Going To Church

I rejoiced with those who said to me,

    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1

My first experience with church was not good. I was about five years old and the neighbor girl asked my mom if I could go to church with her and mom agreed. I was OK until we got to the part about praying, and everyone bowed their heads to pray and it got deathly quiet. I was horrified at this strange, and to me, very foreign experience. I went on a crying jag and refused to stop crying until they got me outside of the church.

I suppose for many people not very familiar with church the idea of going can feel a bit terrifying. Perhaps they think their sins will be like a scarlet letter written on them for everyone in church to see. Or that God is just waiting to get them into church so He can “let them have it”. Whatever the reason, too many people avoid church because of fear or preconceived ideas of what church is all about.

Others have been to church and felt unwelcome. Perhaps like me, when I was a young teenager in church and met my first Pharisee. Walking by two elderly men in the church hallway one of them made harsh comments about the length of my hair and the way I was dressed. That was the last day I stepped into church for many years.

So what is church all about? There is a saying that when you give a speech and you are afraid you should just picture everyone in the audience as naked. I guess the idea is that if you see everyone in your mind in that audience looking ridiculous then your fear will lessen. Perhaps we should take a slightly different approach in our thoughts when it comes to being fearful about others in church. If you understand the truth that in essence we are all naked before God, all that we are, our sins, our weaknesses, all of our faults are well known to Him. And that the only difference between someone who has never been to church, or rarely been, stepping inside the church doors, and regular members is that the newcomer is a sinner in need of God’s grace and forgiveness, and the Christian inside is just a sinner who has been given God’s grace and forgiveness. Neither is better than the other, but one has found God’s mercy and the other needs God’s mercy.

For the believer who has been saved by God’s grace, church is a privilege and blessing. It is an honor to be in God’s House. Fellow believers all over the world are forbidden going to church by ungodly governments. Christians are beaten, tortured, jailed and killed if they are found attending church services in many places. 

Attending Church does not earn us points with God, but I believe it does please Him. When we join together with other believers it strengthens us, empowers us, and it is a public witness to our profession of faith in Christ. Some believers are unable to go to church due to health or other reasons. Yet when we can go it is a tremendous blessing. Like the Psalmist above said: I rejoiced when they said let us go to the house of the Lord.

If you are an unbeliever I encourage you to step into God’s house. A church is not a place to fear and Christians are not people who have it all together and live a sinless existence that equips them to sit in judgment over you. They have problems just like you do, the difference is they know how and where to take those problems. 

Fellow believers, I know full well it is not always possible or easy to make it to church, but I would encourage you to take a new mindset toward church. Going to church is not a duty, though we owe Jesus everything, no, church is a blessing. Church is a place to rejoice, to enjoy the fellowship of other believers. Yes, you will feel good about going to church, not because you did God a favor, but because you are doing yourself one by the experience of being in the house of the Lord.

Prayer: Dear Lord, how wonderful and what a blessing it is when we can go to Your house. Worshiping and praising you is our honor and privilege. Thank You for the opportunity to do so. Amen.