WHY IS CHURCH SO IMPORTANT TO ME?

Hey Guys, so I’m excited to go to church and I have woke early, driven 45 minutes across borough, and arrived at church with time to shake the greeters’ hands, make small talk in the foyer, and find a comfortable seat.

How very spiritual of me. I listen to great worship music, engage with a thoughtful and informative speaker, and leave with the 500 other very spiritual people who have made the trek to church this morning.

I walk to my car up the road and think “Why is this church stuff so important?”

BIG C AND LITTLE C

When talking about church, it’s important not to get confused between big “C” Church and small “c” church. So often, I hear that it’s important to attend church on Sunday morning, as if that’s as far as affiliation needs to go. And so many people approach Sunday as the day given to God, and walk out the doors having completed their duty of faith. They focus on the small “c” church, where programs and outreaches and Bible studies take place. It reduces faith to a to-do item in their calendars.

If that’s the apex of the Christian faith, then I’m not interested.

Church is more than just a meeting. Church is all about being a community where inspiration to do greater good takes place, where deeper love is explored, where enriching relationships occur, where authentic living is the goal. Church is supposed to be a community where individuals are cared for, where gifts are used effectively, where people are challenged to grow beyond themselves. This is the capital “C” Church that I so frequently yearn for.

I’m excited to go to Church this week, I’m looking forward to meaningfully engaging with those around me.  Most of all, I’m excited to hear from the gentle whisper of God.

After all, that’s the essence of the Church.