Why Do You Go to Church?

I attended a memorial service yesterday and was delighted by the memories shared of an older family friend that I have not seen for decades.

Several of the deceased person’s loved ones told stories of a beautiful life well lived and all expressed how they admired the way this person had shared her love for Christ consistently, even with strangers at Costco.

Most notable for me was the question this person seemed to ask others at every opportunity, “What will you do about Jesus?”

This question sticks. For me, this question means, “What will you do about the fact you will die and face what’s next?” and “What will you do today about your salvation?”

How often do we think of such things? In our busy lives how often do we take seriously the prospect of death, the prospect of paying the price for our sin and the prospect of eternal life?

What will you do
about Jesus?

The question, “What you will do about Jesus?” is an active question. It is quite different than, “What do you think about Jesus?” It is also very different than, “What will you do about God?” It speaks to the fact that we have a choice right now on this earth to act. We can accept what Jesus has done for us and the reality of salvation or choose not to do so and take our chances.

I recently heard a Christian speaker describing our inability to see all of our sins. She mentioned that if God were to show us all of our sin at once we would be crushed. We would not be able to handle it. We would be overcome with shame and disfunction.

We are designed to acknowledge our sin in bits and pieces as we grow in self-awareness and faith. As we grow closer to God, we become more aware of our sin. It becomes clear that no one else’s sin is greater than our own. However, we also become more aware of God’s power to overcome sin and miraculously cultivate the gifts of the spirit within us.

The research on why people attend church often dismisses the fact that we have trouble speaking about and grappling with our salvation. Multiple choice options presented via questionnaires usually don’t address it at all. Based on the research among Americans, reasons to go to church often include:

1. Spiritual Development

2. Social Connection

3. Moral Guidance

4. Tradition

5. Social Change and Advocacy

There is a reason missing from this list. That is the weekly reminder that salvation matters. Death is inevitable. Our lives, no matter how successful, are a speck, a moment, a blip, but we can be redeemed and start experiencing the blessings of redemption on earth.

We can live today with the conviction that our lives will matter more if we actually do something about Jesus.

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2018/08/01/why-americans-go-to-religious-services/#:~:text=Young%20adults%20who%20attend%20religious,fewer%20among%20older%20age%20groups.