Westwood Baptist Church

Summer is here! With school out, it’s time to take a break from our normal rhythms of life, sit back, relax, and enjoy some fun in the sun. But, should one of those normal rhythms we take a break from be gathering together to worship the Lord in the local church? The short answer from Scripture is no. However, I think that asking this question reveals a misunderstanding of how the Bible defines true rest and true worship. So, before you decide to take a break from corporate worship, consider three reasons why you should not hit the snooze button but rather wake up and find rest on Sundays this Summer.

We Were Created for Corporate Worship
First, corporate worship is not simply something we do each Sunday; it is what we were made for. God created us in his image for his glory and to enjoy him by worshipping him forever. Our mind, body, and spirit are geared and programmed to find delight and ultimate satisfaction in worshipping our Creator. Yet, we were made not to worship God individually, but rather in community. Since God is Triune and shares a relationship of communal love in the Godhead, we, being made in his image, were designed to worship him in community with other believers. Thus, we should not neglect gathering together each week (see Heb. 10:24-25) because if we do, we would be denying a fundamental aspect of what it means to be human. We would be starving ourselves of the joy we were made to participate in and delight in.

Rest is found in Corporate Worship
Second, Genesis 2:1-3 says that when God created the universe, he rested on the seventh day and made it holy. This refers to “the Sabbath,” which means to rest or cease from work. God has commanded us as his children to set aside one day of the week to cease from our normal work activities, to rest, and devote special time to worship God. The observance of the Sabbath allows us to imitate our Father in heaven and remember his work in creation and redemption (Deut. 5:12-15). Jesus himself taught that the Sabbath was made for humanity to enjoy (Mark 2:27), and he also taught, as well as the author of Hebrews later said, that Jesus is our true Sabbath rest (Matt. 11:28-30; Heb. 4:1-13). Thus, when we take a break from church and try to “rest, ironically, we are removing the bed of corporate worship in which we can find true rest. Just as we cannot separate Christ from his body, we cannot separate worshipping Christ from regularly participating in corporate worship with his church.

A Flourishing Life is found in Corporate Worship
Third, it is impossible to have a vibrant and flourishing walk with Jesus if we separate ourselves from his church. Saying we will take a break from church over the summer is like saying we will cut off the circulation in our hands and feet for the summer. If we did this, it would be impossible to function, let alone survive. The church is the body of Christ, and as Christians, we are all connected to and part of Christ’s body. Therefore, it is impossible for us to rest, let alone function, without being intimately connected and integrated with corporate worship on a consistent basis.

One last practical note on making corporate worship a priority over the Summer. Sometimes, when going on vacations, travel days can be on Sundays. Although I would encourage this not to be the norm and to plan travel days on another day, one intentional way you can communicate to your family the importance of corporate worship is listening to the live stream in the car. Please note that this isn't ideal and shouldn't be our normal practice, but it is a blessing we can enjoy in some circumstances thanks to technology. Pastor Steve will write later about how to visit other churches while on vacation so that your family can still gather with the body of Christ on a local level. Stay tuned!