not for everyone but

FOR THOSE WHO’VE LEFT THE CHURCH //

Somehow, totally unsure how, we made it to church.

This was despite 45 minutes or so of sleep, shaking all night, and (anxiety-induced) feverish sensations in the morning. Believe it or not, I’m not a legalist when it comes to attendance, and I’m a big supporter of online streams for people in tough situations.

So why did we go?

To start, from the ICU, my wife messaged, “I’m ok.” She was clear minded and said to have fun with the kids and not to come directly to the hospital. This alone was enough to reduce my worry, so we planned to visit her after church.

Beyond that, though, there are spiritual reasons why church worship matters. This list is far from exhaustive, since we’d definitely want to include things like service, justice, and hospitality, but specifically for yourself (as in, what you receive) here are some personal, felt effects:

First, peace. Sitting in anxiety never solves anything. I learned this from a church member: take one little step, do one small task, do anything. While I can’t speak for all causes/cases of anxiousness, this suggestion helped me so much. Rather than sitting still, wallowing in worry, it is better to move. Some of that peace is experienced in moving towards others in community.

Second, strength. “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” That phrase is not a platitude; it is wisdom. After all, if God created joy, then it makes sense to come to the Lord when unhappy. (Think “Blessed be…” in Matthew 5, as the crowds came to hear Jesus.) Too often, the opposite is true: When we are weak, we can be tempted to hide away, but ultimately, that robs us of joy. Instead, if we want strength in our lives, we need the God who gives us joy.

Third, love. This Sunday’s worship set focused on themes of love and eternity. I was really excited to sing these tunes. While I’ve sung those songs countless times, I’d never planned them in that manner to draw out those themes. It was a collection of songs that held deep encouragement. Few things are more enriching than remembering God’s love, which is not temporary but eternal.

Fourth, glory. While we can experience God individually, imagine what happens when those individual experiences are also collective, in the same time and space. As it’s written, “better is one day” in the Lord’s presence than a thousand elsewhere (Ps. 84:10). When those words were written, the palmist did not envision fancy church programs or entertaining preaching. The psalmist meant that the Lord’s presence was better than any other alternative.

Again, there are many other reasons, but for what you personally experience in worship, church attendance is not about legalism. It’s about peace, strength, love, and glory.