Gather
There’s a small-town church in upstate New York who had the same priest for over 35 years. He was loved by the church and the community. After he retired, he was replaced by a young priest just out of seminary who had a great desire to do well. After several weeks, he began to perceive that the people were upset at him. He was troubled. Eventually he called aside one of the lay leaders of the church and said, "I don’t know what it is, but I have a feeling that there’s something wrong." The man said, "Well, Father, that’s true. I hate to say it, but it’s the way you do Communion." "The way I do Communion? What do you mean?" "Well, it’s not so much what you do as what you leave out." "I don’t think I leave out anything from the Communion service." "Oh yes, you do. Our previous priest just before he administered the communion elements to the people would always go over and touch the radiator. "Touch the radiator? I never heard of that liturgical tradition." So the younger priest called his predecessor and said, "I haven’t even been here a month, and I’m in trouble." "In trouble? Why?" "Well, it’s something to do with touching the radiator. Could that be possible? Did you do that?" "Oh yes, I did. Before I administered the elements, I always touched the radiator to discharge the static electricity so I wouldn’t shock them." For over 35 years, the people of his congregation had thought that was a part of Holy Communion ritual. That’s the way it is with traditions. They get started, and people do them but somewhere along the way they lose their understanding of why.
It’s one thing to do something, but it is quite another thing to know why it matters. That’s the power of asking, ‘Why?’ In the church, we often do things because we’ve always done them but we never ask, “Why?” And sometimes, we end up doing things without ever knowing the reason. That’s the purpose of this series, “CSI: Church.” We’re going to examine what we do and why we do it. The hope is to put a fresh meaning and perspective on a lot of the things we regularly do and take for granted.
One of the first activities of the early church we see in the Book of Acts is gathering. Acts 1:14 says, “They all joined together constantly in prayer.” Acts 2:1 says, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.” The end of chapter 2 says, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.” The first couple of chapters are saturated with descriptions of the communal nature of the first Jesus followers. From the very beginning, we see that the church was in the habit of gathering together but why?
Have you ever wondered why you get up early on Sunday morning rather than sleep in, all to meet with a bunch of people who believe that a 33-year-old Rabbi came back from the dead? I’ve asked that question more than once. That reminds me of the story of the guy whose alarm went off on Sunday morning and he hit the snooze button, rolled over and went back to sleep. It went off a second time and he hit the snooze button again but his wife told him to get up. She went to the kitchen to make coffee. When she came back, he was still in bed, covers over his head and asleep. She yelled at him to get up. “I don’t feel like it today.” I don’t care what you feel like, you’re going to get up and go to church. “But I’m tired. Just let me sleep.” The wife pulled the sheets off him and said, “I don’t care what you feel like or how tired you are, you’re the Pastor of the church and you’re going to get up and go to church!” Why do we gather?
First, when we gather, we’re part of something bigger than ourselves. So often when we think about someone coming to Christ, we make it an individual decision and endeavor. That understanding of salvation has led many people to say, “You know, I need Jesus, but I just don’t need the church.” Here’s the thing: salvation isn’t just about making a personal decision. It starts there, but it’s so much more. Salvation is about becoming like Jesus and participating in God’s plan of salvation for the world. The point of the church is to share with the world the news that Jesus is Lord, and he is ushering in the Kingdom of God, of which we get to be a part. That is why we gather, to be reminded that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. We long for that, don’t we? We all want to be a part of something bigger, something that reaches beyond us, something that is going to make a radical difference in the world and the lives of people, something that will continue after we are gone. We all want to be a part of something that matters and is making a difference. The church matters. The world is a broken place and in need of the church. As Bill Hybels says, “The church is hope of the world.” Nothing else embodies Christ. Nothing else has the power of God through the Holy Spirit. And nothing else is meant to be God’s instrument of love and salvation for the world.
