Who, what, where, when and why? We hear and use these words everyday to help us find information. They form questions, and from questions, we find answers and solutions. We always have heard that there are no dumb questions, and I would agree. However, there seems such a thing as too many questions. Living with a two-year-old about to be three, Nova has just started to begin to ask questions. Many of the things we tell her to do or ask her about prompts her to respond with, “Why?” I know that you have experienced the same thing with other children, and at times it drives you crazy. However, the truth is, we are all curious to know the ‘why’ about many things.
Earlier this week, I found myself in a conversation about why we go to church. The discussion led to the observation that many people seem to go to church for simply social reasons. Some go because it is something that they have always done. Then, there are those that come for the fellowship, the fun, and the family atmosphere. These are truly reasons that a lot of people go to church, however, there was one other answer that popped up in our conversation, and it was, “I go to church to hear the Word of God.” I hope that reason is always fulfilled when you go to church. It is a place to hear God’s Word and learn to be closer to Him.
It is true that there are many reasons to come, and I hope that we each can examine ourselves and realize how important it is for us to be in church together each week. I recently read a story of a man who was concluding that church was a waste of his time. So, he decided to write a letter to the editor in his local newspaper. He wrote, “"I’ve gone for 30 years now, and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them. So, I think I’m wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all." Well as you can imagine this started a lengthy conversation with many rebuttals in the weeks to come. However, finally one person wrote back a letter that clinched the entire conversation. "I’ve been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"
I don’t know why you come to church, but I hope that it is to be with other Christians who have a desire to worship and praise together and hear the Word of God so that we may be fed and can be strong and healthy in our daily walk with Christ. I know that I need to be here with you around me for encouragement and instruction, and I pray that I can help you in your daily life as well. I hope to see you Sunday, and come hungry for God’s Word!
Pastor Michael Tunnell
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