Pastor's Blog: Time to Come Home
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I still remember how on many an afternoon as I was playing with my friends my mother would call out for me, letting me know it was time to come home. Usually it was late in the day, around suppertime, and she had been working hard to prepare a nourishing meal she didn’t want me to miss. Every time I heard that call, I knew it was in my best interest to bring playtime to an end and head for the house. If I didn’t, there would surely be consequences, and I most definitely didn’t want to be on the receiving end of those. You probably have similar memories. Even those not so precious memories have a way of lingering with us.
Those memories have been with me in recent days as I’ve seen a spate of articles on the challenges churches will be facing as restrictions lift and people can return to church gatherings. The main question people are posing is, “Will people return to worship?” It’s a valid question, if for no other reason than how habits are hard to break; and in this last year when churches have gone online and people have become accustomed to worshiping virtually, habits have been formed that will most definitely take some real effort to break.
I must admit that I’ve been asking that question myself, even though our church only went completely virtual for a brief period and have resumed in-person worship gatherings long before other churches chose to. And yet, despite our decision to resume in-person worship, because vaccinations were not readily available for all persons and registrations were required to monitor the number of attendees, outside of Easter Sunday, we really haven’t been overwhelmed. Yes, we’ve seen a gradual increase in attendance in recent Sundays, but nothing near the numbers we were seeing prior to COVID. Even in a “churched” culture like Mountain Brook, habits have been formed that will be hard to break but breaking them is critical to the health of our church and the spiritual health of our members. The consequences of not breaking them will be hard to endure.
That’s why it’s time for me to call out and say, “Time to come home!” Yes, I understand that in some cases you’ve been having a good time. Certainly, I get that watching church at home in your recliner with your cup of coffee by your side has been a surprisingly relaxing experience. Of course, doing church “on demand” like you’ve been doing so much else in your life just makes it easier to fit church in your schedule. But when we analyze and acknowledge the reality behind each of these reasons/excuses/rationalizations, we see that none of them is based on a level of maturity that would honor God.
The irony of my writing these words while I’ve been away last Sunday and will be away this one is not lost on me. So, I get that we all need some time away. But I also get that at some point it’s time to come home, and after being away for two Sundays, I’ll be looking forward to returning to church the first Sunday in May. Sometimes, being away from something makes you appreciate that experience even more. I trust that’s been the case for some of you, and that you’ll hear my call and heed it with your presence and participation.
The way I see it, we’ve got one good month until the summer break and everyone goes in a thousand different directions. If we wait until the fall, there’s no guarantee those habits won’t be cemented even more so that breaking them at that time will be even more of a challenge.
So, why not make a commitment to be present for worship this coming Sunday? After all, people have been working hard to prepare an experience for you that’s nourishing and beneficial, something that will make your presence worth whatever you had to give up. In a nutshell, unless you’re physically hindered or been instructed by your medical advisors to avoid all public gatherings, it’s time to come on. In your heart, you know that to be true.
“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25).