I have often bristled at the idea that this time in the church’s history is worse than any time before. In fact, with the exception of a brief blip between the late 1940s and early 1960s (when about half of Americans attended worship regularly), a minority of us God-fearing patriots went to church more than 2 times a month. The stories that long-time members in my congregation tell about chairs in the aisles and people standing in the back were only valid on Christmas Eve and Easter; the rest of the time, we, and other congregations like us, rarely got more than 1/4 to 1/3 of our members on any given Sunday. We talk a good game, but the reality is that we are no better at the practice of our faith than any other culture at any other time in human history.
I had never heard the term “Rally Day” until I began serving my present congregation, and it seemed a rather odd term. For us, this is when Sunday school began for the fall, and church moved forward an hour from its summer move to a cooler (95 degrees by the end of worship) time of the day. We sent the call out to rally back from the slower summer schedule, a time when the pastor took four weeks off and people took a vacation and sent the kids to camp. Attendance in worship generally dropped to half, which seemed to make sense, considering the lazy days of summer and the heat that came with it. I found a treasure trove of newsletters from 1907 to 1917 hiding behind some books in our library, and every March the pastor put a blurb in saying, “Good Christians don’t let the heat keep them from attending worship!” And sure, they wore heavier clothing than we do now, but still; they were no better at this faithfulness thing than we are.
I understand that we all have our ebbs and flows in our spiritual journeys; this is the case in much of our life together, isn’t it? Just like there are seasons of weather, there are seasons of faith. We lose a loved one to death – we get frustrated with too much change or not enough change – we get bored or distracted by shiny objects luring us away. And just like at a baseball game when the rally caps come out, we have to put our metaphorical spiritual rally hats on. Here’s the thing; just as Jesus was tempted, so are we. As beautiful and enticing as the siren’s call of Sunday sports and goat yoga are, we are also called to be doers, not just hearers, of our faith. It isn’t always easy to be faithful, but it is what gets me on the right track every week. Even while on sabbatical, I attend other churches; not out of obligation, because I need to be with God’s people, as flawed as they are. Being with people of faith who love God and each other makes me a better person.
This Sunday is Rally Day in most Protestant churches. If you need a boost or a nudge or a shrug, now is your chance. You might be experiencing struggles; we all do – but things will get better. Because God is good, and God is love. And you are in the same storm as the rest of us, to be nurtured and loved in the community of faith. You are welcome here.
Prayer – Holy God, thank You for understanding how lost we can become, and thank You for welcoming us back every time we stray. You are our rock and our salvation. Amen.
Today’s art is two postcards from the early 1900’s for Rally Day.