Monday Musings
Sunday was Palm Sunday and I thought it was really nice that we've brought back the breakfast. The food was delicious and it was great to take a break from our busy lives to catch up with friends. It was a beautiful to see the children celebrating Palm Sunday by waving their palms (the leaf, not the body part) in the air with shouts of Hosanna while parading into the church.
The parade was a fun way to let the kids in on the action. Lord knows how many times I've had palm fun with Emily or Breionna! To me it seemed like there were more people there on Sunday than average, when it hit me. There *were* more people there than average! Holy weeks, i.e. Palm Sunday, Easter and Christmas get the most attention in the Christian community, as most people only come on these high profile days. The Bible says that we are to take the seventh day off for worship... and yet some people only come a few times a year. On one hand, it is our duty as Christians to find the time on Sunday to come to church. But on the other, can we really apply this to life in 2007? Work dictates our lives and Sunday is 1/7 of our week!
While my family and I try to come every Sunday, sometimes conflicts arise and it is impossible for us to attend. This happens to most people. I end my Monday Musings here, with this question. Does the 'you must take the seventh day off for church' rule still apply in 2007? And can we follow it faithfully if it does?
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26 comments:
Thanks for posting, Beatrix!
Here's my thought: the Bible doesn't actually say we have to go to church on that seventh day, but "honor it and keep it holy." Are there ways we can do that even when we're busy with chores, band practice, soccer games, balancing the check book, and all the other tasks of modern life?
True it doesn't say we have to go, but it is our duty to go for that holy day. Of course if there are good reasons of not going that is acceptable.
this is a dif. anonymous...
what are 'good reasons' ??
Some good reasons are prior commiments like work, or school or things that cannot be put off for a later date.
this is Anonymous 2 ... i'll call myself A2 from now on::
but church is a prior commitment! You knew about it far before last week that you would be busy on sunday.
True but sometimes things just happen. We have all have had something happen last minute that prevented us from going somewhere metting someone etc. I am not saying that church is to take a backseat to everthing else but sometimes unfourtunately you have to "put it off".
A2:
are 'oversleeping' or 'forgetting' good reasons?
Well it can depend if you are so stressed out that you cannot think straight and forget it is acceptable. But a unexcusable way to forgwt is if you are doing nothing and forget. Oversleeping is acceptable only if you were very busy the night before and I mean working hard on something that makes your life or somebody elses life better.
A2
most adults say they have stressful lives... justifying why they do not go to church. I am not from : Community Presbyterian Church of Malverne but I know that when people 'forget' to go, they hurt the church's expenses. Churches like : Community Presbyterian Church of Malverne do not do much to cover funds, they mainly rely on weekly contributions.
I am not saying thaat evrybody that claims to have a stressful life should not go but I mean that there are different levels of stress some people considering which tv show to watch stress while others find managing money stressful. Now just because these everyday stressful things happen doesn't mean you should not go to church. I mean if your week is extra stressful maybe you have a big project due for work or school maybe somebody close to you died then it is excusable to miss church for one week but you should try your hardest to go as often as possible.
A2
But most people claim to have stressful lives. What is stressful to one person may not be to another.
I don't think the church's expenses should have anything to do with whether or not you go to church on a Sunday. It's a question of faith and priorities. Setting aside time to worship God is one of the things that keep us spiritually healthy, connected to God, and able to follow God's will for our lives.
Chew on this idea: Maybe church can actually help you manage your stress better.
That is a good point but most peole like to deal with their streess by themselves and they don't want thte world to know.
Maybe that's why we're so stressed out. But that's not necessarily what I meant. The stronger our relationship is with God, the less stress affects us, because we know God is there for us. And that security makes the difficulties of life a lot easier to deal with. Sometimes. Check out last week's Monday Musings for more on this theme.
A2
I've always thought stress was something u could share w/ the lord and that you should not to keep it in.
Yes you can always share it with the Lord but you do not have to go to church necessarily like if you get stressed on Monday you do not have to wait till Sunday to tell the Lord. That is why there is prayer where we can share our thoughts with god one on one.
A2
But does praying count as much as going to church?
No you can see prayer as a way to maintain your faith between going to church every sunday.
A2
If you pray every day, is that equivilant to going to church every Sunday?
I don't know about the rest of you, but I need to go to church on Sunday! It is a time that I set aside for prayer, reflection, and fellowship.
I used to tell my children that we go so we can recharge our spiritual batteries, and they still quote me.
Take advantage of this one hour for yourself and God.
No like I said before praying everyday is just a way to maintain your faith but is not equivalent to church on Sunday.
A2
church on Sunday is very necessary to me too. I don't see how people could go a few weeks without being 'recharged' as jean b puts it
I think it can be agreed that church is the glue for our life and can keep us running.
A2
couldn't have said that better
Wow! What a great conversation. There is no biblical commandment to go to church every Sunday - or even to go to church at all. We are, however, commanded to worship God and to keep the Sabbath. While we can do both individually (praising God in the hospital room when your child is born or rejoicing in God's creation while out hiking can be as powerful of worship experiences as any church service) doing so in community helps shape and reenforce our worship while also enabling us to worship when we don't really feel like it.
The community also teaches us how to worship and gives words to say. When I worship while I'm hiking I sing the Doxology burned into my brain through worship at church. When I am so distressed I don't know how to pray, I use the Lord's Prayer. When I want to tell someone about Jesus I quote John 3:16. Without church I would have none of these tools.
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