Do I really need to go to church regularly?  This may surprise you, but I can (at least a little bit) understand why people would ask themselves this question.  Salvation is by God’s grace through faith, so it follows that one might reason, “I am baptized, and I believe in Jesus—that He died and rose for me.  Therefore, I am confident that when I die, I will go to heaven.  If this is the case, does it really matter if I go to church?  I can still believe in Jesus and not go to church every Sunday.”  In the hymn, “Today Your Mercy Calls Us,” we sing the words, “No question will be asked us How often we have come…”  This might seem like confirmation that it really doesn’t matter how much we go to church.  But is this the case?  Do I need to go to church regularly?

            I found the above verses from Hebrews to be good “food for thought” as we ponder this question.  After focusing his readers on Christ’s work as our Great High Priest who offered Himself as the once for all sacrifice for sin and calling to mind the tearing of the temple curtain (that, “It is finished!) and our way to God on His throne is now open through Jesus who is our True Tabernacle/Temple and a shelter like no other, he encourages us to do a few different things.  First, he says, “Let us draw near…”  Christ has provided for us so that we get to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” but what about right now?  Is being with the Lord just something for “when we die” or better, “when Christ returns and makes all things new?”  No!  It is also for right now!  How do we draw near to our Lord who loves us as His own children right now?  We go where He has promised to be—where His Word is preached and His sacraments are administered.  We also talk to Him in prayer and meditate upon His Word daily.  Why go to church regularly?  Because being with the Lord is not just about going to heaven when we die!  He is our true Father and we are His true children now and we draw near to Him now by coming to church.   

            The next way the writer to the Hebrews invites us to respond to what Christ has done for us is with these words, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering…”  When something or someone is precious to you, you hold onto it/them tightly.  You take measures to safeguard it so that you don’t lose it or have it stolen from you.  Thus, we do things like buy insurance, put something in a safety deposit box or safe, put child safety locks on cupboards and gates across stairwells or swimming pools…  Likewise, if salvation is through faith and “believing in Jesus” is very important and precious, how do we “hold fast the confession?”  Who do you guard the good deposit that has been entrusted to you (1 Timothy 1:14)?  One of the best ways to do this is to go to church regularly because here the Lord serves us with His grace and strengthens us in our faith.  Although one can have faith without going to church very often, I would argue that one is much more likely to lose their faith or have it stolen from them if they don’t come to church regularly. 

            Finally, the writer to the Hebrews says, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together…”   The reason we go to church regularly isn’t only for ourselves and receiving the nourishment we need for our faith.   It is also because we are to stir up one another to love and good works.  We need each other to help us not live for ourselves.  We need to come alongside one another to care for each other and to hold one another accountable for living as servants in God’s kingdom.  God’s blessings to you, and I look forward to seeing you in church!