Getting Up and Out the Door

It’s a challenge… every weekend.  Every weekend, we look at each other in the morning, count to three and start the motions that get our children out of bed and us in the shower.  Then we have to make sure they brush teeth, have breakfast, put on apparel that shows no belly and covers them up to their necks.  Then to jump in the car, get to church setup whatever task we have that morning and then…wait. Our service starts at 10:00, but we watch as the church body floats in around 10:30. 

On Time

Now, I’ve given up long ago judging people who come in “late” for church.  Ultimately it’s between them and God.  I’m responsible to get my own family up in enough time to get prepared and get to church on time, but what is “on time”?  I’ve taken on some responsibilities that create a need to be there about an hour before church is scheduled to start.  That was me… not everyone.

I feel bad that the worship team starts to play and only a quarter of the people are there at 10:00, but  that’s not the point of this post.   It’s almost expected that “church” people are going to be late.  It’s happened in every church that I’ve ever attended.  For someone who insists on being on time, it’s an enigma. 

Getting Ready for Church or Getting Prepared for Church

I’ve chatted with a number of families over the past two year who have expressed indifference for the Church altogether.  I have to admit that I struggle with the routine of meeting together, but then I remember, that contrary the Americanized Christianity, there are people who are literally dying all over the world, just to be able to meet together.  They have read the Bible and found the many verses like this one in Hebrews…

Hebrews 10: 24 and 25

²⁴and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

²⁵not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

There are men and women being killed in front of their children because of their love for Christ and willingness to make the sacrifice to meet with other believers to share and be supported.  This fact and these scriptures trivializes my lazy desire to stay in bed for an extra hour on Sunday.

It compels me to ask the question “Am I getting ready for church or am I preparing for Church?”  Notice that I capitalized the second occurrence of “Church” in the proceeding question.  I think there is no value going to a building with a bunch of other people on Sunday morning – but to go and meet with other believers to share and to support one another, to meet together and to advance the Kingdom; than  that I am willing to engage in.  The dissenters (also known as heretics) who disregard most of the New Testament in order to indulge in their disregard for the church body are missing the value of a Christ ordained gathering and the magnificent work that has resulted in believers joining together over the years.  Say what you will about the failings of today’s church, I just can’t imagine a world without it.

It’s for this reason that I am starting my Sunday mornings a little earlier, turning on some worship music, concentrating harder on making the preparation to go to church a little less militant in the house.  I want to start preparing my family for being the Church and not going to one.

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Tags: attendance, church, preparation, time