Why should I go to a church service?
Have you ever thought, or had someone else tell you that they don’t need church because they can worship God anywhere they want, out in nature or in their backyard? While God can certainly hear our prayers wherever we are, here are a couple of reasons to attend church together:
As a church community, we have the opportunity to be fed and nourished by the Lord together
When we speak of "church", we often think about a particular building, but ultimately, the "church" is the people of God gathered together. Jesus says these amazing words in Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” It says in the Lutheran confessions: "... we teach that this church truly exists, consisting of true believing and righteous people scattered through the entire world. And we add its marks: the pure teaching of the gospel and the sacraments" (Ap. VII:20). God's people have met together over the centuries in different types of buildings and places, and the important thing is that God's people are gathering together to receive from Him the gifts which He offers. There's a good quote from a little booklet called "A Simple Explanation of the Church Service" which states: "People often think worship in the Church Service is about what we do for or toward God. The reality is quite different. In the Divine Service, God provides His service for us. God comes to us in the reading, preaching, and proclamation of His Word and in His Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. In worship, God gives us His grace, and we respond with thanks and praise" What a privilege we have to hear together the good news of the message of our crucified and risen Savior Jesus! What a privilege to come and be reminded of who we are in Christ as baptized children of God! What a privilege we have to gather together and receive the Lord's Supper (the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, given and shed for you and me for the forgiveness of sins). What a privilege we have to sing hymns and songs which speak of what God has done for us!
As a church community, we have the opportunity to be encouraged by one another
It has often been said that there is no "I" in team. The same can be said of the church. There is no "I" in church. Life can be tough. We can go through difficult times. We can have doubts and fears. We can be tempted to isolate ourselves from others, but we need each other! Hebrews 10:24-25 says these words: And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. What a blessing it is to have a Faith family to encourage one another!
Coming together as the people of God gives us accountability. A Lutheran theologian by the name of Bonhoeffer in his book "Life Together" said, “Nothing can be more cruel than the leniency which abandons others to their sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe reprimand which calls another Christian in one’s community back from the path of sin.” We all face temptations, but speaking the truth in love, we can serve one another by communicating truth into each other's lives which leads to repentance, forgiveness, renewal and growth.
As we come together as the people of God, we can also remind one another of the promises of God and the truth of the gospel which sets us free. We can remind one another of the forgiveness that we have in Christ. We can remind one another of our identity in Christ. We can pray with and for one another, asking the Lord for His wisdom, guidance, healing, etc. Bonhoeffer's book "Life Together" says, "A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses. I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me."
May the Lord bless and guide us as the people of God as we continue to gather together in person as brothers and sisters in Christ. We can also thank the Lord for the livestreams that are also available May we rejoice in the nourishment from the Lord that we receive together as His church, and may we rejoice in the fellowship that we have with one another. May we be equipped to serve the Lord in our vocations (our callings in life), being prepared to show love to our communities in our words and good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do. May all this be for the sake of the Kingdom of God, to the praise and glory of our Lord!
Have you ever thought, or had someone else tell you that they don’t need church because they can worship God anywhere they want, out in nature or in their backyard? While God can certainly hear our prayers wherever we are, here are a couple of reasons to attend church together:
As a church community, we have the opportunity to be fed and nourished by the Lord together
When we speak of "church", we often think about a particular building, but ultimately, the "church" is the people of God gathered together. Jesus says these amazing words in Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” It says in the Lutheran confessions: "... we teach that this church truly exists, consisting of true believing and righteous people scattered through the entire world. And we add its marks: the pure teaching of the gospel and the sacraments" (Ap. VII:20). God's people have met together over the centuries in different types of buildings and places, and the important thing is that God's people are gathering together to receive from Him the gifts which He offers. There's a good quote from a little booklet called "A Simple Explanation of the Church Service" which states: "People often think worship in the Church Service is about what we do for or toward God. The reality is quite different. In the Divine Service, God provides His service for us. God comes to us in the reading, preaching, and proclamation of His Word and in His Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. In worship, God gives us His grace, and we respond with thanks and praise" What a privilege we have to hear together the good news of the message of our crucified and risen Savior Jesus! What a privilege to come and be reminded of who we are in Christ as baptized children of God! What a privilege we have to gather together and receive the Lord's Supper (the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, given and shed for you and me for the forgiveness of sins). What a privilege we have to sing hymns and songs which speak of what God has done for us!
As a church community, we have the opportunity to be encouraged by one another
It has often been said that there is no "I" in team. The same can be said of the church. There is no "I" in church. Life can be tough. We can go through difficult times. We can have doubts and fears. We can be tempted to isolate ourselves from others, but we need each other! Hebrews 10:24-25 says these words: And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. What a blessing it is to have a Faith family to encourage one another!
Coming together as the people of God gives us accountability. A Lutheran theologian by the name of Bonhoeffer in his book "Life Together" said, “Nothing can be more cruel than the leniency which abandons others to their sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe reprimand which calls another Christian in one’s community back from the path of sin.” We all face temptations, but speaking the truth in love, we can serve one another by communicating truth into each other's lives which leads to repentance, forgiveness, renewal and growth.
As we come together as the people of God, we can also remind one another of the promises of God and the truth of the gospel which sets us free. We can remind one another of the forgiveness that we have in Christ. We can remind one another of our identity in Christ. We can pray with and for one another, asking the Lord for His wisdom, guidance, healing, etc. Bonhoeffer's book "Life Together" says, "A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses. I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me."
May the Lord bless and guide us as the people of God as we continue to gather together in person as brothers and sisters in Christ. We can also thank the Lord for the livestreams that are also available May we rejoice in the nourishment from the Lord that we receive together as His church, and may we rejoice in the fellowship that we have with one another. May we be equipped to serve the Lord in our vocations (our callings in life), being prepared to show love to our communities in our words and good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do. May all this be for the sake of the Kingdom of God, to the praise and glory of our Lord!
