Why I Go to Church

Jay Shifley July 27, 2017 1 comments

I’ve spent most of my life in church.  My parents took me to church as a child and I continued that tradition as I grew into a young adult.  For a long time, I never really thought much about it.

 Then I lived overseas in a place where there was no church. Our solution was to create our own family “church” in our living room on Sunday mornings, and then we eventually started meeting with other Christian expats.  Church became more than a meeting once a week; it became a community and many of us saw and served each other daily.  It was a lot like Acts 2:42-46.

Coming back to the American church after living and worshiping this way for well over a decade was difficult, and for a couple of years I wondered why I bothered with it at all.  Church here was very different than what I’d grown used to.  However, I’ve wrestled with this problem for a while now, and though I have yet to resolve it fully the struggle has helped me find significant meaning in attending church on Sundays.

 First, I find meaning in the discipline.  Yeah—I know this isn’t very exciting, but I have found that today’s American life doesn’t require much discipline.  Anything I want to know is just a click away--so why learn it? Any food I want to eat is a phone call or another click away--so why not eat it? There’s something very meaningful about “sacrificing” a Sunday morning to be with other Christians and focusing together on something that doesn’t come as easily as a Google search.

 I find great meaning in the relationships at church.  It wasn’t easy moving from a big city in the developing world to a small town in North Central Ohio. My church created the context to build the good, solid relationships that I needed and craved.  I don’t feel alone and on my own.  If my car breaks down, or a tragedy occurs, I have people to call.  In the same circumstances, those people can also call me.

 Finally, church reminds me of what’s true.  In today’s world of “fake news,” racial tension and broken relationships it is good to regularly be reminded of what God’s really like.  Among many things He’s faithful, He’s kind, He’s inclusive and He never lies.  Going to church reminds me of this, and helps me create a defense against the falsehoods that I’m bombarded with each day.

 St. Paul says in Galatians 6:9: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” For some of us, church has great meaning and the experience is like finding a missing puzzle piece. For others, it isn’t as easy. The privilege of gathering together with other Christians has great significance though, and finding meaning in it is worth the effort.