An invaluable routine
Where do you turn when the chips are down? Through the thick and thin of life, what is it that sustains you? When everything seems to be falling apart, where do you find strength, stability, grounding? We know where Jesus found his stability and grounding, although it is easy to miss this as we read about the beginning of his ministry in the fourth chapter of Luke’s Gospel. It is spelled out in a simple phrase: “When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.” As was his custom — as he always did. Jesus, who certainly knew more than anyone else in the synagogue and understood the meaning of Scripture, still felt the need to worship regularly and to be in the company of fellow believers.
As Jesus read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah that Sabbath day and clearly communicated the message that God’s grace was for everyone and not just for Israel, his listeners became so angry they wanted to kill him. The hometown crowd had expected to hear something very different. Surely they had an “in” with Jesus because they had known him when he was a little boy and had watched him grow up, but no favoritism was shown. There was no watering down of the truth, no pat on the back, and no reassurance they would be the recipients of special treatment because they were Jesus “peeps.” This got me thinking ... .
When we choose to attend worship, what do we expect to hear? What do we want to hear? Let’s face it: We may not always hear our favorite hymns. Our particular biases or beliefs may not be affirmed every time we show up. Someone may say something to us that is thoughtless or unkind. We may be so exhausted or distracted that we miss the message altogether. Is this reason enough to conclude that worshipping regularly is not important or a waste of our time? To the contrary, the mere showing up and placing ourselves in a position to be touched by God, or to in some way touch the lives of those we encounter, makes regular worship vitally important.
In Hebrews 10:25, we are urged to “not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.” (KJV) The verses surrounding that verse remind us why gathering for worship is so important. Yes, we gather to worship God, but you and I both know we can worship God anywhere. The coming together is so vitally important because when we do, we have the opportunity to encourage one another and to motivate one another to love and good works. In the words of Eugene Peterson, we come together to be reminded of God’s promises and to “spur each other on.” Worship is not just about us and meeting our personal needs — it is about being in community and recognizing the world is bigger than the small worlds we tend to get caught up in as our lives play out each day.
When push comes to shove and the chips are down, we find strength for living by regularly gathering together with people of faith who are on this journey with us. They may not be perfect people or people with all of the answers — God knows the Church is a flawed institution made up of a rather motley crew — but it is in coming together and helping each other “go the mile and bear the load” that we live out our calling as persons created in God’s image and challenged to be our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers. It is in the weekly routine that God’s Word becomes written on our hearts and part of our very being. It is in the rhythm of regularly setting aside time to expose ourselves to the mystery of the Holy alongside the messiness of humanity that we position ourselves to be transformed by God. When we dare to take seriously the assembling of ourselves together — when we make it our custom, our routine — what unfolds is always bigger than we are. God always shows up. The question is, will we?
“It is in the weekly routine that God’s Word becomes written on our hearts and part of our very being. It is in the rhythm of regularly setting aside time to expose ourselves to the mystery of the Holy alongside the messiness of humanity that we position ourselves to be transformed by God.”
The Rev. Dr. Sue Bertolette is senior pastor at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Lansdale.