Week 6 | Tuesday

Read: Acts 2:42-47

Yesterday prompted some self-reflection and, perhaps, a bit of a gut check. Whatever your reason(s) for going to church, a follow-up question remains: Are they the “right” reasons? Some things are just different when you experience them in a larger community. To be clear, “larger” might mean 300, and it might mean 30. Simply put, it’s people from different ages and life stages, likes and dislikes, opinions and passions, and even (if you can imagine) favorite professional and college teams coming together for a shared experience focused on a common purpose.

So, what’s that shared experience? Ask any veteran churchgoer. They’ll say, “to worship God,” but what does that mean? So often in life, we know things about God, but we don’t take time to rest in what we know, reflect on it, and respond to it. Worship is when we take time to consider the attributes of God and say, “Wow!” When we gather on Sundays, we do this together. We don’t give God an hour; God gives us an hour. He works through volunteers and staff, facilities and utilities, coffee and crayons, seats and speakers, handshakes and hallelujahs to invite us into a celebration of who He is so we can respond with, “Wow! Thank you, Lord!”

Music and preaching fit in with that. Where else do people of all ages come together once a week to sing out loud, listen to teaching, and hang out a little? Bars cover part of that. Schools cover part of that. So, is church what you get if a school and a bar have a kid? Of course not! What sets it apart (well, LOTS of things, but one) is what we call “means of grace.” Basically, that’s a churchy way of saying God speaks to us through the music, the singing, the teaching, and the very act of coming together. While God is present everywhere, I can’t say He’s creating space at your local watering hole for people to stand in awe of Him. There’s a good chance He’s not revealing himself through a mathematics lesson every day. Can that happen? Yes. Has it happened? I’m sure it has. Is that the purpose of those gatherings? Nope.  

We come together on Sundays to encounter God through being together, pausing to reflect and respond to God’s goodness, and opening our eyes, ears, hearts, and hands as we become more like Jesus. 

We worship in lots of places and in lots of ways. For now, reflect on your favorite moment of worship during a church service. Was it during a song? A sermon? Maybe another means of grace like Communion or baptism. What made that moment special? Tell God about it and thank Him for it.