Nate and I have been talking/discussing/disagreeing lately about missing/skipping church on Sunday mornings. This morning a question popped into my head I really hadn't considered until now, do I have the correct perspective on attending church services? Has my thinking somehow gotten out of sink with what the Bible says?
I'm not sure why these questions didn't occur to me before, but honestly they just didn't. As I examine my thoughts, here's what I find:
I like going to church. I look forward to being with God's people, to visiting and catching up on the week with friends, to worshipping the Lord together, to learning and being challenged, to sifting through thoughts on the Bible, to loving and challenging others. I miss it when I'm not there. It's a needed time to reset, rebalance, and refocus my mind, heart, spirit, and life.
But I don't consider it an obligation. I don't think of it as something I have to do or somewhere I must be. It is more like any other standing appointment in my schedule - work, meal times, school (when I was in classes) - a responsibility and commitment, but one that can be shifted, postponed, or missed if it becomes necessary and occasionally because of desire. Now, it is different if there is some specific commitment on a Sunday morning, then it is not optional to be there, unless you're very, very sick or find someone else equally able to fill your place. Is this an unBiblical perspective?
Is church, the gathering of believers, so different from other gatherings of people? Other groups we are a part of? Or is it more like a Body, where if a finger didn't show up one day, it would be seriously missed? Is it more like a building, where to remove one or two of the stones may, at very least, let in a cold breeze and some rain and, depending on the placement of those stones, could cause serious structural issues? Is there a difference between permanently removing them and temporarily doing so?
I don't like much of what I've written here. I'm not sure I'm going to like the answers I come to. Sometimes I don't like being so honest and objective. Lord, if you need to change my heart and understanding on these things, then please do so. Right now, I want to forget I've ever written this and just go on... but I know I can't. If for no other reason than the continued tension it is causing with Nate. Father, please help me to understand your Word and you Way.
Perhaps the biggest question I must answer is, am I really critical to the Body of Christ? Does my presence, or lack thereof, really make a difference?
Is a house complete with a missing appliance or wall?
ReplyDeleteIs a family complete with a missing son or daughter?
Is a flower complete with missing petals?
Your question of "am I really critical to the Body of Christ? Does my presence, or lack thereof, really make a difference? "
burns my heart, makes it crack, because the woman who is my most important friend, confidont, and intimate partner is questioning her importance into her existence of the Bride. /
I am going to have think through this more, but I think you have started to hit the nail on the head.