It’s About Time
Last evening (September 27th) our Pastor told us he is making a fundamental change in his message. Some may have missed it, or failed to comprehend the significance, but I, for one, was quick to say, “It’s about time.”
One of his favorite Scriptures for making folks feel badly about their behavior is Hebrews 10:25. Some take that to mean that one can’t go on vacation, take in grandma’s birthday, or attend a grandson’s baseball game on Sunday morning (what has our country come to that we no longer honor the Lord’s Day?). Since even He does not believe that one has to be inside the building in which the Church meets every time the doors are open, he needs to make this change.
So, no more harping on “consistent” Church attendance (of course he still believes that we need to be present for every service we possibly can – and that not much should take priority over that commitment), rather, he is beginning a new concentration on “Church Attention.”
While he is working out the details, I can tell you that he believes that our responsibility to the family of God can never be subject to inattention. And, you can pay attention to the family on Tuesday as well as Sunday. You can exhort, care for, minister to, and llove on Friday afternoon just like you can on Sunday. Granted it is a whole lot easier to do those things when people are gathered in the same room for an hour or so, but let’s don’t forget that we can focus our attention on our responsibilities to each other anytime at all.
I hear him saying, “Pay attention to your Church family. God has placed you in it to be a giver as well as a receiver of all good things. The Father chooses to use you to bless others regularly and frequently. While you are on vacation, or during the 7th inning stretch, pray for your Church family. If you’re going to be away on Sunday, call a couple of folks who are hurting on the Thursday before you leave, and llove them a little. Surely you haven’t forgotten the ‘second’ greatest commandment.”
Well, Pastor, it’s about time!