Why is church important?

Why is church important? Really, think about it for a moment. Life would be simpler if we did not have to get up early on Sunday mornings. At times I have rolled over to shut off my alarm clock on a Sunday morning with the thought “I wonder if anyone will miss me if I don’t show up?”

Ephesians 4:11-16

11The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Michael Slaughter, in a sermon, made the point “Followers of Jesus are not called to go to church, rather to be the church, sharing Christ’s life, extending Christ’s love, reflecting Christ’s light to a world that longs to see authentic faith”. In my opinion this one sentence could have been the entire sermon. However, that would be short selling the Good News we are called to share. Church is so much more than a place where we gather on Sunday mornings. During the exile of the Jewish people beginning in 722 B.C. and ending in approximately 536 B.C. saw a fascinating development. Prior to the exile the only place of worship was the Temple in Jerusalem. After the exile came a need for the people to stay connected to each other much less God. The development of a center (Synagogue) allowed for people to come together Scripture reading, prayer, study, and worship. Included in the function of the Synagogue was a center for the education of children. In essence, the church was taken to the people.
One issue which keeps coming to the front when we stop attending church is the privatization of our faith life. Rather than being exposed to other thoughts and ideas our views become limited. Eventually a skewed view of God is created including the message we present. A recent article posted at BostonHerald.com featured a group of individuals spreading the word of God. Yet, the message is about the end of the world (May 21, 2011). The common characteristic uniting these individual Christians is they are not associated with any particular church. Instead they apparently hold to a similar view of Scripture thus driving them to seek out others who believe the way they do.
If we are to live as followers of Jesus called to be the church we need a starting point. Study, prayer, fellowship, and worship is a foundation to be laid by the church. Through our participation and attendance such structures are possible. While the church has many functions it starts as a center for development found in the synagogues built during the Jewish exile. From here our missions and outreach are strengthened which enables us to present a more well rounded view of God. I look forward to seeing each and everyone of you in church.