Why do You Go to Church?

Why do You Go to Church? Have you ever asked yourself this question? Is there something else that you could be doing on Sunday Morning? What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning? Going to church should not be another thing on my to -do-list.

Going to church is not a chore to be accomplished; something that we just do because we have to. We are made up of body and soul and we need to connect to others both in our body and soul. We need to be with others and we nee to connect to God and fill our souls.

Jesus came and taught us that His one goal was to worship and honor his father in everything he did and said. He has given us the best example of what our life is supposed to be like. He told us that our life in heaven is going to be worshipping and honoring his father for all Eternity. So, if that is the goal of the Christian life then we should be practicing here on earth. We should always be looking for ways to honor God our Father in our daily lives. We have been made to be in relation with one another and called and set apart -to be the Body of Christ here on earth. It only makes sense that we need to be with other Christians in our practice of worship. We need one another to experience God and to experience all that God has called us to do in our lives. Religion helps us to move outside of ourselves and to realize that life is about sharing the gifts that God has given to us. God has given us the gifts that we need and he also has given us the opportunities to use those gifts. We are stronger together than separately. Being together on Sunday helps us to focus on our faith and faithfulness.

​Do we ever think how privileged we are to be part of His Body? To be set apart, to live the life that he has called us to? To be part of a long history of Christ-like people. From the earliest documentation of the Christian tradition, we know that their gatherings and life together centered around the distribution of food. Celebrating the Lord’s Supper, the baptizing of Christians to set them apart and call them into God’s family. Praying together, and the hearing of God’s Word. To make them into the disciples that God wants them to be.

This is why we go to church, to grow in our experience of God in our lives and to be with other believers so that we can experience God through them. Together we can proclaim the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord, and we can be fed by his Body and Blood in Holy Communion. Together we can show the world the power of Christ’s love and what HE can do and truly does in our lives and in the lives that he has given us to serve.

Why our church pews are not full-on Sundays is still a mystery to me. See you on Sunday.

May The Lord Bless and Keep You,
Rev. Stephen W. Barch