I was at my church this evening talking with the audio/visual ministry leader about setting up a podcast (to accompany our upcoming new Web site), and it was the first time I’d been in the sanctuary when it was so empty. Every other time there’d been at least a small group. It was eerie — like being in a sports arena or a fairgrounds off-hours. All this space with nothing in it.

It got me thinking about some of the churches I’ve been to in times past that were full of people…and yet gave me that same eerie feeling. All this space with no God in it. No Spirit. No life. Just pleasant, non-offensive, respectable ritual. Oh, some of the folks there I’m sure loved God and were trying to do the right thing. But I’m afraid that’s just not enough.

God doesn’t want our devotion. He doesn’t want our allegiance or our diligence. He doesn’t want our service or our commitments. He doesn’t even want our good deeds.

He wants our love. He wants our lives. He wants every fiber of our being. He wants us.

The day when the entire body of the Christian church worldwide finally smashes the false god of fake religiosity and runs towards her Bridegroom with arms wide open will be a day worth remembering. Maybe we’ll even live to see it.