(Pro 22:13) The lazy man says, "There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!"
It’s interesting the excuses people give for not going to church. You could imagine being in my position as a pastor and how the list gets longer as the time goes by. Let’s take a humorous look at what one person came up with (probably a pastor!) to help solve the problem:
To make it possible for everyone to attend church this Sunday, we are going to have a special "No Excuse Sunday": Cots will be placed in the foyer for those who say, "Sunday is my only day to sleep in." There will be a special section with lounge chairs for those who feel that our pews are too hard. Eye drops will be available for those with tired eyes from watching TV late Saturday night. We will have steel helmets for those who say, "The roof would cave in if I ever came to church." Blankets will be furnished for those who think the church is too cold, and fans for those who say it is too hot. Scorecards will be available for those who wish to list the hypocrites present. Relatives and friends will be in attendance for those who can't go to church and cook dinner, too. We will distribute "Stamp Out Stewardship" buttons for those that feel the church is always asking for money. One section will be devoted to trees and grass for those who like to seek God in nature. Doctors and nurses will be in attendance for those who plan to be sick on Sunday. The sanctuary will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who never have seen the church without them. We will provide hearing aids for those who can't hear the preacher and cotton wool for those who think he's too loud! Hope to see you there!
Funny, huh? But now let’s look at a woman who had a real excuse for staying home from church but didn’t opt out for it:
(Luke 13:10-13) Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
That woman. Can you imagine how she felt when she woke up? Long-term and constant pain without any hope of getting better. Yet she attends the worship service. Jesus sets her free. Just think if she missed church that day?
So many things are calling for our attention nowadays. Wherever the wind takes us, that is where we will be. However we feel, that’s what we’ll do. We give our obligations to work, our kid’s soccer game, the birthday party. But do we have to go to church? I’m tired. I’ve had a hard week. I don’t feel good. And all the while we are bent over with the burdens of life we carry. Might this be the time at church when the Lord will loose me from my problems? When the Lord will straighten my situation out? When I walked in uptight but left upright? See you at church!
Louie