"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." -Hebrews 10:25
Summer is a busy time in our culture. Schedules tend to get crowded and “life in the fast lane” (nod to the Eagles) takes over. I realize that many of you are actively involved in your communities and are serving as coaches for your children's athletic teams, sponsors for their clubs, etc. I hope I never come across sounding as if I believe the only good you can do as a Christian takes place in the church. We need to engage our communities, and it is good for you parents/grandparents to be actively involved in your children's lives.
I do not want our church schedule to be so packed with activities that individuals and families are kept busy four or five days a week going back and forth from the church. With that being said, I do believe that too many put just about everything in their lives ahead of their faith and an active participation in it. Some say with a great sense of shock, "But we can't be in church as a family during the summer, our son or daughter has league baseball, or soccer, or volleyball, or softball, etc. We do that as a family!" I would like to challenge that way of thinking. Our faith is of utmost importance, and our children are watching. If sports, or entertainment, or relaxation become the prominent feature in our lives, they will take notice and will likely imitate our example. Although it is contrary to the wisdom of our culture to say so, this is clearly not valued in God's eyes (Deut. 4:9; Psalm 34:11; Matt 6:33; 1 Cor. 9:24-27; Phil. 3:13-15; Rev. 2:4).
There is a healthy balance to life, and God gives us the freedom to do many, many things. But we must be aware that even permissible things can at times get in the way of our relationship with God, or, if we have children, in the way of their opportunities to grow in the Faith. There is no law in Scripture that commands that we be in our home church every Sunday. Vacations will take us away, illnesses will keep us home, work may at times intrude, and the occasional activity may unavoidably keep us from corporate fellowship. These, however, should be the exception, not the rule. When they become the rule, it becomes virtually inevitable, with very few exceptions, that our faith grows weak and, eventually, begins a drift toward irrelevance.
My intent in this article is not to condemn, but to encourage. I want to encourage you to make your relationship with Christ paramount in your life—to build your life around your faith, not faith around your life. Seek opportunities to grow, make time not only to play and relax with your family or friends, but to learn and to progress spiritually as well. Moms and dads, let your children see you making faith prominent in your lives and it will impact them positively. Singles, use the time you are afforded to seek after God and to use your gifts in ways that will have an impact on his kingdom. Whatever we do, we are called to do it to the glory of God. Constant busyness leads to parched souls. Consistently choosing to spend time away from corporate gatherings for worship and fellowship with the body of Christ leads to self-reliance, which leads to trouble. Every metaphor in Scripture related to Christ’s church utilizes corporate identifiers (e.g. stones in a building, parts of a body). Although individuals make up the body of Christ, those individuals do not act like neutrons, repelling others or acting neutral, but like electrons and protons, attracting others to themselves. The preacher of Ecclesiastes would tell us that it is an enigma (or vanity)—a chasing after the wind—when we seek to fill our lives with activities that cannot ultimately satisfy.
Slow down, get recharged, commune with God, and bring that freshness with you to the gathered community on Sunday morning. Enjoy your vacations and your activities, but do not neglect meeting together—not for extended periods of time. Corporate worship is simply too precious a gift, to you and to the community of Christ. And never forget, friends, the Day of Christ approaches. All the more reason to stay in touch with his community as we wait with eager anticipation together.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jym