Second, when we gather we’re unified in Christ. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of division in the world. Look at the diversity of people all around you. We are a kaleidoscope of backgrounds, beliefs, opinions, physical characteristics and skills. So often it’s that diversity of thought and belief which divides but that’s not what God intends. Romans 15:5-6 says, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of the mind of Christ Jesus so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The reason there’s so much division in the world is that everyone is fighting for their own agenda. But when we gather in the name of the one true God and one Savior and we commit to His mission for our lives, suddenly we’re not only a part of something bigger than ourselves, but we have the glue of a common mission which calls us beyond what divides and unites us in a common identity as children of God and common mission in Jesus Christ. We gather in spite of our differences because we are unified in Christ. We’re so different and yet we find communion in the resurrected Christ. It’s in these moments that I am reminded we serve a really big God who unites us in our uniqueness and in spite of our diversity of opinion, belief and backgrounds.
Third, when we gather, we gain a greater understanding of who God is. Genesis 2 says we’re made in the image of God. So it takes a diverse group of people to get an accurate picture of who God is and what God is about. Too often, we begin to think God is exactly who we understand Him to be. What happens is that we have a tendency to make God just like us. We start to reshape God into our image. Now I don’t know how you feel about that, but a god who looks like me is an awfully small god. That’s a god who can’t handle very much and is pretty limited. We need each other to help us expand and deepen our understanding of God. It takes a diverse group of people to get a bigger and fuller picture of who God is and what God is about. When Moses asked for God’s name (remember names in the Bible mean something and define who you are) and God tells him, “I am.” That’s God’s way of saying, “Don’t try and figure me out yourself. I’m more than you can handle.” God’s not limited to my understanding or my image. We gather in order to get a bigger picture of who God is and what God is about.
Fourth, when gather, God shows up. Psalm 22:3 says, “God inhabits the praise of his people.” Jesus put this way, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20 When we gather and praise God, the presence of God meets us in a unique way that doesn’t happen when we are on our own. Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for private and intimate times of personal worship. I think that’s crucial, but the presence of God meets us in such a mysterious way when we come together. We gather big to encounter God in a big way. I experience this at Annual Conference when all of the Pastors gather in Centenary College’s chapel for our business session and we begin with worship. To hear 350 voices singing God’s praises, echoing off the floors and walls and ceiling enables me to experience God in a big way. The very presence of God meets us in our praises. Perhaps you experience that here as we gather to worship God. When we, who are many, come together as one, it isn’t really something you can explain. It’s something you have to experience. Nothing is like coming together as the church. We gather to remind ourselves of what we are a part, to expose ourselves to a bigger picture of God, and to experience the very presence of God. God created the world in such a way that everything operates better in unity than it does individually. We experience things on a deeper level when we are a part of a group than we would on our own. This is why Hebrews 10:25 tells us, “Do not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another and all the more as you see the day approaching.” When we gather together, we’re able to experience certain things we can’t when we’re on our own.
Fifth, we gather because together, we can do more. The Proverbs writer says, “Two cords are better than one.” Helen Keller put it this way, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” We can always accomplish more together than we can on our own. For instance, a single bird can only fly for short distances but when a flock flies in a V format, they can fly long distances together. We see the same thing happen with human beings. We are always able to accomplish more together than when we’re alone.
There's a story about Jimmy Durante, one of the great entertainers of a generation ago. He was asked to be a part of a show for World War II veterans. He told them his schedule was very busy and he could afford only a few minutes, but if they wouldn't mind his doing one short monologue and immediately leaving for his next performance, he would come. Of course, the show's director agreed happily. But when Jimmy got on stage, something interesting happened. He went through the short monologue and then kept going. The applause grew louder and louder and he kept going. Pretty soon, he had been on 15, 20, then 30 minutes. Finally he took a last bow and left the stage. Backstage someone stopped him and said, "I thought you had to go after a few minutes. What happened?" Jimmy answered, "I did, but I can show you the reason I stayed. Look down on the front row." In the front row were two men, each of whom had lost an arm in the war. One had lost his right arm and the other had lost his left. Together, they were able to clap, and that's exactly what they were doing, loudly and cheerfully. When we join together, we can do more than we can do on our own.
