Why worship?

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations (Psalm 100).

It’s a constant struggle. Sunday morning comes, and someone in the house doesn’t want to go to church. Sometimes this conflict results in a bloody victory—everyone gets to church, but some are angry about being forced to go, while others resent having to use pressure to get everyone out the door. Other times, this Sunday morning face-off results in a truce—some attend church while others stay home, resulting in a family divided. And sometimes the struggle ends in miserable defeat, with everyone staying home instead of coming to spend time in God’s house.

Why are there so many people who don’t like going to church? Why are some content to just attend worship once every few weeks? Why does every congregation have members that you only see at Christmas and Easter? There are several reasons why people are reluctant to enter God’s house.

When you go to church, you are reminded that you are a failure. Jesus says, Be perfect…as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). But who of us can claim to be perfect? Every day we break God’s rules. We snap at members of our family, we participate in gossip, we take longer breaks at work than we’re scheduled for. We sometimes let days go by without speaking to God in prayer. In countless ways both large and small, we anger God by what we do and what we fail to do.

No man wants to be told that he has messed up. No woman wants to hear that she has said something hurtful. No child likes to be scolded for acting inappropriately. And what do you hear in church? 'Do not lie, do not steal, be sexually pure, honor your parents, serve God with all your heart.' Our Lord expects a lot from us—He expects perfection. And so many people would rather not go to church, because they don’t want to be reminded of their failures. They don’t want to face their guilt.

Other people treat church casually because they see it as necessary for others but not for themselves. They look at the world around them and see plenty of people who need the church to lay down the law and straighten them out. But when they look at themselves, they don’t see failure—in fact, they are proud of how good and upright they are. From their perspective, they are already leading God-pleasing lives, so attending church is not all that important.

Of course, there is a significant problem with this attitude—it ignores reality. Psalm 14 says, The LORD looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one! 1st Kings chapter 8 says, there is no one who does not sin. And in Romans chapter 3 Paul writes, all have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard. There is no one who can afford to blow off spending time in God’s house.

Some people know that coming to church is important, but they drag their heels anyway. For them, attending worship is like going to a workout center. They think of church as a place where you exercise your spiritual muscles and get into better mental shape to face life’s challenges. Studying the Bible is like reviewing a game plan, and the wine of Communion is treated like a sports drink for the soul.

But you know the problem with exercise routines—pretty soon commitment starts to slip. There are some days when the energy for a workout just isn’t there. And so, after a tough week, some church members don’t feel up for worship; they’d just as soon stay home and relax.

These are the major reasons people skip church—they don’t want to own up to their mistakes, they don’t think that they need to come, or they just don’t have the mental energy for doing worship. But none of these reasons are valid—they all show an incorrect understanding of what goes on in true worship.

Do we have to talk about sin in church? Absolutely! Paul said, I would not have known what sin was except through the law (Romans 7:7). You might never have killed someone, but listen to how Jesus interprets the 5th Commandment: You have heard that our ancestors were told, `You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell (Matthew 5:21-22). You might never have cheated on your spouse, but listen to how Jesus interprets the 6th Commandment: You have heard the commandment that says, `You must not commit adultery.' But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28).

We have to talk about sin in church because it is so easy to convince yourself that you aren’t doing anything wrong. The world encourages us to reinterpret God’s rules to give us some loopholes—but we use those loopholes to get into all sorts of trouble. Some churches, not wanting to offend gays and lesbians, ignore the clear teachings of the Bible which forbid homosexual behavior. Some churches, not wanting to offend pro-choice activists, refuse to identify abortion as murder. Some churches, in an effort to avoid offending Jews and Muslims, even claim that you don’t have to believe in Jesus as your Savior in order to get into heaven, even though Jesus said: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Our world demands that we be flexible in what we believe, but flexibility is really about making excuses so a person can keep on sinning.

