Sometimes it's hard to go to church.
There are scores of reasons behind this statement.... I mean the physical aspect, ya know, maybe general fatigue. Or maybe you're just not feeling well and need to stay in bed. Sometimes people don't want to spend a couple of hours in sub-par seating because it runs amuck on their lower back. To name a few.
Sometimes there are time constraints.... ya know, maybe a conflict of scheduling. You double booked, you're cutting it close to something else going on on Sunday. Moms? Soccer practice maybe? Who knows, there's many issues with time and sometimes, a full 2 (or in some cases 5-8) hour block is too big of a commitment.
And it's not like we can just pop in and out; once we're in we're in. That's it.
But here, at this last stop of church going difficulty is the most daunting of all. Sometimes, the spiritual disconnect is so vast, the mood is so wrong, the feeling of obligation... infinite. Sometimes, we just don't have it in us.
Sometimes we sin.
And therefore, we are not fit to go to church.
(I might get to this later.)
Let's go deeper, shall we?
Sometimes we get hurt, maimed even or so sorely disappointed at church folk, church ways, whatever it may be about those numerous rows of seats has gotten to us in a way that brings us to the point of no return. Sometimes all hope in this setup, this prayer/worship/announcements/sermon/prayer/ditch setup has completely run dry..... we've completely run dry.
And then where do we go? This is the
House of God we were going to, not some shabby church that Joe Schmoe down the street that doesn't know as much as me goes to. I mean, we had an awesome experience with God there, or this is some place that God moved in the past. This is where they're speaking my language and making my moves but something about it is disconnected. Or something about me isn't connecting like it used to. Sometimes we come in, and we plop down on the seat, almost forced down by the heaviness that we wear over our shoulders. And we survey the list of our most recent activities looking for the action tripped the gate of iron bars in front of our soul and kept it imprisoned.
What happened?
While I can't reiterate enough that we see in part and we will see in whole I maintain that I can't do much in explaining the spiritual reality we're touching on here. But there is something.... and it's ruining our Sunday morning.
We have found something that we are clearly not in control of.
We've been tricked by this idea that experience dictates absolute reality. I tend to think that it's the chief dilemma of our time. Despite the information on the table, or what we can be absolutely sure of, a profound enough experience can trump anything we think we know. But mentioning all this leads me to one simple concept; How much of our conclusions are experienced based, or dangerously misinformed by our experience.
What if the Bible says that you are unconditionally loved and accepted, and every day of your life up until that day has said the exact opposite.
See what I mean?
I'm gonna go ahead and assume that I have at least one person still rolling with me here by this point.
See church is funny like this... it's the great equalizer. All people, big and small, face one direction and worship one God in the same way. Your distinctions and features are no longer factors that can alter an outcome. All focus is supposed to be on the King of Kings.
Maybe this is where we lose it.
All the same, worship is a unifying force. It's the bond of all creatures to their God and King. It's the age old tool of mortal man to reach out to His creator in expression, in sentiment, with feeling.
And worship can either key you in, or keep you out.
So know that we've outlined the problem, let us come to the solution.
No matter what church, how innovative your tradition or how unique your church model, I'll wager you do the same thing every Sunday. In one way or another.
You walk through the doors and you know what you're getting (to an extent at least).
The spiritual disconnect comes from a method of connecting with God that is not fit for this time and place that you are currently in. You may not need to stand there, with arms raised... you may not need to lift up a shout. You may need to stop a while, and listen.
You may need some time to be known.
Rather than know.
Still rollin' with me?
The point is that worship becomes a system that we can bank on, or a formula to produce a desired result, I guarantee the Holy Spirit will pull the E-brake on that thing so quick your head will spin. If that's what you want, of course. I'll put it this way, as a kind favor to us, the Holy Spirit will not allow himself to be controlled, or manipulated. Instead, He'll run across the room and make you chase Him. He'll make Himself scarce until you wake up and realize your operating on just flesh and bones.
HE'LL LEAVE THE CHURCH AND TAKE YOU OUTSIDE SOMEWHERE.
Where did he go? The street corner? Maybe the 7-11?
One thing we know, He's moving and shaking us, and in more ways than just throwing us on the floor and making us vibrate. (as cool as that is!!!!) What are you gonna do when you're using Times New Roman and the Holy Spirit is using Helvetica??
What if, for one Sunday, God wants you to take a break from glorifying Him? (yeah, you heard me!!!) What if he wants you to quiet down and have a seat, so He can sneak up behind your soul and tell you what's wrong (cuz I guarantee, you don't even know.) What if God has work He has to do, and He needs the Sunday morning time slot, but nooooooo, these hands need to be raised and I'll be darned if Sunday morning, I'm not looking like I'm getting my picture taken on the Great American Scream Machine!
Forgive me, I'm not making fun of worship by the way. If you know me personally you know I'm the biggest hand raiser out there... sometimes just one hand (kinda subtle but powerful) Sometimes both arms, biiiiiig praise!
Sometimes I just sit and cry up until the point of making a total scene in the middle of church because that's all I can do. Because I think of the lost, the hurting, the broken and what are they worshiping? Sometimes I think of a Christian who did me wrong, and yet here I am, in church again, at risk for getting hurt. Stupid me.
Sometimes, it's just about me and God, and where we've been and where we're going. And that's why I go, no matter what. Because God's got something new for me every day. And every day He wants to show me, all I need is a fresh set of eyes.
