Why do You go to Church?

When I was growing up, there was never a decision to be made about going to church on Sunday morning. My mother and father expected us to be ready for church and in the car. My grandmother was the church organist, and my brother John and I were in the choir. Church on Sunday morning was the expected ritual, and there were no exceptions. The world has changed! Regular church attendance is not what it used to be. Since the pandemic, church attendance is less than what it was before the pandemic.

If you’ve ever wondered “why,” the answers are many. Author Kathleen Norris answers the “why” with a response she received from a pastor to the question, “Why do we go to church?” The pastor said, “We go to church for other people. Because someone may need you there.”

Now this is surely not the only reason we go to church, but it resonates with the heartbeat of the writer to the Hebrews. Hebrews 10:25 stresses the goal of “not giving up meeting together.” The writer of Hebrews urged believers to persevere in the faith. Verse 25 says that something vital would be missed in our absence: “encouraging one another.”

We need to meet together, because someone may need you there. The corresponding truth is that you may need them as well.

Prayer – Father, I need to worship every Sabbath and praise your name. Help me to encourage others in Your name. Help me not to overlook others because I’m too preoccupied with myself. Amen!

Hebrews 19:25 – “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another.”

Author: Tommy Herndon

Photos: Pascal Bernardon & Eduardo Flores, courtesy of Unsplash