But, Mom, Do I Have to Go to Church?

How often have you heard these words from children or grandchildren? Many children don’t see the benefit of regular church attendance. Does this mean that we should quit ‘punishing’ our children by making them attend church each Sunday? Of course not! Attending church regularly together as a family is one of the most positive things you can do. The elements of support that exist in the church can be very important to families. A church family provides people who care about us, people who will rejoice with us when we celebrate and who will grieve with us when we are sad. In our busy world, this can become very important. For children, this extended sense of family is also very important. If grandparents are far away, the church can provide a place for children to interact with older adults who will be happy to give a hug or a word of encouragement. It takes a church to raise a child. As any parent knows, exposing our children to something that is good for them does not guarantee that they will like it. Often, the opposite is true. Where church attendance is concerned, parents must take the lead and provide loving but firm guidance for children. Church participation is a valuable tool and an important building block in forming young lives and building for the future. “Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; he who guards himself will keep far from them. Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:5-6 But what about the adults in the room? A man asked his friend, “What color are your pastor’s eyes?” He answered, “I don’t know. When he prays, he closes his eyes and when he preaches, I close mine.” The previous quote from Dr. Larry Moyer is the opening sentence in an article he wrote on getting your congregation’s attention in a sermon. According to Dr. Moyer, you don’t have thirty minutes to get a congregation’s attention – you have thirty seconds. If you don’t grab their attention in that first 30 seconds, their minds will quickly divert to the pot roast they have in the oven or the happenings of last week or the plans for next week. And furthermore, he writes, no matter how important what you desire to say is, it still won’t be heard. He goes on to describe ways to grab the attention of the listener. But that’s the responsibility of the preacher. What is the responsibility of the worshipper? Is it all about entertainment, as it seems to be in some worship settings? Truth, by itself, does not change lives when it is spoken. It only changes lives when it is heard and understood. Both the listener and the speaker have responsibilities. Our worship together is about God, not about us. I take my responsibilities in the pulpit seriously. I do my best to present the text for the day in an interesting way and in a way that the message will be heard. What I ask in return is that you, sitting in the pew, take your responsibility seriously also. Your attendance in worship is important to you and your walk with God. It is important to those around you and to those for whom the church is in mission to. As Dr. Moyer writes, “The Word of God is a buffet. There is always more food for the audience to digest from a particular paragraph of Scripture than the pastor or worship leader has time to serve.” Let us all take our work and worship together seriously. May God bless our efforts to improve our time together, for His glory.