Picture this: You have it in your mind and calendar that you are supposed to be at an event in a specific room at a certain time. You walk into that room about five minutes early. As you enter the room there is no one there. The first thought to cascade into your head is “did I mess up?” An instant pit is in your stomach and a brief moment of anxiety strikes. Then soon after, the people you were expecting to see walk in and all is well.
I have felt this very feeling before as I am sure many of you have. But what if the others never walked in? You check your stuff and confirm that you are in the right place at the right time. Then it becomes an issue of importance. Was I forgotten? Did I miss something? And from that moment on you are never coming back to that spot. No one wants to feel alone. This could even happen in a room full of people, but the few of your friends that were supposed to be there didn’t show. Once bitten, twice shy.
Let’s get more specific. You walk into church. Upon looking around you notice that your friends who you normally sit by aren’t there. So you shoot out a quick text to find out where they are. They respond promptly with, “I did two service projects this week so we’re relaxing at home today.” If this happens more than a few times a month, the natural tendency is to join the ranks.
This is just one example or reason or excuse why we (myself included before I worked in a church) tend to not take Sunday morning worship services too seriously. We have a bit of a consumerist or “check in the box” mentality of church. But let me encourage a different perspective:
We need each other. We need fellowship and corporate worship desperately. If someone new walks in the doors, they need to be able to see our love for each other as well as our love for God. When the faithful weekly attenders show up after a crappy week, they need that love. When the pastor pours his/her heart and soul into sharing God’s word, it’s to bless our lives. Let us not forget what corporate worship is all about: love. Share God’s love, receive God’s love, show God’s love, be loved!
My age demographic is the worst. The twenty-somethings are almost nonexistent in the church. Young adults need to come back. Families need to bump the priority of corporate worship back to the top. Youth need to come and be mentored. And the aged need to come be mentors.
YOU. ARE. IMPORTANT.
I need you. The church needs you. God wants you.
I have felt this very feeling before as I am sure many of you have. But what if the others never walked in? You check your stuff and confirm that you are in the right place at the right time. Then it becomes an issue of importance. Was I forgotten? Did I miss something? And from that moment on you are never coming back to that spot. No one wants to feel alone. This could even happen in a room full of people, but the few of your friends that were supposed to be there didn’t show. Once bitten, twice shy.
Let’s get more specific. You walk into church. Upon looking around you notice that your friends who you normally sit by aren’t there. So you shoot out a quick text to find out where they are. They respond promptly with, “I did two service projects this week so we’re relaxing at home today.” If this happens more than a few times a month, the natural tendency is to join the ranks.
This is just one example or reason or excuse why we (myself included before I worked in a church) tend to not take Sunday morning worship services too seriously. We have a bit of a consumerist or “check in the box” mentality of church. But let me encourage a different perspective:
We need each other. We need fellowship and corporate worship desperately. If someone new walks in the doors, they need to be able to see our love for each other as well as our love for God. When the faithful weekly attenders show up after a crappy week, they need that love. When the pastor pours his/her heart and soul into sharing God’s word, it’s to bless our lives. Let us not forget what corporate worship is all about: love. Share God’s love, receive God’s love, show God’s love, be loved!
My age demographic is the worst. The twenty-somethings are almost nonexistent in the church. Young adults need to come back. Families need to bump the priority of corporate worship back to the top. Youth need to come and be mentored. And the aged need to come be mentors.
YOU. ARE. IMPORTANT.
I need you. The church needs you. God wants you.
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