Pastor Doug Ross
The story is told of a man awakened by his wife on Sunday morning – she tried and tried to get him up. He kept turning over trying to go back to sleep. Finally she said, “Henry, you have to get up and go to church.” He replied, “I don’t want to.” Exasperated, she exclaimed, “Henry, you have to go – you are the pastor – and you have to preach!” (It’s a preacher joke!)
Maybe you have gone all your life and you are just burned out. Maybe someone – or something – offended you and you just said to yourself, “I don’t need this.” Maybe you just enjoy a lazy Sunday morning – with nothing to do.
The Bible says “not to avoid the assembling of yourselves together.” The truth is, we need each other. Following Jesus Christ – believing in God – trusting Him – is not a solo act. We learn from each other. Even if we disagree, we can still learn. And we need opportunities to worship, nurture our faith and serve others. If you have professed Christ as your Savior, you are a member of the Body of Christ – the worldwide Christian Church – made up of all those who have professed Him as Savior. You should be in “His house” – not because it is another “event” – think of it as an appointment with God – a time we show up knowing He will be there to worship!
Am I just pitching our church? Am I suggesting our church is where you should be on a Sunday morning? Well, we’d like to have you visit us. But the important thing is that you find a church home that ministers to your heart from the Word of God. Sure, Sun lakes Community Church could be that place – but my prayer as I write this is that you find a church that feeds your soul.
I like what Pastor/Author Chuck Swindoll writes: “The church worship service is a huddle. We run plays during the week. The game is not won in the huddle.”
I have a wall-hanging in my office that says it well:
“Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people,
A heart that forgives the worst,
A mind that forgets the bad,
And a soul that never loses faith in God.”
To even come close to that ideal, you and I need each other – we need the church!
We meet each Sunday in the Sun Lakes Chapel, across from the Sun Lakes Country Club, at 9:30 a.m. We will soon be welcoming a new pastor – we have a great series of a “Senior Moment” activities planned for this summer – so give us a visit, call us at 480-895-9147 or visit our website at www.sunlakescommunitychurch.org. See you in church!