Comments for Ask St. Peter United Church of Christ http://stpeterlz.org/askstpeter Do you have questions about the UCC, your faith or St. Peter UCC in Lake Zurich, IL? Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:25:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 Comment on Why go to Church by Pastor Steve http://stpeterlz.org/askstpeter/?p=20#comment-6 Pastor Steve Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:20:45 +0000 http://stpeterlz.org/askstpeter/2007/10/16/why-go-to-church/#comment-6 People often attend church for different reasons. I suppose not so unlike how one of my seminary professors said about people going into ministry. It was in our Pastoral Care class that Dr. Rev. Peggy Way said, "People go into ministry for all the right and all the wrong reasons..." And as I said, I suppose that is true for people who come to church. Some come to be enriched, to learn, to be accepted, to be a part of something larger than themselves, to give and to take, to feel loved and to love, to try and make a difference in the world, to get closer to people and to God, the list can go on. The same can be said about not going to church; people do not go for all the right reasons and all the wrong reasons. <!--more-->I must admit that I am sometimes partly amused when people say they don't like organized religion ... any church is organized to greater or lessor degrees. Other's stay away from church because they feel people in churches are hypocrites. I guess some if not all of us are, again to greater or lessor degrees. But I also ask what someone else's behavior has anything to do with our own personal faith life ... some people stay away for what they feel are actual abuses by church leadership, from the pastor and across the board. This is a hard one because church leaders have abused in a verity of ways and it hurts. Time and prayer can offer us resolution on a spiritual level in a time when personal resolution does not come either through death or the unrepentant sinner. Yes it is a hard one, and as pastor I suppose I could offer all kinds of "pastor like stuff" to try to encourage anyone to be part of a worship life, to be free from the false lie we often tell ourselves that; "we don't have to go to church to be a good Christian..." that is almost true, not going to church does not necessarily make us a bad Christian, but does it make us a good Christian. That is a question I struggle with. Finally; when it is all said and done, I can only speak from personal "Joe average" experience. I learned at an early age that church was a place that I needed to be, and that became more apparent to me at age nine when my father died. I did not understand everything that was going on, but I had a pretty good idea, and that even at age nine, I knew I needed to be there, yes to be in my heavenly father's house, especially since my earthly father was dead. Some how for me at that age, being closer to God made me feel closer to my father. Is this a right or wrong reason ... perhaps both. For me it was right then, and it is still right today. Am I pastor today because it helps me stay close to my father, and other important loved ones who have died? No, I am pastor because I know what it feels like to feel far away from God and I did not like it, and I don't wish it for anyone else. So, why go to church? I believe because it is the right thing to do, it is a responsive and loving thing to do because of our love and thankfulness to God. But we have to want to be there, and we have to believe that truly all good things on this earth that we have comes from God, and when evil and wrong is done to us or others is it not that God allows it to happen but because the children whom he created with free will choose the wrong path ... I serve God not because I expect what the rolls royce car driving pastor's tell me that if I am faithful and give to the church God will reward me with wealth, I worship because it is the place that I find joy and purpose and yes even God's wealth ... one that I cannot imagine. Pastor Steve People often attend church for different reasons. I suppose not so unlike how one of my seminary professors said about people going into ministry. It was in our Pastoral Care class that Dr. Rev. Peggy Way said, “People go into ministry for all the right and all the wrong reasons…” And as I said, I suppose that is true for people who come to church.

Some come to be enriched, to learn, to be accepted, to be a part of something larger than themselves, to give and to take, to feel loved and to love, to try and make a difference in the world, to get closer to people and to God, the list can go on. The same can be said about not going to church; people do not go for all the right reasons and all the wrong reasons.

I must admit that I am sometimes partly amused when people say they don’t like organized religion … any church is organized to greater or lessor degrees. Other’s stay away from church because they feel people in churches are hypocrites. I guess some if not all of us are, again to greater or lessor degrees. But I also ask what someone else’s behavior has anything to do with our own personal faith life … some people stay away for what they feel are actual abuses by church leadership, from the pastor and across the board. This is a hard one because church leaders have abused in a verity of ways and it hurts. Time and prayer can offer us resolution on a spiritual level in a time when personal resolution does not come either through death or the unrepentant sinner.

Yes it is a hard one, and as pastor I suppose I could offer all kinds of “pastor like stuff” to try to encourage anyone to be part of a worship life, to be free from the false lie we often tell ourselves that; “we don’t have to go to church to be a good Christian…” that is almost true, not going to church does not necessarily make us a bad Christian, but does it make us a good Christian. That is a question I struggle with. Finally; when it is all said and done, I can only speak from personal “Joe average” experience.

I learned at an early age that church was a place that I needed to be, and that became more apparent to me at age nine when my father died. I did not understand everything that was going on, but I had a pretty good idea, and that even at age nine, I knew I needed to be there, yes to be in my heavenly father’s house, especially since my earthly father was dead. Some how for me at that age, being closer to God made me feel closer to my father.

Is this a right or wrong reason … perhaps both. For me it was right then, and it is still right today. Am I pastor today because it helps me stay close to my father, and other important loved ones who have died? No, I am pastor because I know what it feels like to feel far away from God and I did not like it, and I don’t wish it for anyone else.

So, why go to church? I believe because it is the right thing to do, it is a responsive and loving thing to do because of our love and thankfulness to God. But we have to want to be there, and we have to believe that truly all good things on this earth that we have comes from God, and when evil and wrong is done to us or others is it not that God allows it to happen but because the children whom he created with free will choose the wrong path …

I serve God not because I expect what the rolls royce car driving pastor’s tell me that if I am faithful and give to the church God will reward me with wealth, I worship because it is the place that I find joy and purpose and yes even God’s wealth … one that I cannot imagine.

Pastor Steve

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