Why do we go to Church?

As I mentioned last month, this year we will always ask why we do what we do as an Orthodox Christian Church Community and as members of the Church. Last month I mentioned very briefly why the Church sponsors youth ministries. I will in other months be more specific about certain ministries like Sunday School, but this month I want to explain why we go to Church. If you are taking the time to actually read this month’s newsletter, chances are pretty good that you have attended at least one Church service this year.

Have you ever asked yourself why you woke up that Sunday morning and spent between one and three hours in the Church? Have you ever wondered why you didn’t just stay home and enjoy a quiet morning with your family? Have you ever asked yourself why the Church teaches you should be in Church EVERY Sunday? There are so many choices of other activities and reasons to NOT go to Church on Sunday, let alone on a weekday, you may have realized that in fact you haven’t gone to Church as much as you “should” because of any number of reasons.

The reasons many give for not going to Church vary, but with the exception of being physically ill, ALL REASONS for not going to Church are accepted because we have never realized WHY we go to Church in the first place. Here are some of the reasons many give when they don’t go to Church.

• I don’t go to Church because it wasn’t important for my family when I was young.
• I don’t go to Church because the Bible teaches we don’t have to go to Church to pray.
• I don’t go to Church because I don’t have any friends there, and I don’t like going alone.
• I don’t go to Church because I don’t like all the ethnic stuff.
• I don’t go to Church because I don’t like the guilt trip the Priest gives in his sermon.

Coincidentally the reasons many give for going to Church are  opposite of the reasons NOT to attend.

• I go to Church because my mother taught me to go to Church on Sunday.
• I go to Church because the Bible teaches we should go to Church on Sunday.
• I go to Church to connect with my friends and other family members.
• I go to Church to connect with my cultural heritage (Greek, Romanian, Russian, Palestinian, etc)
• I go to Church because I feel good when I’m in the Church.

So which of these reasons is correct? ..... NONE OF THEM....

We go to Church to be made Holy by God, and to grow closer to Him through Holy Communion. Jesus Christ didn’t established His Church to promote one culture above another. Jesus Christ didn’t establish His Church so we could have a warm fuzzy feeling inside while we hear a really good choir. If we go to Church FOR ANY OTHER REASON than to be made Holy by God, we will ALWAYS be disappointed and bored. We will ALWAYS want to be somewhere else on a Sunday morning, let alone during the week, unless we want God to make us Holy.

When we go to Church to be made Holy by God, then it won’t matter how good the choir sounds, it won’t matter what language the Priest uses, it won’t matter how many friends we see during coffee hour. After all, there will always be better choirs to hear and more friends to sit with. There will always be something on TV in the language we enjoy. But ONLY IN THE CHURCH can we be made Holy.