One night I had a dream. In it family members from both my family and my wife’s, as well as friends from a church I used to belong to were going to this big “to do”. The building was like a castle surrounded by beautiful gardens. We had to pass through an archway just to get in. When we were inside we were ushered to a balcony section of what appeared to be a church sanctuary. The room was immense and already crowded. I remember feeling decidedly uncomfortable. Some of that comfort returned as I noticed that the pulpit and much of the woodwork reminded me of a church I attended as a boy. It was adorned with beautiful carvings in the wood. The only thing missing was the huge pipe organ that was both behind and above the platform, extending at least a full story or more upwards. The woodworking at the back of the platform was done in three panels of more or less the same width. The left and right ones were identical, but the middle one was taller, facilitating the height of the room. Around us were several naked men painted to look like silver. They were muscular and posing as if they were statues. At one point one of these naked men near us was called upon to turn and sing to the odd congregation. As he did so all his private parts were clearly visible to all. He may or may not have been in a spotlight. After he finished and returned to his pose I said to my wife, “I don’t think God was impressed with the vulgar display.” She told me to “Shush!” Then a man at the pulpit had us open our programs and read the Scripture with him. I noticed that below this was a short commentary that was supposed to serve as a sermon. We began to read with the “minister”, but before we got halfway through, the panels behind him opened up and standing in a way as to impress even the best theater connoisseur was the choir, singing. I totally lost my place and couldn’t hear what was being read. I was angered, rather than thrilled, at this implementation. I should say that I was dressed in sweats and remember the tie to my sweat pants had come loose. For some reason the place looked empty, row upon row of theater-like seats filled the space on the main floor. I began to make my way towards the front, full of righteous anger. The pastor, who was not the original person, saw me coming to him, struggling to keep my sweat pants up and tie them off.

“God has sent someone to speak with us today and I’m pleased to introduce him,” he said and motioned for me to come towards him and take over the service.

I started by saying something like, “When God was looking for someone to take over and fill the place of Elijah he found someone who was naked.” This received a good laugh from the people. Then I looked out sternly and said, “God is not impressed with your pageantry! Did you hear me? I said God is not impressed with your pageantry! All of this,” I said motioning to all the visual beauty around me, “means nothing to Him. God wants your obedience. Look at the first chapter of Isaiah. There they were doing what God had commanded and yet God says, ‘When you come to appear before Me, who hat required this at your hands, to tread My courts.’ They were doing the right thing in a wrong way. You have all gathered here to do a right thing in a wrong way and God is not pleased. He is not honored. He is not impressed. Therefore I say unto you, worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth. Do not simply go through the routine of what your fathers have done before you, but come before the Almighty with a fresh, clean heart. Then you shall please God.”

I awoke sometime after that remembering what I’ve written. God is speaking to His people. God is not impressed with the way we do things, because we do them after the fashion of men. Let us go forth and do right by the power of His Holy Spirit and so please Him.

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