Why I Come To Church

Psalm 122:1

“Why I Come To Church”

During election times we often hear about the various polls that are taken during this time. You have what is known as a straw poll, then you have a telephone poll, then in recent years they have even come up with what is known as the online poll. All of these polls usually take place before the election. But there is a poll that is taken after a person has cast their vote. This poll is known as an exit poll. And we know what an exit poll is right? It is a poll taken immediately after the voters have exited the polling stations. In this exit poll the voter is asked which candidate they voted for and why did they vote for that particular candidate.

Well this morning let us suppose, assume or imagine that after the benediction is given here on today and you’re preparing to enjoy the rest of your Sunday. As you’re on your way out the door and into your cars, there is on the outside of this church a Heavenly reporter with cameras flashing and notebook in hand, ready to take an exit poll. Not in reference to whom you may have voted for in the last election, but as it relates to why you showed up at church this morning? Why did you get up from the comfort of a warm bed, browse through clothes in your closets, jump into the shower, get dressed, get into your cars, and drive to this place? Why did you show up at church this morning? Was it because of religion, ritual, or rite? Because you do know that on a comparative scale other than our homes, the church is the one place that we spend the majority of our time. So the question this morning is why? Why come to church? I come to let you know why I come to church. Verse one of Psalms 122 says. “I was glad when they said unto me; Let us go into the House of the Lord.” The first thing that we need to know about coming to church is that it is a personal journey. The writer said “I was glad, when they said unto me.” That’s personal. Although it talked about others, it says “Let us go into the House of the Lord.”

I don’t care how many people show up, I don’t care how many may be in the “US CROWD” you still need to understand that this journey of coming the church should be personal. The reason I say that is because I often hear people say that they’re not coming to church or going to church because of someone else or some thing that has happened. My brother and my sister church ought to mean too much to you to allow somebody else to stop you from coming. Church means too much to me (personal) to allow some other person or some other thing to stop me from showing up on Sunday mornings.

From the very first verse, we can sense the excitement, enthusiasm, and the exhilaration of the Psalmist in this Psalm. Unlike other Psalms, you don’t have to wait until you get down to the five or tenth verse to experience the joy and spirit filled emotion of the writer. You can almost hear the rise in his tone as he talks about the delight of his worship experience, saying "I was glad when they said unto me; Let us go unto the House of the Lord".

Another thing that I need to tell you about coming to church is this: notice that verse and the writer tells us that he was excited, eager, and energized before he ever made it to the church. You see it? He said I got happy just by somebody telling me or inviting me to go to church. He was well prepared before he even got to the church. Many of us who used to club, had what was known as “pre-club preparation,” that’s when you would stand in the mirror, pat your hair, put on your make-up, and straighten up your dress or skirt.

And my brothers and my sisters that the way we ought to be as it relates to coming to church. Coming to church is not only personal, but it demands some “pre-church preparations.” Meaning that before you make it to the parking lot on Sunday, matter of fact before Sunday even gets here, you ought to be excited about coming into the House of the Lord. On Saturday nights you ought to send up a praise because you know that Sunday Morning is right around the corner.

Now there is some controversy about the author of this beautiful poem. It is generally credited to David. Those who hold this view say that when David speaks of the House of the Lord he is referring to the city of Jerusalem, because Jerusalem was considered the Holy City or the City of God. That would seem a logical conclusion since the temple had not been built under David’s kingship of Israel. If David did in fact write this psalm, it’s clear that he associated the entire city of Jerusalem with the presence of God, and as he approached the city limits, his recorded words reveal that he was overwhelmed and overjoyed by the very thought of where he was headed. I was glad when they said unto me; Let us go unto the house of the Lord.