Get To the Church on Time!

I don't know about you, but the church I've regularly attended for years seems to have always struggled with the phenomenon that I've never known quite what to make of. People come late. I mean the worship service will have started, and they may be nearly finished with music portion of the service. People will still be strolling in, casually as if there's no hurry.

Me? I've always seen church services as my "appointment with God." I would never want to be late for that!As church leader, this pattern has disturbed me. I've found myself wondering if perhaps these chronically (and casually) late attenders of our worship services could possibly know the same God I know. My conclusion has been that they surely could not. If they knew the God that I know, how could someone come late for any worship service? How could someone who truly knows this wonderful, indescribable God --- make it a habit of being late for an opportunity to worship Him, glorify Him and fellowship in the presence of His Spirit? Why, I find such a phenomenon unthinkable!

So I've struggled to comprehend it. I've struggled to not condemn or judge these folks. But still I've been troubled, trying to understand the truth of the situation. Recently, I stumbled upon something though that puts it all in a new perspective. John Fischer, who writes for Rick Warren at Saddleback Church, had this to say about people who habitually are late for church services.

Author Phillip Yancey tells a story of a man in his church that can’t help comparing being late for church to being late for his regular Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. When he’s late for church, he says that he has the distinct feeling from everyone around him that he’s not as responsible or he would get to church on time. When he’s late for an A.A. meeting, however, the meeting stops, everyone jumps up to hug him because they realize he almost didn't make it, and they are so glad his need for them won out over his need for alcohol.

What’s the difference? The whole truth. The people who got to church on time may have gotten that one thing right, but they have a bunch of other things wrong with them, making them just as needy as the alcoholic. Fellowship isn't going to mean anything if we don’t tell the whole truth about ourselves. Real fellowship means stepping into the light of God’s truth where everything is revealed, and when we bring ourselves to the light, we discover we are not alone. There’s a roomful of other believers all struggling with something too, and that sense of shared need is part of the bond that holds us together.

Yes, we’re people following Christ, but we’re all a bunch of forgiven sinners, too, who wouldn't have a chance at life were it not for what Christ has done for us. So grab someone and let’s walk into the light together, where the blood of Jesus purifies us from all of our sins. Isn't that the group you want to be in?

“But if we walk in the light as he [God] is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” -- 1 John 1:7 NIV

Well, I have to confess that I still don’t, for the life of me, understand how anyone can make it a frequent habit to come to church late. To me, He is such an awesome God that I want to worship Him. I want to spend as much time with Him as possible! Moreover, giving Him my devoted attention for the full length of the scheduled church service is the least I can do. But, that’s just me. I guess when I look at John Fischer’s perspective on latecomers, I realize I must still have more to learn about loving others, being united in the body of Christ, etc.

So my prayer is this, “Lord, I pray that you will ignite a fire in the hearts of the worshippers. As the song goes, ‘let the worshippers arise,’ and let them do it early enough to get to church on time! But whether they are early, on time or even casually strolling in late --- let me see them through your eyes. Let me lay aside my judgmental attitude and embrace them in love. Teach me to simply be thankful that they’re in church at all. Beyond that, Father, I pray that you will raise up dynamic leaders in our churches. Lead them to such a high level of obedience that the churches you entrust them with become so attractive --- nobody would want to miss the encounter with the Holy Spirit that is found there! These things I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.”