One Reason for Regular Worship Attendance

Church attendance is a struggle.  I know it is.  I’m not a fool.  I am 100% certain that if I was not a pastor my attendance wouldn’t be quite as frequent as it is.

Getting the family ready for all the things we do five days a week can be trying enough.  Add to this that many of us have commitments on Saturdays, and we are left with only one lazy day at home.  And that day is Sunday.  So… if you stack up the list of things you have commitments to, it’s understandable that once in a while you take a week off from church.

No one should be judged for that.  No one. I actually had a rare Sunday off a few weeks ago, and I slept in and watched our assistant pastor Jim preach in my place.  In some ways that was humbling, but that’s another post for another day.

I want to give you one reason to go through the struggle with your kids, to sit among a group of messed up people, sing some songs, and listen to a guy try to make sense of the Bible while you may be shushing kids or shuffling them out. Why deal with all that chaos, when you can stay in bed?

It’s not because the music is great (no offense to Brad, our worship leader, or to our excellent musicians), it’s not because of the coffee (which is pretty good coffee from the local Mighty Missouri Coffee Co.), it’s certainly not because of my faltering attempts to adequately communicate God’s word faithfully each week.

All of those things are important to be sure.

But the most important reason is that sitting in a group of messy people and worshipping God forms and shapes our hearts, our souls, and our lives.

I was speaking to our elders last night. One of them is a new father for the fourth time.  And I was reflecting that it is so wonderful to see him and his lovely wife caring for their newborn at church.

Seeing her fumble with a noisy infant and try to worship.  Watching their children grow up faithfully coming to church.  I am no fool.  I know they probably hear about 10-15% of what I have to say each week.  Maybe more or less on different weeks.  But the family that sits behind them is watching that.

The family that sits down the row from you is formed by the way you faithfully show up.  No matter what.

I recently told my 13 year old that most of life is simply about showing up.

The people who sit near you in church may know a part of your story.

They may know that your son is Afghanistan with the army.  They might know that years ago your first marriage failed and here you are with your second wife. They may know that you or your children are struggling with marriage right now, or that you or one of your children is struggling with sexual identity or addiction.

Now, you may not share all of this, or you may share some of it. But inevitably a few of our wounds, scars, and struggles are obvious to those around us.  If for no other reason than that we all bear them and we all know we are not alone.

But when people watch you faithfully endure both the beauty and the trials of life while showing up to worship, they are formed.  When you show up to sit among struggling saints who are faithfully coming to worship, you are formed.

Formed to what?  Formed by what?  Formed according to what?

This is the important issue.  When we show up we are formed to love something greater than ourselves.  

I have often had the privilege of seeing inside of people’s lives and hearts.  I can tell you one thing without exception.  The person who loves something greater than himself is a happier person with a more fulfilled life.

But we are all prone to love ourselves first.  In order to love something greater than us, we must be formed. Our love needs to be shaped.  We don’t just decide to love something greater than ourselves.

Our hearts, souls, and lives need to be intentionally shaped.

Regular Worship attendance shapes us, and not for the reasons we might suspect, but when we see the people around us showing up.  When we know the people around us.  When we begin to care about the people around us, then we are shaped to love the God who loves them, and who loves us.

Please, find a place to worship, and go regularly.  You will be happier, you will have purpose, and you will find a community of struggling saints just like yourself.