Why Do I have to go to Church?

I'm sure that many of you have heard the story of a young 35 year old man who one Sunday morning was arguing with his mother.  She had woken him up early in the morning, and telling him that he needed to get ready to go to church.  He tossed, turned, and argued. The mother insisted that he get up and get ready.  He did not want to go to church.  He asked her, "Oh Mom, why must I go to church?"  She answered and said to him "First of all, because it's Sunday, and second of all, because you're the Pastor."

Humor aside, does it surprise you to hear that a person who is supposed to lead by example would be struggling to go to church?  The person who is supposed to lead worship and preach is arguing with his mother about church attendance?  Strange, isn't it?

Now, let me draw your attention to this syndrome which has become somewhat pervasive even in Christian circles.  There are many people who claim to be Christian, but yet, for whatever reason, just don't feel like getting out of their bed early on a Sunday morning to go to church.  They feel that they have worked hard enough all week, and that they are entitled to "sleep in" at least one morning during the week.  They think of church attendance as a burden, or they approach it with a sense of obligation. Others, believe, and rightly so, that they don't have to attend church to worship, because they can worship anywhere, whether it be in their home, in their garden, or under a tree in the forest. There are others who have been caught up with the "electronic church," i.e. they can listen to worship services with Gospel proclamation by watching a television program or hear a worship service on the radio.  Or they can open up a devotional book while still in bed, read it, say a little prayer, and that is the extent of their worship for the day.

I remember some years ago, when my son went to Netherlands to study for his master's degree in International Relations at the University of Amsterdam.  Then he stayed there until he completed his Ph.D. in the same field.  One afternoon he called his mother and I to say hello.  I asked him, "did you attend church this morning?"  He said to me "Yes I did, I went to Bedside Baptist Church."  I, of course, got the hint right away.  It is amazing, how many people attend Bedside Baptist, Pajama Temple, and St. Mattress Cathedral.

So now, to the question which I'm sure many of you have struggled with, "why do I have to go to church?"  Well, believe it or not, this pastor (yours truly) has very good news for you.  You don't have to go to church.  You don't have to be in the company of those Christians whom you consider hypocritical and phony.  You don't have to put on a show of any type to demonstrate that you are a Christian or a good person.  You can stay in bed as long as you want.  You can be absent from church as long as you want.  In fact, you don't even have to be a member of a church.  None of these things are a prerequisite for one to have a relationship with God.  None of these thing will help you accumulate brownie points for the hereafter.  None of these thing will determine your eternal destiny. None of these things determine whether you are a true believer or not.

Why, then, go to church?  I can answer from my own personal experience. And I can add to that experience a confirmation which I received last Sunday from a Presbyterian minister who came to our church to preach and teach.  In both his lesson and his sermon, he emphasized the grace of God.
He elucidated from Scripture how the grace of God frees us up to want to serve God voluntarily, and not out of obligation.  The grace of God moves us (does not force us) to want to be in the company of like-minded people to fellowship, learn from each other, listen together to the Word of God, and together respond to God's grace by returning into the world to share the Good News, and how our faith in Jesus has transformed us in such a way, that we want to be with each other naturally. I can say on the basis of my own personal experience that church attendance is something that I have always desired since my teenage years.  I have always wanted to be in corporate worship.  I have always considered it a delight to be in church.  Yes, I can easily stay home at Bedside Baptist, or some other type of set up, but I don't want to.  I want to be with my sisters and brothers praising God, singing praises, listening to the sermon, coming to the Table of the Lord during Holy Communion, and en fin, being with my church family.  I love every minute of it.  Personally, I will fight tooth and nail with anyone who attempts to block or prevent me from doing this.  I love the Lord, and I also love God's people, with whom I wish to be on a continual basis.

What should you do then?  I would say that you should stay home and not come to church unless God's grace has transformed you in such a way that you want to be there.  Be there because you want to.  Come, not because you must, but because you may.  Come, not because you are strong, but because you are broken. Come, not because you are righteous, but because your are penitent.  The Lord invites to His table and to His fellowship in church, all those who love Him and want to be there with the rest of His people.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Rev. Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona

Please feel free to comment and share your perspectives on this.