The call of the gull

Churches have tried various ways of keeping up with who is a faithful member and who isn't. There's the tag board--you show up at services, you turn your tag over. And the roll call--the Bible class secretary marks off your name and the report is filed in the church office. You miss class and attend services? Then you'd better drop a note in the collection plate or fill out a book at the end of your pew. Speaking of pews, some churches have nameplates for their most prominent parishioners. It's readily apparent when the famous are not in-house.

Today's AJC published the answers of several area leaders who were asked the following: Is church or synagogue attendance required for a spiritual relationship?
( I've not figured out how to hyperlink an article that requires a password to login and read, so I've copied their answers at the end of this blog.)

This query reminded me of some trick questions that were asked of Jesus and his answers were not easy, check-that-off-the-list kind of replies. Even the people who hung around with Jesus often didn't get his drift. Knowing that helps me.

Something I saw in California just amazes me. After driving up to Yosemite National Park via its easiest access western entrance, we gaped our way through that remarkable place and exited by a steep and winding downgrade that ribbons along rocky cliffs. It was a sweaty palm, white knuckle drive to get out of there.

At the eastern edge of the park is Mono Lake and practically nothing else, spare the gourmet deli at the Mobil Gas Station. Mono Lake is unlike most water--it is extremely alkaline and there are statue-like piles created out of calcium carbonate jutting out of the blue water. Nothing lives in water like this except for brine shrimp. Oddly enough, these tiny shrimp are necessary to the survival of most of the seagulls which populate California and millions of other migratory birds.

But other than food and finding a mate and hatching eggs, Mono Lake is not a hospitable place to settle down. The gull is going to have to fly by Yosemite's Half Dome and El Capitan and into the fog of the Marin Headlines to reach the Pacific Coast where fish are plentiful and the picnics of beachcombers aren't too bad either. Funny thing is we saw gulls all over California; even a bird brain can identify them, wherever they are.



Atlanta Journal Constitution Published on: 07/14/07

"Are you asking if a person can get to heaven without going to church? Yes they can. Faith in Jesus is all that is required to get to heaven. The real issue of worship in a corporate setting is not about heaven. It is about finding strength by being with people who are like you and struggling like you and have overcome by the shed blood of the lamb. It is about being encouraged to struggle on. That encouragement brings about joy and excitement that leads to worship and praise. If all your input is from a world gone mad and dead in sin, how will you see to clearly resist the destruction and dismay that those without are overcome by?"

—- The Rev. K. Ross Newland, www.blessgodamerica.org founder

"The Bible speaks of a God present in different places: the garden, the wind, by a river, on the street, in the prison and in places of worship. Consistently, Jesus, as God in human form, appears in many places, but rarely makes a church appearance. In the Gospels it seems as though Jesus prefers the company of those who were not welcomed in places of worship: prostitutes, tax collectors, the sick and the poor. God met those people outside the places of worship, and so it is a basic biblical truth that God is present outside the church. In the third grade I learned the needs for human survival: food, water, air, shelter and love. Good churches are the perfect places to find many of these necessities, especially the fifth. It is in the church community that people may come to know God's love, and also the love of a community built through human and divine relationships.

"Through the church many people find the support they need in times of sickness, the prayers they need when facing hardship and doubt, and the people they need who may make God's love tangible and real. It is this kind of community that is essential for life, not just for a spiritual relationship, and I believe that it is through such functions of the church that a spiritual relationship may be established."

—- The Rev. Joe Evans, Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church associate pastor

"Regular gathering with other believers to pray, worship, hear God's word and fellowship together is not optional for followers of Jesus. His call, then and now, is not to solitary experience but to life together. Paul imagined the solitary person as a thumb, or an ear, or a foot, without the rest of the body. How silly is that? God designed us to need each other. ... 'Where two or more gather in my name, there I am in the midst,' said Jesus."

—- The Rev. Terry Fleming, McKendree UMC senior pastor

"A relationship with God cannot be formed nor severed by regular attendance in a house of worship. Faith in Jesus Christ is what creates a relationship with God —- nothing more, nothing less. Having said that, we must also recognize that communion or intimacy with God most definitely can be affected by the degree of emphasis put on church attendance.

"The Bible clearly commands gathering with fellow saints as the will of God for all believers (Hebrews 10:24-25). If we disobey this command, it is impossible to enjoy a personal intimacy with God because all disobedience is sin. God is no hypocrite and will not turn a blind eye to our disobedience to his will. Additionally, if a Christian feels infringed upon by the call to gather with other believers, that Christian needs to answer why this is so. If we love sports, we go to the stadium, if we love music we go to a concert, if we love books we go to the library, if we love the saints of God, we go to the house of worship to meet with them and worship our father alongside one another. Christians are to love what God loves, and there is no doubt that God loves his children. If we love them, we will want to spend time with them."

—- The Rev. Jeff Lyle, Meadow Baptist Church pastor

"Yes, especially if we are to be fully understanding of God's created intent for us. Koinonia (community) is central to the fabric of living in relationship with Jesus Christ because we were created to be one part of a larger body, not isolationists. Even God has chosen to live in community as evidenced by the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Interesting, isn't it? We are not just called to live in the vertical relationship with God, but to the horizontal relationships with imperfect humans just like us as well!"

—- The Rev. Steve Wood, Mount Pisgah UMC senior pastor

"Yes, one should attend synagogue or church services for the highest spiritual return. Although it is true that God is everywhere, communing with God is best in the place where he dwells —- the house of worship. By actively participating in the reading, singing and listening portions of the worship service, one is more likely to discover God's presence."

—- Rabbi Ronald Bluming, Temple Beth David

"If a person is simply looking for a generic spiritual feeling, you can find this in anything from a self-help book to a good movie, as well as in some churches. But if a person is looking for a life-changing relationship with the living Christ, church attendance is a must for several reasons: 1) Being a Christian is a team sport. The biblical understanding of the Christian life is that we are the body of Christ and individually members of it (1 Corinthians 12:27). 2) Participation in a Christian community grows us up (Ephesians 4:15) into mature followers of Christ. A person can have Christian values and beliefs, but it's the learning and practicing them in a community of other Christians that really helps us grow in faith. 3) Christianity is other-centered, not self-centered. It's about accountability, not autonomy. Being in church is as much about the spiritual relationships of other people as it is about your own."

—- The Rev. Kathy McDowell, Peachtree Corners Christian Church pastor

"Church attendance is not necessary to have a spiritual relationship with God, but it is necessary to have the kind of relationship that God intended. One cannot be obedient to God without church attendance. Obedience is necessary for fellowship. Fellowship deepens any relationship. The Christian's life is greatly strengthened by interaction with other believers, by the consistent exposure to gifted teachers expounding the truths found in the Bible, and by the opportunities to discover and use his unique giftedness to serve God and others. All of these parts of church life are exercises that deepen our understanding of God and allow for and demand a closer walk with him. There is a poignant question asked in John's first Epistle: 'He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?' "

—- The Rev. Dan Sweatt, Berean Baptist Church senior pastor

"Corporate worship is one of a number of spiritual disciplines that help us grow in our relationship with God. Is it required? No more so than remembering to get your spouse an anniversary card on your anniversary, or sitting down to dinner with your family. A person doesn't have to do it, but don't expect the relationship to grow without it. One temptation is to confuse worship with meditation or study, which are separate disciplines. One who truly desires a stronger relationship with God will spend time in prayer, meditation, worship, service, confession, and celebration."

—- The Rev. Greg McMinn, Pilgrimage Presbyterian Church pastor