Why We Gather

I spent most of my life growing up in a non-denominational Evangelical church. Most of my life has been spent in church services, usually 3-4 times a week I was in church. After graduating high school, I became involved in youth ministry leading small groups, working at a church camp, as well as various other ministries in our church, most of which centered around a church service. Over time this became very laborious, very routine. I had spent countless hours at conferences or meetings, researching and trying to learn how to have a good church service, each one usually the same, centered around a gimmick, or some current pop culture. Eventually that was all that I thought about church services, was how to do them.

To be honest, until I got out of going to church regularly for a while I realized I needed to know why.

Since being introduced to the post modern and emerging church about 2+ years ago, I've been amazed at how church gatherings are happening, organically and obscure; from theaters to coffee shops to night clubs and cigar bars. Amazing. But not entirely the point.

Let me be specific and a bit candid.

I think small groups, meeting in homes breaking bread is amazing. I think meeting at local establishments to have coffee or a pint and great conversation is excellent and necessary.

Building community. Sharing life with each other, but there's this other piece. This other time of gathering. What is it about?

It's about the center.

The moments we gather to sing songs, and pray, the moments when we all come together is wrapped around the center of it all. Christ.

It's a moment when we come to worship Him for what He has done, for what He said He will do. It's sharing the joy with each other of living a life with Jesus, the God became man. Its a re-centering, a moment of reflection.

To be honest, even as I type these words it is hard to believe. It's an area I struggle with. This last sunday I visited a church in Houston, and found myself distracted and somewhat restless, fighting my mind from wandering. Thinking about the service on the bus ride home, I felt like I had ruined myself and could no longer just "attend" a church service. After a few moments, with my mind quieted, and my heart open, I began to realize that it wasn't about the church service anyway. It's about the condition of my heart. It's amazing really, I spend most of the bus ride home from church thinking about how to go to church, and not about how to grow closer and fall more in love with the One who church is all about.

I've forgotten my first love, ironically it's not for the love of another its for the quality of the date.