The Old Year is in the books and we are already nearly one week deep in the new one. Our attention has turned from the holidays to regular days and many of our resolutions have already succumbed to our old habits.
There is one resolution, however, we haven’t yet broken. Many people resolve to attend worship each week and since we haven’t yet had a Sunday in 2024, we can still start off on the right foot!
In September of 2022 thousands of people lined up 10 miles and waited 24 hours to see Queen Elizabeth’s coffin. While this was an incredible gesture of respect for a dead monarch, it seems we should at least show as much honor for a living One who rules over all. I don’t know of a single church that has a 10 mile 24 hour wait for worship.
Weekly worship, Sunday School, daily devotions, and Bible Study are all forms of weightlifting to build our spiritual muscles. Athletes don’t wait until they’re in a game to work out. They start months before the season even begins building strength and stamina so they will be ready when the difficult times come.
So too, all players in this game of life will encounter challenges. Events happen to all that stress us mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Just as it would be foolish for an athlete not to prepare beforehand for certain game-time situations, it’s equally unwise not to prepare our souls for life’s inevitabilities.
To take the analogy further, no football player would ever think of facing an opponent without his teammates. Life is a contact sport that requires teamwork. We need others to help us meet our difficulties and we need to be there for them as well. We are not born again as orphans but into God’s family, His church.
Some claim they don’t need a church and yet, they often call the church to pray for sick relatives, conduct funerals, officiate weddings, or assist with community events. When terrorists attacked our nation on 9/11, many turned to the church for answers and guidance. Thankfully, churches were there to offer comfort, prayer, and encouragement.
Others only call the church when they have a financial need. While Scripture indicates the church’s first priorities are its own elderly and needy, most churches in our community provide thousands of dollars in direct assistance in addition to regular support of community ministries such as Family Promise, Alliance for Shelter, various food pantries, and more.
At times people object to worshipping with other believers because of the hypocritical nature and sinful attitude of some in church. And there are sinful hypocrites in church. We all are in some way or the other, but in worship we confess our sins and seek God’s help to live differently.
Plenty of people at Walmart aren’t perfect and yet most of us return time and again. There are many times we don’t save money or live better and yet we keep going back. Though most employees there are nice, some aren’t, but we don’t quit because of a bad experience. And we need Jesus even more than we need groceries. I keep thinking of those three middle school girls in Sierra Leone who were determined to attend Christian worship even though they knew they’d be beaten for it by their Muslim parents.
I read recently that we can be committed to church without being committed to Christ but we can’t be committed to Christ without being committed to His Church. The Bible tells us that the church is Jesus’ Bride and Ephesians 5 says He died for the church. If the church is that important to our Savior, it should be that important to us too.
As we consider our resolutions for 2024, I encourage all of us to be in church each Sunday we are physically able that we might worship God and encourage other believers. Blessings, George