I’ve served several churches over the years and there’s one moment I always enjoy. It’s that moment after you finish up a service, a study, or an event and people hang around. You’re cleaning up or closing up and they are still there—talking in the room, hanging out in the hallway, laughing in the lobby, or (and this one is my favorite) continuing the spirit of the experience in the parking lot. I saw this up close at one church, where every night after Bible study a group would keep the evening going by talking in the parking lot for sometimes hours. It didn’t matter the time of year or the temperature. They were faithful to the moment, faithful to each other, and continued to grow in grace in that little huddle under the stars.
I snapped this photo the other night after we finished our Tuesday night Bible studies at Asbury. People from both classes were still lingering; tarrying together. I guess I’ve just always measured these moments as markers of a successful experience. They just don’t want to leave. And why should they? They have been in the presence of God and it has made a mark. They have a shared experience with one another and that deepens relationships. Their church is the place where the things that matter rise to the surface and they can walk through the fire together. That’s church.
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”—Hebrews 10.23-25
The writer of Hebrews has been addressing the importance of faithfulness throughout the entirety of the letter. He encourages the believers to first have faith and then to stay faithful. How we live matters, and being spurred on to please God because of His great mercy on us is a mark of those who have faith. But we need each other in order to do that. We weren’t created to be alone, live alone, or grow alone. We were created in order to be community and form community. So being together is important.
When I look at what happens when we take advantage of being together I see Jesus molding us into His image and making us holy for His glory. When we are united by God’s glory and united in glorifying Him, miracles on every level take place, and we see God most powerfully, most clearly.
When you come to church the next time, don’t rush off. Breathe a little; take it in. Listen to the conversations around you or gaze at the cross and contemplate God’s amazing love for you. Meeting together is about so much more than just your brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s about Christ Himself.
—Pastor Whit