Finding a community that helps a person connect with God is a very personal search and it often takes more time than we would like. Perhaps this is why the house church movement is gaining ground here in the states.

I still go back to the whole concept of church being bigger than me and, therefore, I would just attend because understanding often comes further down the path. Does that mean that there are periods where a person goes off by themselves like the desert father’s and mothers (and the Celtic Christians) did at times? I believe so. Sometimes solitude is a part of growth, but I don’t think that means rejecting church (which is not what I hear you saying.) There is a difference between rejecting church and not attending church in this idea of solitude as the ancients practiced it. What that does for this conversation, I’m not sure.

Jesus attended temple and established “church” as a gathering together of his people. He respected the old traditions and established new ones. When we gather together as believers, we are doing church. (I know you know this–nothing new here.)

But, why would Jesus have established apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, etc., if He didn’t expect them to operate within and outside of the “gathering.” Isn’t the church suppose to be the womb of His bride? When it doesn’t operate that way, do we stop going, or do we add ourself to the mix of people and do our little bit to nurture His bride by loving her as He does?

If we aren’t getting something out of church, perhaps we need to fill our needs in our own journey with the Lord and still gather as the church to fulfull His command of coming together and loving one another (even if we, personally, don’t receive much.) The journey is about “me,” the church is about “others.” Both are important.

And no, it is not right to expect church to fulfill longings in our souls and spirits–that comes only from the Bridegroom, not the bride.

If folks leave a particular fellowship feeling empty and disappointed, can they find a church to go and just “be”–receive communion in community and hear the ancient Words of Life read or sung–thereby participating as the bride? Can they attend a different type of fellowship than they have attended in the past? Is it right to totally bail out on church when God has called us to have people in authority over us and to submit to them (pastors, teachers, etc.)? Hard questions, but they need to be asked.

For me, the bottom line is: Who’s life is it anyway–mine or His. If He says to gather together in His name, then that I will do.

Sometimes the people in church have been disagreeable over some small issue they think is big stuff, like whether the pastor should have access to the giving records of the parish. Can s/he effectively lead the church without knowing the stewardship practices of the flock? Does it matter if the pastor has taken three weeks of their four week vacation all at once, staying home one of those weeks? Is it really a big deal if something is double-booked on the church calendar?

I agree, worship is what we give to God as part of community, not something we receive when it “feels good”. The balance and order of life is something that brings order out of chaos, even the ordinary chaos of our ordinary lives. Being centered once a week on God is not being controlled by God, nor is it less “real” if we don’t “feel right”. Having a life that is structured around a pattern of a weekly sabbath sometimes makes the rest tolerable and survivable.

The weekly ebb and flow that centers around a regular Sabbath worship is the gift we receive from God, not “good or holy feelings”.

Sometimes I’d like to stay home. But I can’t. I’m the pastor.

Somebody is bound to need a HUG or a SMILE or an EAR to ‘bend’….and I have found that since Jim died, I have a lot of love to give away.
I can change the ‘atmosphere’ just by ‘being there’….

And all the while bringing JOY to God’s heart…..what a deal!!!.

That’s why I LOVE going to church…..even if I’m ‘not in the mood’…