Church Confession

²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. – Hebrews 10:24-25

I haven’t been in church for two weeks. It feels strange. I feel guilty. Besides the few weeks I missed when my son was born, I don’t remember missing service the last seven years. There is no grand protest in which I chose to miss these days, just life, sickness and family. I wrote last week that I have a renewed understanding of why people outside of the church world miss services. Life is busy. Family is important and sometimes needs to take place outside the walls of a church meeting. Rest is important and many times needs to take place outside of the need to “serve”.

With this being said, I have also realized how easy it is to miss church. The demands of life and family stack up and before you know it, you haven’t been at church for a month. This is not necessarily a bad thing, it is all in the context of life, but if we wish to be a part of something, we need to take intentional steps forward. Like anything, we have to plan it out before it gets crowded out.

The number one thing I have missed about church, and the thing that keeps me coming back all these years are the relationships. We throw the word “family” around a lot, but this is honestly the most accurate description of the people. In our culture, church has undoubtedly turned into a relationship heavy entity, so much so that it has crowded out theology and worship. These relationships are what build bridges to the Gospel and where I have met Jesus more than many of the sermons presented. This is the Biblical context that many of us find so irresistible. Underneath the cover of grace is the heartbeat of a welcoming people. Let us never take this for granted. This too is a gift from the Father of lights.