Sin, if not seen for what it is, is a terminal condition leading to eternal decay in hell. We are not doing anyone a favor by letting them think that their behavior is God-pleasing, when it is not. But we don’t spend time looking at God’s Laws just to make people feel guilty. The reason that God spells out His expectations so clearly is not so that we can live a perfect life. Galatians chapter 2 says, a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law…no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. No one is capable of being good, not as God defines it—Jesus said, No one is good--except God alone (Mark 10:18). We all sin; we all need to own up to it, and ask Jesus to forgive us.

Our inability to see ourselves as sinners is why God sent His Son to teach us; our inability to lead perfect lives is why He sentenced His Son to die for us. Jesus speaks to us harshly when we arrogantly think that we’ve got all the answers; Jesus speaks to us gently when guilt weighs us down with shame. He condemns our sins so that we might say: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! (Mark 10:47) When we come to Him, stained with sin and wanting to be clean, our Savior fills our ears with words of love: Take heart…your sins are forgiven (Matthew 9:2). This is why it is good to come to church and hear about sin—it reminds us that we need the Savior to make right our relationship with God. And this offer of reconciliation is free; all Jesus asks is that we love Him and reject sin. Coming to church is a time of blessing, where our guilt is lifted and our hearts are filled with joy over Christ’s love for us. We cannot be freed from the guilt of our mistakes unless we bring that guilt and lay it at the foot of Jesus’ cross, where His holy blood washes it away.

Now it is true that our Lord expects you to develop your spirituality—Peter says, Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-9). But there is more to worship than just toning your spiritual abs so you can be strong in the face of temptation. First and foremost, church is where you receive help. Church is where you hear Jesus say, I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5). When you attend worship, you are given strength and courage to face the challenges in your life. Regardless of your spiritual development, there will be times when you are weak—but Christ is always strong. You receive His courage, not by your efforts, but by His generosity. He gives you His strength through Word and Sacrament, gifts He offers through the church.

And it is in church where you hear the Savior promise, I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). When you attend worship, you are reassured of life beyond the grave. The cross reminds us that sin results in death, and that Jesus has overcome sin and death in order to lead us to heaven. Death surrounds us all the time. It is in our local, national, and international news. It commands our attention every time we drive past a funeral home or a cemetery. It stares us in the face whenever we look at pictures of loved ones who are no longer with us. Surrounded by so much death, we need the weekly reassurance that in Jesus death has been brought to heel and is nothing to be feared. In church, before the cross, our lives are filled with hope.

There are two kinds of Christians. Some are members at St. Minimum, while the others go to worship at St. Maximum.

The people who attend St. Minimum have many questions on their minds. "How often do I have to go to church? How many times each year do I have to go to Communion? How much money do I have to put in the collection plate? I pray at supper and at bedtime—is that enough? I was on a committee last year—do I have to serve on one this year too?"

The people who go to St. Maximum also have questions about their church membership. "What can I do to help with Sunday School? How many times will the Lord’s Supper be offered each month so that I can get strength for my faith? Can I help organize a weekday Bible class for people who work on Sundays? Is there something new we can do to reach out to the unchurched in our area?"

Now you would expect St. Minimum to have more members than St. Maximum—after all, our sinful nature doesn’t want to put much effort into things that are religious. But people who gravitate to St. Minimum usually don’t attend for very long. When you regard church as a place that is uncomfortable, unnecessary, or demands too much from you, you’ll soon become a name on the membership roll that no one ever sees in person.

The church with a healthy membership is St. Maximum. People who belong here are excited about church. Sunday morning is a joyful time as they are reassured of Jesus’ forgiveness. They look forward to better understanding His teachings through sermons and Bible study. They can’t wait to show their gratitude to God through songs and offerings. And they want to share the blessings of Jesus with others. They pester friends and relatives to come with them to worship. They are always thinking about ways the church could do new things to support different people in their needs. They feel valued because they know the church needs them. People who belong to St. Maximum usually remain active members to their dying day.

Coming to church isn’t a waste of time. Attending worship is not about obligation or making yourself a better person. Coming to God’s house is an opportunity for Jesus to fill you with Himself and bring joy into your life! Sunday morning in God’s house puts the coming week into proper perspective. May the words of Psalm 84 reflect the contents of your heart this Sunday and every Sunday: How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God…Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.