It's awesome, but it isn't church

The neighbor was a little pre-occupied when I invited him to church. He was loading his trunk with fishing gear, coolers, and lunch boxes for a Sunday outing at his favorite fishing hole. He said, "Thanks, but no thanks. I can go to church on the lake as good as I can a building. And, it does me more good." Ouch!

It was a scenario we've repeated many times over the past ten years. He expects me to invite him and I've gotten accustomed to his usual reply. The discussion has moved beyond the perfunctory chit-chat a couple of times, but usually bogs down quickly in our different concepts of church. Yes, you can and should worship the Father in any life circumstance, and yes, a boat is a fine place to stand amazed in His presence, the author and creator of fishing holes, beautiful lakes, and quiet mornings.

Personally, there are times when I need to be away from people, noise, the ebb and flow of daily busy-ness, and the to-do list for times in personal reflection, devotion, Bible study, and prayer. Lakeside, beach view, mountaintop, back porch, Summerall Chapel, Pretty Place, the Battery---all the locales of spiritual renewal are special elements of a multi-faceted personal devotional life. Like my neighbor and his fishing hole, they are indispensable times of spiritual nourishment, necessary to cut it in these hectic, fast-paced days. But, they are not church.

Something unique happens when two or three of us gather, the special blessing of his presence. When the the body assembles and the people of God worship, learn, serve, witness, and fellowship together, He is with us in mysterious way.  Our alone times may  anchor us to Him in private devotion, prayer, even worship. But, our together times connect us to other believers in Him so that we can be enriched, encouraged, refreshed, and prepared for deployment when our gathering times disperse.

My neighbor chugs a few cold ones, contemplates life, drowns a few worms, and gets off the treadmill for a few hours. It is enriching is a solitary way. But, there is a missing dimension to his life, regardless of his enlightened, unplugged attitude. His is a pop spirituality of "me". He misses the body connections of "we".

So, it's Sunday. Some of us will work, the new 24/7 truth about life. Others will escape the fast-lane with our family, or the solitude of a few hours or minutes alone. They are all noble and worthy pursuits. But, they're not church.

And, as troubled as it is, it is what I need this day.