I am married.  Big surprise!  For almost 33 years…. to the same person.  I know, I know -you all feel sorry for him!  But don’t worry – all that really matters, is that I know he loves me and wants to continue to spend the rest of his life with me.

 

We have a fabulous relationship/marriage. That is not a surprise. You know why?  We work at it.  Sometimes he does all the work, sometimes I do all the work and more often than not, we both work at it.  Still to this day.  The challenges are different as you grow older, and often there are not nearly as many (challenges) because we have worked hard in previous years.  But the result is still the same. We are in a loving, committed, involved, respectful, etc, etc relationship. We live together and see each other every day. Day after day.. .ok, now you can feel sorry for him…. bahahahaha….

 

 

I could be married and live apart from my spouse. We could have said “I do” and moved states apart to pursue our own agendas.  That is still marriage. The definition still fits. But, we would be leading our own lives.  When we might come together, there would most likely be some sort of tension -at least in the aspect that we would not be used to how it feels to interact with someone that is suddenly closer in proximity.  Most definitely, there would be “tension” when it came to something we disagreed upon, or something we poorly communicated about or something that we had to take life altering action on.  Why?  Because we would not be as acquainted with our spouse. We would not know how it is they react to stress or how it is that they interpersonally communicate or how it is they problem solve, or show you that they care for you or… the list goes on and on.  But – we would still be married!

 

Now you know I have an agenda here…. this isn’t really about marriage, right?  Right! But I wanted to get your attention…

 

This is about the church.  This is being a Christian. About being someone who has accepted the teachings of Christ and accepting the  salvation that was offered on the cross and through resurrection.  This is about saying … “I am a Christian – I just don’t see the need to go to church”.  

 

There it is!  This is a topic no one really wants to talk about.  Folks say all the time:

 

I am a Christian. I believe in God. I am going to heaven. I have accepted the gift of salvation.  I worship in nature… or with my family…. or on my own in my special place.

 

Well, maybe you are…. and maybe you do… but maybe that is not what should be happening.  (What I really wanted to say here was “bull honkey”… but I rephrased it so I sounded compassionate….)

 

Here is the deal…

 

I could be employed, but if I stop showing up for work – eventually that relationship is forever changed.  I could be a mother, but if I never speak to or see my children, it is a title only. I could be a member of a committee, but failure to participate will cause me to not be a viable constituent.  The same is true of the church. Today, I want to talk about “showing up”.

 

How can any organization be functional (I am not even talking successful) if the parts of it are absent.  No whole can operate correctly without its parts. And as a Christian, you are a part of the church.  You have a role, a place, a responsibility and opportunity to and with the organized church.  If you are not in relationship with the “church” you are short circuiting the process of the Christian family.  

 

It is pretty difficult to be in any kind of relationship without participating with the other person or people. Yes, by definition, you are a Christian.  Nothing else is needed to become a Christian except that you accept the gift of salvation offered by Christ. But Christianity does not stop there.  Just like marriage.  I can be married – but never live with my spouse. Think about that. Sounds like a relationship with no depth. A whole lot of me, me, me going on in that kind of relationship.

 

What am I suggesting?

 

Am I after attendance awards?

Am I looking for you to have volunteerism reflected on your resume?

 

No

 

I am asking for you to consider that your commitment to a group of people who believe in the same concepts you believe in might actually be beneficial.  If not to you – then to others in the organization.  I am asking you to consider finding a place where you “mostly” fit in.  I am not inviting you to my church – but if you think a small group is where it is at – then come on by!  I am not saying you should go to the church that you used to attend, or to the largest or smallest church in your town, or even to attend on Sunday.  I am asking you to consider belonging to a group where you can share your life and benefit others.  A place where you can work through your relationship with God, who ordained the “church” and your relationship with other people in God’s family.  BTW – if you don’t go to church because you can’t stand the people…. heaven is going to be a drag for you.

 

Simply put –

 

Yes, you are a Christian even if you don’t go to church, just like I am married even if I spend no time with my spouse. But …. there is so much more. I encourage you to find that group … and it may take some trial and error… but find them and commit to them and allow them to commit to you.  Will there be tough times in that relationship? Sure! But working through the tough times will always be beneficial and the reward of being a part of your relationship with Christ through his church will change you for the better.

 

Probably stepped on some toes today….