Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another… Hebrews 10:25
Our Lord clearly attended worship services regularly. His presence inevitably was a drawing card for both adversaries and admirers. He healed all kinds of people, even those with desperately lame excuses. We might not use them if we perceived the presence of the Holy One of God and submitted to the authority of His Word. If His Spirit is welcome in our church, watch out! All heaven might just as easily break loose.
Familiarity does breed contempt and perhaps we trivialize both church and heaven with the worldliness of our bland Christianity. We casually stroll and straggle into our house of worship, sipping pricey coffee and exchanging pleasantries with folks we know. If demons were present, we would never know. Does it shake us that angels watch with keen interest (Ephesians 3:10) and that believers are urged to assemble with greater intentionality in view of Christ’s soon return? Forget the friendly nudge to take church-going a bit more seriously as a favor to the pastor we currently like. The writer’s “gracious words” turn decidedly gutsy when he talks of “spurning the Son of God, profaning His blood and outraging the Spirit of grace.” {Part 2 of 2)
Comment: The packed churches of decades ago were impressive. Yet no one ever seemed to question if every person in the pew was “fully in” as a biblically defined follower of Christ. It took the Civil Rights Movement to speak up against rampant racism and socioeconomic inequality. How many parishioners named Rosa Parks gave up their seat in the pew, but not the one on the bus? Today’s churches may never be that full again, but pressing issues of equity and justice persist. Amos had long ago chimed in with the prophets who put a damper on our “solemn assemblies,” no matter what the size. In chapter 5:23-24 he spoke for God, “Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps! But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” Ironically, water from a defunct upstairs AC unit had streamed down through the family room ceiling, covering the floor with soaked sheetrock. A work crew had arrived to repair it and then roll on fresh paint. Heavy-duty plastic sheeting had me confined to my study for long hours, which eventually led me to enjoy a classical-music marathon on YouTube. Schubert’s 8th symphony continues to be stuck in my head, which makes me appreciate why it’s known as the “unfinished” one. But when I finished with Beethoven’s 9th, I had more keenly become aware of certain themes that weave in and out of the piece repeatedly. Individual instruments stand out distinctly, then blend back in seamlessly. It took a bit of patience until soloists and singers proceeded to Beethoven’s climactic choral “Ode to Joy.” When the timpanist intensified the dramatic effect by hitting his drums, it finally hit me. Each unique member of Christ’s Church is entrusted with “themes” that both stand out and blend in with the totality of His majestic work of redemption. It takes full participation – both in commitment and numbers – to flesh out the full identity and mission of the Church as His most joyous and eternally enduring Masterpiece! Hebrews 10
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