Building Altars

                                        A Note From The Pastor

    “On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer
         burnt offerings to the Lord [on the altar], though the    foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.” (Ezra 3:6)

Whenever any of the Israelites stopped somewhere in their travels, they built an altar. We know this because of the stories in scripture. 

So here is the story of the rebuilding of the temple, and look at what they did first. They built an altar. 

These were people who had lived nomadic lives, and so they knew they could worship any place. So, they didn’t need a beautiful temple in order to worship God. They needed an altar. 

Friends, there are times when we “skip” worship in our daily lives. Sometimes it is because we think we have to pray “at church.” Sometimes it is because we think we have to have someone else to lead us. Sometimes it is because we don’t know what to say or do.

I have a little prayer bench. It was made for me by a member of a church I formerly served. I simply look at it and can immediately calm my mind and think of God’s goodness. Now, I don’t necessarily do the same thing each time I use the bench for meditation. But it is a place that has become my altar.

It can be a corner with nothing else in it. It can be a little bench. It can be a chair with your Bible and/or a devotional book beside it. Wherever you can find a place to spend time with God can become your altar. 

And wherever you have your altar you can worship! Try it and see.                                                                                                                                               
                                                  Pastor Nancy