Two years ago we moved to a new location and decided upon attending a new church as well.  We had come from a huge congregation, with a Christian school and great church attendance.  At first we thought we might commute to that old church, because of the great fellowship, thought provoking sermons, and constant digging in the Word through Bible study.

However, the thought to change memberships came when our granddaughter said, “If you go to Hope Lutheran, close to us, we’ll come to church with you.”  Well, that was all we needed.  Our daughter had been raised in Christian education and has a solid foundation, but she hadn’t been attending church for a while.  It was a no brainer.  We transferred our membership. Since that time, our granddaughter has become very involved in the youth ministry, she was confirmed at the same church in which she was baptized and she’s become a volunteer where ever she’s needed.

Our daughter has become a willing worker as well.  She’s in the choir, volunteers for many of the activities and attends church regularly.  Does this make her and her daughter any better?  No!  Church attendance shouldn’t be an obligation, but a time to worship with those who believe the same things you do. It’s a chance to get together on a social level, sharing our life problems and challenges.  When you go to church, you become part of the body of Christ – part of a family.  Our new church is undergoing some regrowth and we look forward to being a part of it.

I read a post today which troubled me, because it was partially true.  It spoke to the fact that there are bigots, hypocrites and those who look and seem to have it all together.  There are those who come from tough backgrounds, bruised and scarred by the world.  There are those who go simply because the feel they have to.  All of those things are true.  The church is made up of sinful people – including those in leadership positions.  It supposed to be a house of worship, yet things like adultery, thievery, hate, anger, rage, slander and gossip occur at that place as well.

We must always be on guard that the teachings we’re receiving are directly from God’s Word, the Bible.  So we remain vigilant and watchful.  We need to study the Word on our own.  When difficult situations arise, the pastor and elders of the church should be notified so they can be of assistance.

We often focus on the negatives, but each of us holds a special position.  We need to focus on the good that comes from corporal worship.  We must  accentuate the positive and look for the things that unify us and make us part of this extraordinary body.

Here are ten things we have in common:

• We are all sinful human beings, who have been given the gift of eternal life.
• Our sins have been forgiven.
• We all believe the same.
• We know that heaven is real and we have an assigned seat there.
• We care about each other and carry each other’s burdens.
• We want to use our talents to serve the Lord, however the Lord has blessed us.
• We are grateful for our salvation and want others to know about this free gift.
• We need to be part of an organization that brings people together with one goal in mind.
• We enjoy praising God with our songs and prayers of thanksgiving.
• We do God honor by coming together in His name.

There are many more reasons to gather together.  Each of us has something unique to bring to the mix.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this also applied to our government?