The last 20 years have brought some uncomfortable truths to American Christians, and one of the most troubling – for churches – is that we really aren’t as faithful to God and our faith communities as we thought. We who have paid attention to these things for a long time have known that if your Sunday worship attendance is 1/3 of your membership, you are doing really well. Most congregations get about 25% on any given Sunday, Christmas and Easter excluded. This doesn’t mean that everyone who is not present is a slacker – a lot of people work, aren’t able to drive or even walk, or go away for the weekend. All of you are exempt from what I am writing. Even at our peak in the 1950’s, church attendance was barely above 50%; now, it hovers around 20%, depending on where you live. There have been times when it was lower – around the time of the American Revolution, it is estimated that 17% of citizens in the colonies attended worship regularly.
I would never claim that faithfulness is only measured by church attendance; we all know that there is so much more to practicing our faith than that. From going on mission trips to participating in raising money for good causes to giving someone a call because you haven’t seen them in a while, the practice of one’s faith is lived out in many unique and beautiful ways. It means being generous – it means being thoughtful – it means telling the truth in love – and that’s the tip of the iceberg. Living only for oneself – or even just for one’s family and friends (Jesus says something about that in Matthew 5) isn’t enough; doing and caring for strangers tops the list of ways Jesus tells us to live. Visiting the sick and the prisoner. Caring for widows and orphans. Welcoming the undocumented immigrant. Caring for creation. All of these are biblical mandates included in faithful living.
Anyone can say they believe in God. Anyone can join a community of faith. Not everyone practices their faith in ways that enrich the world around them. The good news, however, is that everyone can. Start small – walk through the doors of your house of worship this weekend and hang out with some nice people. Bring a co-worker a $10 bouquet of flowers just because. Pick up your neighbor’s garbage can that got blown over in the storm. Smile at the people you pass on the street. Buy a couple of $10 Wawa cards and give them to that person holding the sign at the corner who is asking for help. Practicing your faith won’t make your life perfect, but it might make someone else’s life better. And that’s why we are here, right?
Prayer – Holy God, whisper in our ears and remind us of why we believe. Help us to help each other. Amen.
Today’s art is “The Light Poured Down” by Mary Gwyn Bowen.