Not Forsaking

 “A tale of two sisters” seems a silly way to begin, but that’s what I’ve got. Let me tell you a little about them.

We have a couple in our fellowship that recently moved an hour away. I was pleasantly surprised when they told me they were remaining in the fellowship, making the commitment to commute. Sundays with four young children are long days – waking up early enough to make it to sound check for the worship team, staying through the afternoon, and making the hour-long drive home to put the little ones to bed. That’s a long day. This week, though, the schedule for our fellowship was busier. Monday the congregation began sorting pallets of donated food to prepare for a community distribution. The mom and her four kids showed up and worked hard. That was a blessing. Two days later, at our mid-week adult Bible study, she showed up again with those little ones. Beloved, it’s an hour to church and an hour back home. One of our senior saints whispered to me, “if we had dedication like that in the rest of the membership, can you imagine what would happen?” I can. I’ve seen it before, in a little church near the U.S.-Mexican border. We had several families driving 30-50 miles to attend worship then. It’s good to see that kind of commitment again. That’s one sister. Let me tell you about another.

My wife leads an online small group (they’re working through Glenna Marshall’s Everyday Faithfulness). One of the members of that group is in the hospital, two hours away from her husband and two little ones. Doctors are struggling to figure out exactly what’s going on with her. On her phone, from her hospital bed, she didn’t miss the online meeting.

It wouldn’t take much effort for me to recall dozens of stories like that from the last 25 years of ministry (and several from right now where we’re ministering). God the Holy Spirit sometimes works the grace of the Father in the Son through saints in such a striking way that others believers notice. I hope we notice, because this is a Spirit-wrought miracle. Saints with challenges, pains (physical, emotional, circumstantial), legitimate busy-ness, distractions, massive responsibilities…moved of God to rock-solid faithfulness that inspires the rest of the local covenant community.

You’ve heard preachers use this verse many times: “…not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 12:25). We need (as always) to read beyond the single verse to get the full weight. Make the time to read 12:19-39 (after all, you’ve made it this far into a blog post…you’re in the upper percentile for attention spans in this day and age!).

Read it again.

Feel the glorious weight of the blessing we have in Christ, and the joyful responsibility to make much of that blessing (12:19-25).

Feel the danger to our souls before God if we prove to be faithless in light of that grace in Christ freely offered to us (12:26-31).

Look at how trivial our excuses for missing the gathering look in comparison to those original recipients of the letter to the Hebrews (12:32-34). Having their property seized because they were believers wasn’t a good excuse for skipping church, according to the Spirit-inspired author of this letter. If we can’t stand faithfully together now, how do we imagine we will when the long season of American Christian ease soon comes to an end?

Hear the encouragement to persevere (12:34-38). God the Spirit uses these warnings and encouragements to seal you in Christ…but only if you take time to read them and hear them.

Finally, may the confession of 10:39 be your confession. May it be my confession. May it be the confession of all those who gather as the true church in every place they may be found.

Go on to read chapter 11-12. We’re part of something so much bigger than our busy lives, so much grander that this brief moment. The saints of old have run their race and are now watching, waiting. Heavenly Zion itself beckons, and the first steps to answering the call is regularly gathering with other earth-bound (for now) saints in Christ.

No more excuses. Desire the grace of faithfulness to the local faith family where the Spirit's placed you. Pray for greater faithfulness. Commend examples of it that move you. Give thanks to God in Christ for the faithfulness you see there, and for the hope of that kind of faithfulness in you. No more excuses.