Matthew 18:15-20

Thoughts:              “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

One of my earliest memories is hearing my father quote this verse.  Usually, the occasion was Thursday night prayer meeting.  Prayer meeting met 52 weeks a year, soldiering on through sweltering (not air-conditioned) nights and frigid winter nights when we kept our coats on.  Prayer meeting attendance was small and predictable:  the minister and his wife, two widows, two elderly (at least in their 50’s) couples, and the five of us – two reverent adults and three sullen children.  Homework, basketball games, favorite radio programs – nothing prevailed against prayer meeting.  We were there.
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Now my eyes fill with tears when I remember my slight, careworn father reminding all of us that even though we were few in numbers, Jesus was there in the midst of us.  He was the reason why we were there, the shining promise of his saving love, the blessing of his eternal promise that “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

Discussion              What church events have the highest attendance?  Why?
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Activity: When you sign the attendance book on Sunday morning, remember the Unseen Presence sitting beside you who does not sign His name.