SUNDAY SERVICE.

Why do people come/go to church on Sunday? (Or any other day of the week for that matter). Why do we go to seek the face of God, together, on Sunday? Is it just a routine or there is a reason? Furthermore, who is and who isn’t eligible to attend Sunday service or any gathering of people who have come together in the name of Jesus to worship God?

I am wondering, of the masses who come to church, who do we expect to meet or see or sit beside in church pews on our sweet Sunday mornings? How should these people be, spiritually? Do we expect them to be perfect or broken? Do you expect complete spiritually healthy beings or spiritual lepers who have come to seek Jesus’ touch? And what is our own spiritual status anyway?

Sorry, I bulged in with so many questions all at once. But sitting here on a good Saturday looking forward to a Sunday service I found myself thinking and bugged with many other questions seeing what’s happening in the body of Christ; our attitudes and our conducts as believers and towards other believers. How we react to other people’s weakness and frailties in the body of Christ and how we treat the wounded and those afflicted amongst us has caught my attention as of recent. Sunday service is just a place I chose to start. I will be a touch on a few other areas. Tag along.

You see, Sunday services (or any other church service) is many things to many people at different times depending on our spiritual status and circumstances we go through in various seasons of our lives. Although we may collectively say we all come to worship God, we all have things that move us to cut our sleep and go to church.

To some, Sunday service is like an EMD (Emergency department). Something acute just happened in their lives, maybe they have just messed up the night before or even the morning of it, maybe something they have been holding on for so long instead of bringing in to Jesus just got critical, the condition is dire and they rush in to see a physician who is happily waiting to attend them. They come to church, critically ill to see Jesus.

For some, Sunday service is like a clinic. They have just met a doctor named Jesus and now they come here often. They are yet to heal completely, so they were seen last week now they have come for another checkup and refill. They are working progress spiritually and God is working in their lives. Seeing them today some might (and they do) deem them unworthy of even calling themselves Christians. They still have struggles of different proportions but their today is definitely better than yesterday and tomorrow even more promising. The potter’s hand is still marred with his clay.

Testing the waters may be the reason for some. They are out there in the world living their lives but they have this one friend who has been talking to them about Jesus or they just heard about him and here they are to see if this church thing is theirs. You look at them you may see that they don’t ‘belong’ there, they are new; they have come to have a taste Jesus who is totally okay with that as he says “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalms 34:8). And because the Lord is in us, they will see him through us. But do they?

For some, they have come and have been coming because they are at a point that Jesus is the last hope. Families have spoken, their teachers and professors have spoken, their bossed and their landlords too. Going to the hospital doctors have discussed their cases issued a statement that they don’t have long to live they should just put their affairs in order now. Everything is not working but they have come for one last person to speak; Jesus, and he longs to speak to them and their situations.

There are also those who of course come for thanksgiving. Jehovah has done it on Wednesday and they couldn’t wait for this day to come. You see them dancing you will know. There are some it’s a routine, they grow up going to church and they keep going; its Sunday timetable. Well, for this last group there is a lot of awakening needed but am glad they come.

So you see, for many reasons, with exception of those who don’t know why, we all come to church somehow broken, somehow flawed, somehow struggling, somehow naked, somehow messed up and in need of the transformation touch of God in our lives or circumstances that surround our lives. And sometimes it’s not somehow but big time! All of us, we have that place of our life that exposes our need for Jesus, a thorn in the flesh, if you will.

Despite all that, as a church, I see that we still have been looking for perfection that doesn’t really exist in the body of Christ, and shouldn’t or else no one will require Jesus. As we long for a church whose people are wrinkle-free, and we miss all the wonder that God is doing in changing and transforming the lives of his people, which he also could do in our lives if we would open up those stinky part of our lives instead of putting on a flawless facade to mask our despair.

We constantly point fingers in judgement (How is John in the praise team with all the women he has gone out with? Isn’t that sister pregnant outside wedlock? How is she still a steward? What God do they think they serve?), we pass verdict on other people that God hasn’t and would never (Where does he say someone who committed adultery should be banned from attending church?) For some reason, we have made ourselves the judge and the jury. But are we? Really?

When people backslide, do they have that confidence, with all heart run to the church, to seek help to God among other believers? Or do they begin to distance away from it, ten steps at a time, a thousand by the day until they are far of the horizon? Think about it. For some, there is no need for running. Rules are already in place. You mess up, you go.

The cross we bear seems questionable and the grace we all claim to receive abundantly still does not seem enough to pass on to others. The mercy we keep receiving seems only enough for us and doesn’t even leave an iota of the lesson that we have to be merciful to other people as well. Because of such conducts, some have fallen far shorter of the glory of God than those they think have fallen short.

So how do we move from this place?

For what’s worth I think it will help once we all admit that, each of us has that part of his/her life that exposes them to the constant need of Christ. let us all, honestly close examine our lives and conduct by the help of the Holy Spirit and come to terms with the reality of our frailties, flaws and weaknesses. May we realize that with all our spiritual walk and experience, each believer is working progress and that until Jesus returns there will be nothing as perfect, not of our own. At this point, the judgement and finger-pointing will cease and we will be on our way of celebrating the progress that God is doing in our lives in transforming each of us to the image he desires. The image that reflects him.

The next step takes its cue from the last point: the understanding that any church service is a service, that God is at work and people have come in for a fix. They have struggles, they have failed, they are battling things no one would ever think of and that struggle that has led them to church for refuge. They have come in stinking, dirty and marred by circumstances of life, they have attitudes, habits they cannot seem to shake off, tongues that need be taming, eyes that need to be refocused, addictions and so much more. And yes, they are Christians. They have come for the Jesus touch. It’s a service after all and all are invited, all who need Christ are eligible and perfection isn’t expected. Once we achieve that, the church will be a bliss and many more who are struggling out there like we once were or still are, can quickly rush in for the sweet refuge of Christ.

See you at the service.