, who had significant substance-abuse problems.

As believers, we can develop a near obsession with our own rules and regulations; rules that we take to be God-ordained, but are often human constructs rather than biblical commands.

Lewis greeted me, clearly wanting to engage in conversation. I said ‘Hi’ as I sped past him, keen to get to the meeting on time. It was only as I arrived at church that the irony impacted me; in my rush to get to ‘Stop for the One’, I had completely failed to do just that! I sincerely repented of my insensitivity, recalling the example of Jesus, who was quick to ‘stop for the one’ – the woman suffering from bleeding – when on His way to save a little child who had died, and whom he brought to life (Lk 8:40-56).

Avoiding idols

As believers, we can develop a near obsession with our own rules and regulations; rules that we take to be God-ordained, but are often human constructs rather than biblical commands. Didn’t Jesus remind his followers “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”. Indeed, Jesus broke several religious rules of the day (Matt 12:11-13; Jn 4:7-31; Mk 2:13-17). For Jesus, only one rule was paramount: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and love your neighbour as yourself” (Matt 22:38).

Please don’t take me the wrong way. It’s clearly important to be punctual, especially for one-to-one appointments. It’s highly discourteous to leave people waiting for us. Punctuality is also important at church meetings - it's honouring to those leading the services and is an expression of respect and love. Services would become chaotic if people just arrived whenever they wanted. That’s certainly not what I’m proposing.

What I am saying, however, is this:  let’s be careful not to make a god out of it.