Just
recently, I read a very interesting article in World magazine. Indeed, it seems like there are a number of us who
are “on the same page” in regard to the subject at hand. The following is an
excerpt from the work entitled, “Lament for a bride”:
On Sunday morning I
practice with the praise team and then sit in the front waiting for my husband,
the pastor, and our three children. I listen. I listen to hear the ethos of
the morning group…In more recent years I
sit and listen, hopeful and longing for the sound of those entering. Where is
everyone? Is it a holiday weekend? Is there an early football game or another
soccer tournament? Did the Smiths go to their vacation home again or are they
skiing this weekend? We don’t know and in some ways it doesn’t matter—for even
our involved families often don’t make Sunday a priority of Sunday morning
worship. I dream of people suddenly and eagerly streaming in the building with
excitement to meet their Lord and maker. But they don’t come and it breaks my
heart (Sutherland, 2013).
How
I can relate to her sentiments! I often look over the auditorium on Sundays and
struggle with despair over the blocks of empty seating in front of me as I
stand on the podium. I remember the days when we were running well over 200 in
morning worship with folks feeling an excitement of the possibility of actually
filling the sanctuary to the brim! What happened?
Sutherland
points to the problem squarely in the above excerpt. She notes it the use of one
word, “priority”. God’s people have become complacent in their priorities.
Other things have become more important than God in their lives. As the old
saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words”. A person can say when
questioned about his/her faith, “I believe in Jesus. He is my Lord and my
Savior.” Yet, if the same person repeatedly and unashamedly finds other things
to do on the one day set aside by God to worship Him, to show Him our
allegiance and loyalty, then the words of that person are, in effect,
meaningless. James revealed the same perspective in his diatribe on the
relationship between faith and works (rf. Jas. 2:14-17). In the Lord’s own
words of to His people,
Sanctify My Sabbaths;
and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the
Lord your God. But the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My
statutes, nor were they careful to observe My ordinances, by which, if a man
observes them, he will live; they profaned My Sabbaths. So, I resolved to pour
out My anger on them (Ezek. 20:20-21 New American Standard Version)…
Even though the Sabbath
of the Old Testament changed to the Lord’s Day, Sunday, by virtue of the
Resurrection of Jesus as of the New Testament, the principle of recognizing the
Lord’s Day as holy and worshipful remains the same. We are to join together as
believers on that day (rf. Hebrews 10:25) to lift up the Name of Jesus in
praise, honor and adoration for who He is and what He has accomplished on our
behalf, using the day for rest and for acts of service in His Name. It is also
the day in which we have the honor and privilege to give back to Him that which
is His to begin with—namely, the tithe of our income, a tenth of the amount in our
paychecks. This action is an overt recognition that all of our possessions as
well as our lives are His. If we are able to give above the tithe, this
sacrificial giving is our opportunity to show Him just how much we appreciate
the blessings He has given us.
So, with all of this
stated, it may be that you have read this and realized that your priorities are
out of sorts since your church attendance has been far less than consistent and
much less than desired by God’s pleasure. You may also know that your giving
hasn’t measured up to the tithing standard of God’s Word. What should you do at
this point? Give up altogether? Surely not!
The God that we serve
is a loving and gracious God to those who are sincere in sharing their hearts
and shortcomings with Him. If you wish to rectify your present deficiencies, be
honest with the Lord about the past sins and mistakes, the faulty priorities
and such. Then, ask Him for the strength and grace to take the necessary
measures to correct these errors in your life. You will find the answers to
these prayers and the ability to return to the place of obedience and blessing
once again.
Then as God’s people
respond to His call to return, His churches will fill once more. His
sanctuaries will ring out with His praises and His people will be strengthened
anew with the power of His Spirit and His Word. May the day of such a renewal
be close at hand for us all.
Sutherland, Christy. (2013, March 23). Lament for a
bride. World, 28(6), 62.
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