"I didn't stop going to church because I stopped believing. I stopped going to church because I wasn't encountering God there."
I usually start my blogpost thoughts with a Scripture, but this time, I want to begin with something I heard last week that has been on my mind and in my heart.
There are a lot of reasons to go to church on Sunday. Some of them are bad reasons. I don't want people coming because of guilt, or fear, or the self-righteous belief that this makes us better than other people.
Other reasons aren't so bad. I don't mind people coming to church because they find it interesting, or enjoyable. I kind of like the idea that you would come because of friendship and joy. It's O.K. to come because you are curious. It's fine to come because you are hungry--hungry for our fellowship meals, or hungry for something more.
Jesus didn't talk a lot about going to church. But he did talk about gathering in his name, because when we do, he is with us (Matthew 18:20). He talked about God's house as a "house of prayer for all nations"--a place where people come to talk to God, and hear from God (Matthew 21:13).
Do your friends know that Laughlintown Christian Church is a place we come to encounter God? Do you remember, when you get up on Sunday morning, that our time together is based on following the presence of God in our midst?
Do your friends know that Laughlintown Christian Church is a place we come to encounter God?
We gather because God meets us in the gathering. We praise because God meets us in the singing. We pray because God meets us in the praying. We take communion because God meets us in the eating and drinking and remembering of Jesus' body and blood. We look at the Bible together because God speaks to us in Scripture. We think deeply about the gospel of Jesus together, because the gospel of Jesus brings us near to God.
Join us this Sunday on that wonderful journey!
--Jonathan
REMINDERS:
Sunday worship service at 10 a.m. is a wonderful time to invite a visitor. If anyone wants to get a preview of what they will find here, offer to watch a service together on Youtube, and talk about what we do.
The monthly ladies' meeting for food, fellowship, Scripture, and service is this Wednesday, May 1, at 7 p.m. at the church.