Thursday,, October 6 | It takes effort
Read Hebrews 10:23-25
“Don’t give up.” These verses in Hebrews tell us we’ll have to fight for our community. It seems that in the first century, people were already struggling to make it a priority to gather together as the Church on a regular basis.
That makes me feel a little better- it’s not just us! Even then, people sometimes didn’t feel like going to church. Sometimes, gathering together in Christian community takes effort.
I don’t know about you, but especially after the past couple of years, going anywhere that requires me to wear something nicer than sweatpants feels like a BIG ask.
Earlier this year, I was in a small group working through a marriage book together on Monday nights. One of my favorite moments of that group was when someone confessed that every Monday, they felt a little annoyed that they had to be someplace that night. Every week they thought, “maybe we’ll just skip.” But then every week, they were SO GLAD they came.
It opened up an honest conversation for our group about the reality that we ALL felt the same way. At the end of a workday, we all just wanted to get in our pjs and flip on Netflix, not go spend time with people. But every Monday, we were all so grateful and encouraged by our time together.
Listen: building real community takes work. It takes intentionality. And a lot of the time, I’m betting you won’t feel like it. But Hebrews encourages us that it is worth it.
The next steps of this might look different for each of us. But in this season, as we’re all struggling with getting back into the routine of regularly gathering, I want to ask you to consider the step of committing to being present with the community at our gatherings on Sundays. I want to ask you to set Sunday gatherings as a priority for yourself and your family.
I know that hearing your pastor ask you to commit to church attendance might induce guilt, suspicion, or a myriad of other emotional responses. But can I be straight with you? I don’t want you to sit in a chair on Sundays (either in the Harbor worship center or online) to make me feel better about having more people in the room. I don’t want you to be in the building or online on Sundays because I think you’re a bad person if you’re not there. I don’t want you at church on Sundays just because it’s what you’re “supposed to do.” I don’t want you to come to church because I think you should feel guilty if you don’t.
I want you there because it matters desperately to the Harbor community and to you that you be there. I want you there because you need us and we need you.
I want you there because it matters that we, as followers of Jesus, regularly gather to align our individual and communal lives around the mission of God. It matters that we spend time with people we didn’t choose. It matters that we practice the habit of community, even when it doesn’t feel easy.
It matters because we can’t participate in God’s mission together if we aren’t together regularly.
Has it been hard for you to be intentional about gathering with other Christians or about going to church? What would it take for you to commit to choosing to be in community? Is there something the Harbor community can do to help you choose to join us? We want to! If there’s something that would help you choose to be in community, please let us know by emailing the elders ( ) or me ( ).