I not only did not attend church this past Sunday, but I have come to realize that I missed the experience of going to church.
Why would I miss going to church, I have asked myself.
To put this in perspective, I am not the only person that missed church last Sunday. It turns out the most Americans don’t attend church on a regular basis. According to some reports, one third of America never goes to church. Another third of America only goes to church once a month. Only 16% (one in 6) of Americans go to church weekly.
Going to church is not the only way to practice your faith. However, I found that by not going to church last Sunday that I missed something. I have been trying this week to figure out what is it about going to church that I miss.
Here are some thoughts about what I value about going to church.
- I like the fact that church forces me to take at least 1 ½ +/- hours once a week out of all the other things that I have going on in my life. It is a break from the hustle bustle of daily life.
- I look forward to listening to the sermon. Invariably it causes me to think about issues from different perspectives.
- I love listening to the church organ. It is such an usual sound and one that you don’t hear except in a church.
- I find that being in the church is calming. It is a moment of respite from the world around us and all the pressures that we have to deal with on a daily basis. It gives me a peaceful feeling.
- I look forward to seeing friends at church, especially being able to connect after the service over a cup of coffee or tea.
- It provides me with an opportunity to express gratitude for all the things in my life that I am so thankful for. It also provides me with the opportunity to consider forgiveness, something that is not always easy to do.
- It allows me time to continue to explore why I am on this planet – why I was brought into this world.
- It makes sure that I pray each week for those less fortunate than me, for those who are ailing in some way, and for those doing special work in all corners of this world.
- Even though I am not a good singer by any means, I must admit that I am grateful for the opportunity to sing four or so hymns out loud each Sunday.
- Surprisingly, I miss the structure of the service. it is the same every Sunday. I know what to expect and I know what I will be doing at any given point in the service. I repeat out loud certain prayers.
- Finally, I miss the sense of community that exists with all the other people that are also participating in the same experience.
Bottom line, I am coming to realize why I missed going to church last Sunday.
True, true. Of course one can get almost all these “benefits” from a wide range of other activities. Most of us don’t go to church much any more, but most nonetheless obtain most of these benefits in other ways. Church conveniently packs them all in with the historical and social leverage of an institution, but usually stressing particular forms of ultimacies and rules of life.
, in the details of which, controversy lies.
Spot on. Neil, but above all that, is the sole purpose of worshipping our Lord, and expressing our love for Him. We only miss church when we are travelling-as right now. But a sense of community belonging to a church, and being part of behind the scenes “giving of our gifts” to enable the church to function-its what also its all about. The church is not the building, but the people. Friendships are made, help is there for those in need, And of course, learning about God and the Bible is paramount. So glad to know church is part of your life. Rock on to “The Rock”. Bless you, Neil, always. In our wee church-we have weekly after church lunches, where we bring our own food, plus a little extra for visitors, our lawn chairs, and totally have a visit with everyone-for the summer months. Our church is a historical one, set in a lovely park, so the picnic idea doing it right there is so lovely. All enjoy it. Then in the other months, we now have a pot luck luncheon once a month. Used to be every week too, but since covid, it changed.
I don’t know why but every Sunday I mentally go kicking and screaming into church but the minute I kneel to pray a peaceful feeling spreads through me and I feel so happy to be there. Then I pray to let go of my stubbornness. The next Sunday: repeat! So pray for me to stop this nonsense! Thanks