A few times a day, Abby (my five-year-old daughter) asks what we are doing tomorrow. I always respond by telling her what day today is, what day tomorrow is, and what we do on that day. Last Saturday when she asked me what we were doing tomorrow, I told her, “Today is Saturday, and you are going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Tomorrow is Sunday and on Sunday we...” I paused to see if she remembered our usual Sunday routine. She grinned and exclaimed, “On Sunday I get to go to church!” It made my heart so happy that going to church was an “I get to” and not an “I have to”. It seems that usually when discussing Sunday plans, it’s just a very neutral “I am going to church.” How often do we say, “I get to go to church”?
Abby probably doesn’t remember that not too long ago, we didn’t get to go to church. This time three years ago we were at the beginning of what would turn out to be a pandemic, during which churches did not meet in person. Even those who wanted to go to church were unable to. For many families, going to church was part of the routine, and missing that felt so strange. For some families, it became a new normal to just stay home on a Sunday morning, and when churches were opened up again, it felt weird to go back. Many of us are still getting used to coming back; consistently being at worship on a Sunday morning, volunteering in classes, and coming every time the doors are open like we used to “back in the day.”
In Hebrews 10.24-25, Paul encourages believers by saying, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some.” Some days you just can’t make it to church, and a silver lining to this pandemic was the push it gave us to bring church services into homes via live streaming. It’s great to have that option when we are unable to get to church in person. I don’t think Paul was instructing the members of the church never to skip a single church meeting. Instead, it sounds like he was warning against letting it become a “habit.” The second half of that verse says, “but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Christian fellowship has an important place in a believer’s life, and that is hard to experience when it is a habit not to come to church. It can be a slippery slope from, “I just don’t feel like going to church today” to forming a habit of staying home.
Some mornings it’s hard to get to church. Believe me, I know. I myself have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning, and getting two small kids ready and out the door can be a difficult and stressful way to spend a Sunday morning. Making it through an entire church service with a five-year-old who has a very hard time sitting quietly takes so much energy on my part that some Sundays I just don’t want to do it. On those mornings when going to church feels like a “have to”, I remind myself what a privilege it is to go to church every week, to sit under Biblical teaching, and to fellowship with other believers. Next time you find yourself dragging to the door on a Sunday morning, remind yourself of what Abby reminded me - “I get to go to church!”
