I find myself reflecting on why attending church is essential, especially in a world where so few seem to prioritize it. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, only about 15% of Australians attend religious services at least once a month. This means that approximately 8 or 9 out of 10 people do not attend church regularly. We live in a secular culture that often values entertainment, success, and wealth above all else, whereas church often presents an entirely different set of values.
Church in effect often presents completely the opposite. Church can be boring. We follow a person who was crucified or executed for his ideals and beliefs. And at church you are asked to be charitable. To give your money away. Entertainment, success and wealth are not the goals of going to church.
Going to church is something deeper. The word “church” means “the people of God”. Can we be church without going to a building and receiving the sacraments? The answer is “yes”. You can be “church” in all places and in all times. But, can you learn without going to school? Yes. But school can help us learn. Can you receive food without going to the shops? Yes, but the shops can enable you to readily access food without having to wait for food to grow. Can you learn to drive a car without getting into a car? Yes, but getting into a car and getting behind the wheel is the quickest way to learn to drive a car. To actively experience what you are learning. So, it is with church.
God did not design church to be a set of individuals all making their own way in life. Jesus uses the parable or metaphor of the of the Vine and the branches. God is the vine, and we are the branches. But cut off from the vine and other branches we will dwindle and shrivel away spiritually. The church and the other members of the church can help us grow in our faith and in our spirituality.
We grow in our faith through each other. Like a gardener watering a garden the other members of the church can help us to grow spiritually. We grow by tasting and seeing the goodness of the Lord. God comes disguised in our lives. When we draw closer to other people, the other people of God, the church, like hot coals in a small fire, the fire burns more brightly. By going to church our faith and our spirituality is strengthened.
But what about the sexual abuse crisis in the church? What about the corruption in the church with the miss use of money? What about clericalism which creates a hierarchy and excludes people? What about the lack of women in leadership? Throughout history there have been many examples of each of these. In some ways the church can be seen not as the bearer of light, but, as a bearer of darkness.
Yet, the church is not without its profound issues. The sexual abuse crisis, financial corruption, clericalism, and the lack of women in leadership roles are significant and undeniable problems. These issues can make the church seem more like a bearer of darkness than light. However, at the heart of the church is Jesus Christ. When Peter asked Jesus about forgiveness, suggesting 'seven times' as a limit, Jesus responded, 'Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.' This teaches us that the church, despite its human flaws, is called to be an instrument of mercy and a bearer of hope. Forgiveness is crucial, not in forgetting the sins and injustices, but in transforming them through what Jesus calls us to “God’s love”.
We cannot ignore the church's failings, but we must use them as fuel to transform our community, much like Jesus used his suffering on the cross.
Jesus does not say in the Bible “Worship me”. Rather, Jesus says “follow me”.
We must never forget the sins the people of God, the church, has committed. These darknesses must be the fuel that transforms our world. Like Jesus on the cross. Jesus calls us to “pick up our cross and walk”.
Jesus regularly participated in religious practices, often challenging and reforming them from within. To disengage from our church is to step away from the foundational community that Christianity was built upon—a community that, while imperfect, calls us to care, to engage with tension, and to heal. We are called to be active parts where God’s life comes to birth through us. This does not mean we have to always agree with our religion. Rather Jesus was actively involved in Judaism. Are we actively involved to? Or do we run away?
If we walk away from our church, we walk away from the foundation of how Christianity began. As a community. A community that does not always care for us. But, as the people of God, we are called to care. A community we may disagree with. But we are called to hold the tension and paradox of our lives. A community which may disappoint us. But we are called to heal the wounds, with God’s help, which are in pain and suffering.
Going to church is important because it calls us beyond the comfort zones of our lives.
Pause and reflect on the following thoughts:
'Real community is not just about being geographically close to someone or part of the same social web network. It's about feeling connected and responsible for what happens.' - Henri Nouwen
'The church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners.' - Timothy Keller
'Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.' - Thomas Merton
'To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.' - Lewis B. Smedes
'We are not called by God to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things with extraordinary love.' - Jean Vanier
'The purpose of the church is not to bring perfection to people but to bring people to perfection.' - Matthew Kelly
'Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.' - Elisabeth Elliot
'The art of community is the art of belonging. When we cease to belong, we cease to be.' - Parker J. Palmer
“God's intention is to make us like Himself, and the church is His workshop.' - Rick Warren
'In forgiveness, you like another person see, with all their imperfections.' - Deborah Day
'The measure of a Christian is not in the height of his grasp but in the depth of his love.' - Clarence Jordan
Take the time to journal and Reflect on the following questions
Question 1 - Why do you think attending church is important despite the low attendance rates mentioned in the statistics?
Question 2 - How does the Jesus’ analogy of the vine and the branches help illustrate the importance of building community in a church which may not have a community?Question 3 - Throughout history there have been several major serious issues within the
church, such as clericalism, lack of women in leadership and abuse. How do you think these issues affect people’s perception of the church? Are these sins and hursts meant to shape our own approach to church?
Question 4 - Forgiveness is an important part of being Christian. Jesus’ response to Peter about forgiving seventy-seven times. How can this principle of forgiveness be applied to your own life? When have you said “I forgive you”?
Question 5 - Considering the idea that 'God designed church not as a collection of isolated individuals but as a community of people,' how do you interpret the role of community in your own spiritual life?
Question 6 - It is important to step outside our comfort zones? Why?
Google Search the video “Matt Maher The In Between”.
Pause and listen to the song….
Discuss these questions in your family and community.
Please join in the final prayer.
Loving Father, We come before You as children of God, called to seek Your family and community of followers. Open our hearts to see Your face and grant us a change of heart that tears down the walls and obstacles in our lives. May we, like Peter, forgive not just seven times, but seventy-seven times, and readily say, “I forgive you.” Holy Spirit, breathe into us your desire to change our world. Jesus, call us to be builders of Your kingdom on earth, to construct Your community and family of love. May we recognize, like a small hot coal brought closer to other coals, that together we can ignite the flame within us to be bearers of hope who transform darkness. May we be Your people on earth. Father, mould us into people of compassion and mercy, so that others may say, “See how they loved one another.” God, we thank You for what You do in our lives. Shape us into people not of tomorrow, but of today, people who seek Your face in others. Amen.
