One of the newer hymns in Voices United that I love to sing at the beginning of a church service is “Come In Come In and Sit down.” The second line of the first verse states, “You know the reason why you came. Yet no reason can explain. So join in the laughter and cry in the pain, for you are a part of the family.”
I believe God calls us to join with the church family for worship. We say, “Yes”, get our act together and come.” The mystery of course is in our “Yes”. There are so many other things we could be doing including sleeping on Sunday mornings.
We weigh God’s call and our church experience against all the other things that happen or could happen on Sunday morning. The amazing thing is that when we come regularly and do our share we become a solid part of the church family and it’s fun. We learn lots. We discover that our church family celebrates our happiness and cries with us, holding us in love and prayer when the going is tough. Answering God’s call to worship with a total “YES” is an amazing mystery and can be a good thing in our lives.
One thing I have learned is that we receive the most from being part of the church family when we make a complete commitment. When we make the decision to say “yes” to God on Sunday morning, it quickly becomes “yes” only when there is nothing else to do. I call that giving God the leftovers, which is better than nothing, for sure. When we decide that worship is what we do on Sunday mornings and plan our lives around it, we truly join the church family.
I’ve been told and I’ve experienced that being part of the church family is wonderful. Some say,
“I gas up for the whole week on Sunday morning.”
“Without the support of my church family, I wouldn’t have survived the death of my
partner, child, best friend.”
“Working at the church supper was fun.”
“Reading scripture on Sunday mornings gave me confidence for public speaking.” “Contributing to the church family of my time, money, talents brings me joy.”
and the list goes on. When we walk through the church doors, we come home.
Today, as you read this, I offer you an invitation. Open your heart to God’s call to make a church family your home. This Lenten season say a committed “yes” to God. Find a church, Muslim, Jewish, etc. family that fits for you. It may not feel logical to add this commitment to your busy life, but it’s worth it. I guarantee when you say “Yes” to God, you will learn, grow, and sometimes be challenged by the experience. For sure, you will discover that you have come home.