I remember meeting a young woman in a college Christian fellowship group who admitted that she didn’t go to church. She explained: “I know why I go to campus fellowship. And I used to go to church, but I didn’t know why I was going. So I stopped.” This led one of the campus ministers to try and instruct her on the reasons why a person should go to church. I’m not sure how successful he was.
But here’s one way to think of it: When I go to the barber, I go to get a good haircut. It’s nice if I have a good conversation with the barber, or if there’s a good TV program on while I’m waiting. But those aren’t the reasons I go. I go to get my hair done right (with what little hair I have left). Likewise, when it comes to church we shouldn’t confuse the fringe benefits with the real reason. Paul in Romans 12:1 tells us that “your spiritual act of worship” is “to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” In attending worship we offer ourselves to God, so it’s more about what we give than what we get. I remember hearing a campus minister talk about this verse, and it got my attention. At the time I was a young man considering my options. I had been raised as a Methodist, but I was wondering: Is Methodism really the denomination I should be in? Do I really agree with their doctrines? I was in a critiquing and evaluating frame-of-mind, so it struck me the wrong way when he said, “If you hear someone say they don’t like the preaching, tell them to offer their body as a living sacrifice.” I didn’t like that initially, but of course today I’m a preacher and it resonates more. If we focus on ourselves then we’re putting the cart before the horse. Enjoyment and personal benefit are fine when they happen, but that’s not the reason we came. We came to offer ourselves to the Lord. So it’s not about what we gain but what we give. Any benefit we get (and there are plenty of benefits) is a bonus, but it’s not the main point. It took me awhile to learn this. It helped when I met a man who told me about a time in his life when he was active in a church where the preaching was dull, the music was lethargic, the people were rude, and even the coffee was bad. Why would someone go to a church like that? His answer was this: God wanted him there. He had a deep-felt sense that he needed to be there for someone else. So that’s where he went. I have another friend who is a retired rescue mission chaplain. He told me once that he talked to people and asked them why they didn’t go to church. If they said “I’m not getting anything out of it,” he would respond by asking, “What are you giving?” in my present congregation, Craig Memorial Congregational Church, there are lots things we love about our church family. I’ve spent the last year listening to church members and asking the question, “What do we do well?” The answers I’ve heard have been along these lines… I love the people. We’re such a friendly church. I love it when I hear an inspiring message. It gets the week started the right way. I really love the music. Our organ and choir sound so good. It’s uplifting to me. I really love the teaching. I’ve learned so much about the Bible. The building is so beautiful. It makes me feel so warm and alive. There’s plenty for us to delight in here, but none of these are the biblical reasons for worship. We come to offer ourselves to the Lord. And then He takes it from there. God bless you, Pastor Andrew McHenry
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Andrew McHenryI am a husband, a Congregational pastor, and a native Kansan currently living in Thermalito, California. In the past I have also been a prison chaplain and a youth pastor. Interests include reading, railroads, prog rock, KU, and the KC Royals. Archives
March 2024
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