Well, we've established why I don't go to church: church isn't the most conducive place for me to worship, I'm not even resting just sitting there, and I don't even get a shopping list written out of the deal. So, why do I go? Mindy touched on where I am going with this: I go to be with my family. No, I don't have one person that lives in my town that is blood relation. But my church is my family. The crazies, the lovelies, the sad and the happy are all my family. Some of those people I have NOTHING in common -- other than the biggest commonality of all: the One we allow to Lord our lives.
Scripture is full of the ways that the Lord never intended us to trudge this ball of dirt alone. Starting with creation, when he made Adam: The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (Genesis 2:18) Jesus knew he shouldn't do ministry alone, and gathered 12 men around him. Of those 12, he had 3 men he drew closer still. In Acts, the disciples 'partnered up' to go tell the world of Jesus Christ.
Sometimes when I go to church I am able to be there FOR other people -- a listening ear, encouraging word, hug or smile, or just a "Hey! I've been missing you!" Any of those things that my brothers and sisters may need from their family. Other times I may go because I need those same things FROM my family. Sometimes I go when I just want to be left alone and would really rather not be there -- but a touch or smile from someone else makes me glad I went.
I go to church to BE church: to love and receive, to comfort and connect, "Jesus with skin on". Sometimes I go to church to RECEIVE the church: to be loved and be received, to be comforted and feel connected, to hug a "Jesus with skin on". And THAT, is how I worship when I go to the church building:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1
4 comments:
Great post, Sarah. We be family and we need to hang out together!
Amen!! Preach it sistah!! ;)
I was reading your previous post, and thinking of that phrase "Don't go to church-BE the Church!!" It rings ever so true. We ARE the Church, and we are family.
Do you remember the old AVB song "You Can't Go To Church"? This reminded me of the beginning of the song where the little boy is talking to the dad, and he says, "But, Dad we can't go to church", and when the Dad asks, "Why, son?", he responds with, "Because we arrrrrre the Church!!" ;)
The Church is youuuuuu...
I'm a bad friend! Bad friend! Happy Birthday (yesterday) to my writing sister! I'm so glad you had a birthday. (That's what we kind of say in the retirement industry. :)
Good thoughts! I'm currently teaching a class called "Learning how to offer our lives as worship" and it shocked the class to learn that the assembly is about so much more than worship.
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