What is your problem with “organized religion”?
Please, please share your issues with me….we can converse here patiently and respectfully….because I said so!
It is an over worn cliche that many folks have trouble with “organized religion”, and everything it stands for. My initial smart-ass response is “come and meet with my Community; you won’t find anything organized about it” but it is more congruent with what I understand about reason for not participating in church.
I define Church as the gathering of God’s people where the Word of God (The Bible) is presented in an honest and doctrinally correct (more on this later) and where the Sacraments are offered to sinners who know of their need for forgiveness of their sins.
When I invite someone to join me at Queen Valley Lutheran Chapel in November, I get a lot of amorphous and weaseling answers that say “I am not interested in going to Church” or “I can’t because….” Honestly, I do believe that the real answer is that we are too lazy. Where we will enter ticket lotteries for our favorite music events, and get up at all hours of darkness to go fishing or hiking….but how can you expect me to get up early on my only day to sleep in? If I had $1.00 for every time I have heard that one, I could afford to drive a Porsche rather than my Acura RDX.
Perhaps we would rather not think about the possibility that God is real, and that He became a human being, while at the same time God. If there is no such thing as “sin”, why would I care that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took upon Himself all of the sin of this world from the time of Adam & Eve to the very last child born before Jesus returns. You see, all of us have sinned and thereby have fallen short of God’s holy and perfect Law (How many of the 10 Commandments can you name right now without Googling it to find out?).
Oh yeah, “church people are so judgmental; they thing they are so perfect and holy”. Yeah, that’s what I see too…..NOT! Show up at Queen Valley some Sunday morning and count how many times we verbally acknowledge that we are indeed sinners, and that we fall short of the glory of God. When we confess that, Jesus speaks through me, as the Pastor, to announce His total and complete forgiveness for His own sake, and this frees us to live striving to serve our fellow people.
Oh yeah, “all they want is my money”…..yeah, right. Sure, we need to pay the bills and musicians are worthy of financial support, and by giving to our congregation, I need to work less in a regular job to make sure we have enough……you’re lucky because I am retired, but the point is the Pastor is worthy of your financial support. Oh yeah, how about all of those folks who are displaced by an earthquake in Haiti? Or that family of 4 trying to live on a minimum wage (even if it is $15/hour). The fact is the money you share to support the Church gives you many more blessings than any burden you may feel.
Folks, we are living in really crazy times. Did you know that some very good research demonstrates that going to Church reduces the stress in your life. Being a part of a Christian community helps you find your purpose in life; it helps with the kids too. If you have never been a church member, the experience of learning with your spouse and children unites a family in ways that are immensely awesome (even if you have one of those bizarre joint-custody orders) I will be happy to prove that for you, but it will take a year or five to get you and the family into the rhythms of being a believer.
If you have read this far in this article, you are definitely experiencing the Holy Spirit calling you to check out what I am saying here. Perhaps a greater blessing you receive is that you are blessed by sharing word and work with other normal folks who feel the same calling you do. You don’t have to go to church, but if that is where the blessings come in, you gotta be there to bless others and receive their blessing.
One last caveat: If you are being strangely stirred in your soul as you read this, God is already working with you to bring His grace, mercy, forgiveness and joy….it’s true! Would I lie to you? You can check with the thousands of students I taught at Pima Community College, and the hundreds I have impacted by sharing the acceptance and warmth I have shared with you over the years.
So….enough, already, no more excuses! Please join me on November 4th at the Fire Station Community Room in Queen Valley (off the US 60, just pass the Renaissance Fairgrounds and Gold Canyon). Nice little drive….how about 9:00? All ages, and all kinds of people are welcome, no “cover charge” and it usually happens that I will get you to laugh at least once in every service……saints of mine: am I right? Write a little testimonial below in the Comments section. You can also email me here on the site.
May the Lord bless you as you sit down with God and ask Him if you should go to church….you will know….
Grace, Peace, Out.
Padre Dave
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