From the Pastor

July 2007

I often find that there are others who are far more eloquent than I at expressing certain thoughts and ideas. The following is one such example. The author is Pastor Chad Brekke, St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Chester Springs, PA. It is reprinted from The Lutheran magazine, June 2007.
- Pastor Brenda

The Top 10 Reasons to Worship this Summer

Perhaps you’ve heard (or said) this yourself after Easter or Christmas: "Too bad these folks don’t come more than twice a year." Our churches don’t swell at those times of year due to an influx of Johnny-Come-Latelies. In reality, those "C&E" crowds are more indicative of a sluggish commitment to worship in general.

A similar myth is upon us: Attendance drops in the summer because everyone is away on vacation. Please. So we adjust our worship schedules and ratchet down our already-meager expectations. Instead, let’s raise expectations. In the spirit of a late-night talk show, I offer 10 reasons to worship this summer.

No. 10: To renew our spirits. A new church is being built nearby ours, which has sat alone on a hilltop since 1878. People ask whether I’m concerned about the new competition. I tell them I’m more concerned about the new luxury-car dealer down the road. Their advertising tag-line: "Isn’t it time you renewed your spirit?" That scares me. Our old wooden pews are no match for heated leather seats, but I still believe here is where we gather to renew our spirits.

No. 9: Worship is our distinguishing characteristic. Even in exile, the Israelites gathered for worship. With all our busyness, gathering for worship is as countercultural as ever and sends a message about the faith we hold dear.

No. 8: We teach our children what we value. You may say, "I have no children." Yes, you do. In the baptismal liturgy we say, "We welcome you into the Lord’s family, a child of the same heavenly Father." These are our children and they learn by our example.

No. 7: We’re chosen. From our earliest days of hoping to be picked for a playground team, we know we long to be chosen, to belong. Credit car companies know this. I received this notice in the mail: "Dear Mr. Brekke: The road to financial success has many milestones. … You have reached one." My pre-approval status wasn’t easily achieved, they told me, all the while assuring me their decision was simple: "We want you as a card member." My friends at the new car dealership are going to be happy about this. Here’s some good news: "While we still were sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). You were pre-approved before you did anything.

No. 6: We’ve been created for a holy purpose. "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). I enjoy watching my brother-in-law make pottery. He throws a lump of clay on his wheel and pulls it into a vase, bowl or coffee mug – even a communion chalice. We, too, have been created out of the dust of the earth for a holy purpose. "But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). In worship we draw near to that power, to be forgiven and renewed as God’s people.

No. 5: We have limited time to worship. Each of us has a certain number of opportunities to worship, to sing the songs of faith and eat the meal together. The Psalmist sings "I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long" (Psalm 146:2).

No. 4: To encounter the Word. Martin Luther wrote, "At whatever time God’s word is taught, preached, heard, read, or pondered, there the person, the day and the work are sanctified by it, not on account of the external work but on account of the word which makes us all saints." In one lovely run-on sentence Luther sums up all of the ways we wrestle with the word of God every week in worship.

No. 3: We worship because we can. A friend teaches biblical language studies in secret to Christian students in China who hope to be pastors and teachers of God’s word. Those students spend 18 hours at a time learning Hebrew or Greek. They put their lives in danger to gather around the same word of God we sometimes neglect because we got in late the night before or because the kids have a game on Sunday.

No. 2: We come for community. Worshiping even in the summer is a deal we make with each other, not to mention God. It’s a community-of-faith commitment. The service you decide to skip may be the one at which you could offer comfort to someone next to you. Your mere presence reminds others they’re not alone, that we’re in this together.

No. 1: The Sabbath is a gift from God. Surrounded by other believers – young and old, healthy and sick, comfortable and scared – we hold out our hands and hear "This is the body of Christ…" There is no time of the year when you want to pass up holy moments like those.