It seems like I’ve always “gone to church.” Well, maybe not so much during my college and military years. I still went to church, but not regularly. Now, it’s what I do on Sunday morning and other times as well. So, maybe church is “home.” Certainly, I have a church family, some like parents, brothers and sisters, others more like aunts, uncles and cousins. Don’t muddle over where you fit in my family, but think about your own church family. And family jobs? Looks like I’m Senior Warden for a while – among other things. But that isn’t answering the question of “why regular worship” rather than where I spend Sunday mornings.
How about, “because I forget?” Or, like Jesus’ disciples, “I don’t get it?” Is Jesus’ command to love one another easy to forget? I suppose not when I’m sitting in church. But how about when I’m reading the newspaper or watching the TV news? Or how about when the driver in the next lane cuts me off by a quick lane change? Or how about when a stranger approaches me asking for money for food? You know, it’s easy to forget, not once but many times in a day, a week. And so it goes. Yes, I need to be reminded – Love God and Love One another – over and over and over. No distractions from nature, TV, internet, phone, etc. That “where” is church, a good place to get a dose of “don’t forget.”
Good Grief! If you can’t remember week to week, what about the long haul. Historians talk about the long view, how our actions today affect us way down the road. So, God’s love is not just for today. My actions are not for just today – are they actions that will show love in the long view? Of course, I may not find out if they are good for the long haul, but I think I should act to consider the long view. Regular worship helps me consider the short and long of it.
And, considering the longer view to me means doing things that get me involved in church. Not to get involved in Grace vs. Works, but it seems they go hand in hand for the short term and the long term. So, I worship regularly so I won’t forget to, as Jesus said, “Love one another.”
~ Bruce Roberts, Sr. Warden