Sunday
Jan222012
What Compels You?
Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 6:54PM In my sermon on Sunday I asked, "What compels you to come to church on Sunday?" What brings you? Is it the message, the music, friends, Sunday School for your children or for yourself? For some of you it may be a sense of duty. I am genuinely interested in knowing what brings you to church.
On Sunday a visitor told me two things compel him: expectation and encounter. He expects to see his friends, and he hopes to encounter God.
What compels you?
I want to know.
Please leave a comment at the bottom of this post.
To find a copy of the sermon in text or audio, click this link.
Thank you. Annie
Reader Comments (12)
Annie - My response is: a) to learn b) to love and c) to learn to love. I have heard it said that God is love, and I believe that is why I attend Faith Des Peres. Thanks for inviting the congregation to offer their perspectives. Will
Annie,
Frederick Buechner said:
If the church is not a place where we not only learn something about what it means to be human but also a place where seeds of a fuller humanity are planted in us and watered, to grow, then all our hymns and prayers and preachments are vanity.
I am compelled to come to church to help me connect with God as well as my human-ness and the"fuller humanity" as Beuechner says. I come to church because I see God in the people there and that helps me take God's love into the world.
Bad habit are easy to form. Good habits are usually more difficult to sustain. Once established we usually find it easy to see their merits. Church is not a building or a place it's more of a feeling, a substance. " Where ever two or more are gathered in my name, I am there."
I grew up going to church every Sunday - it was part of my upbringing and I only have fond memories of going to church. While my church (family, friends, everything) are far away, attending church at FDP helps me remember those good times and great teachings of my childhood.
I grew up in the church and I find comfort and strength by being in church on Sunday morning. While we are open to new ideas and ways of worship (which I enjoy), I especially find strength in the traditional portions of our worship. The connection with my ancestors, as well as with Christians in other parts of the world, is a very important part of the worship experience for me. I also go to church so that when I leave on Sunday morning I have enough inner peace and love to deal with whatever situations that I encounter in the coming week. Finally, as I grow older, it has become more important to me that the church provide me with opportunities to grow spiritually and to serve others.
No one thing keeps me going to church regularly. In many ways it is like extended family that i feel comfortable seeing each Sunday. I feel a sense of responsibility to be there to help out in the choir, worship team, building committee etc. I gain understanding from the message and an understanding /emotional response on a different plane from the music.
I'm sure that through the years, many different things have compelled me to come to church. For now I come to church to renew the parts of me that get worn down during the week. The congregation, pastor, music and worship space are wonderful aides to this restoration/healing/growth. I pray that my children grow up knowing that God and the church will meet them wherever they are and in whatever way they need.
Like most good questions, this one does not lead to easy answers. At the "everyday" (every Sunday) level, I respond to mixed motivations: some part duty, some part guilt, some part seeking inspiration. A larger part, I think, has to do with belonging: shared experiences, being part of a group of caring people who accept me as I am. At a deeper level, I am a seeker after the transcendent, that "something" that provides meaning to what too often seems a random and pointless existance. I have no idea what to call this -- I resist the obvious (God) -- but this search is important enough to have kept me in church (of one type or another) for almost 60 years. Ron Scott
I feel the closest to God when I am in church ... from my first church (as a child) ... to the church we attended when our boys were little ... to Faith Des Peres. Being a part of each of these uniquely different churches was very important to me in my faith journey.
Good question, Annie! I guess having grown up in church predisposes me to continuing to attend. But of course, there is a lot more to it than that. I need the time set aside for reflection. The message, the music, the church family, and the feeling of belonging to something larger than myself bring peace and recharge me for the week. I feel very fortunate to have found the FDP community.
Many reasons---part of it is habit-I have come to church basically every Sunday since I can remember. Another reason is to give back--my parents divorced when I was 12. Living in Des Peres/ Kirkwood, I knew NO one who had divorced parents and felt very different from anyone--except when I was at church. No one at church was divorced either as I remember, but there I was accepted and there were activities that my family and I could take part in--just like any other family
I think the answer has changed over time and keeps changing. Initially it was a stimulating environment to search for more meaning. Over time, Sunday has become a day to refresh and re-energize, to leave the old week behind and start the new week intentionally. Now with what feels like the hardest part of parenting behind us (if it isn't, don't tell me!) I'm looking forward to exploring the ways the church can help the community.