A few weeks ago, a younger member of our church asked if I’d noticed that half our church turn up 5-10 minutes after the service has started. I said ‘as a matter of fact, I have’. The question I want to investigate today is, why is this the case? Why do people turn up for church late?
Mental health aside, the first reason must be that they don’t enjoy church. When going to a show, concert or movie, people will be early, to not miss any of fun. The Bible says church is the high point of our worship; our enjoying God as our ultimate treasure. How sad if we care so little about that joy that we turn up late each week.
A second reason is we must not enjoy singing praises to God. If praise is our inner joy welling up and overflowing in outward expression, then how sad for people to miss the section of the service dedicated to delighting in God in song.
A third reason is a lack of care about fellowship. Everything we do at church we can do at home. We can sing, pray, read the Bible and even listen to sermons at home. The reason we come to church once a week is to do those things as a family. Rather than swan in for church 5 minutes late, why not turn up 15 minutes early, and enjoy fellowship with your fellow Christians?
Yet the real reason is respect. Adults will turn up to work appointments on time, because being late betrays a lack of respect to the others there. So when Christians feel it’s OK to be late to church, they are showing a lack of respect to their fellow parishioners, the ministry staff, and God. God simply isn’t worth getting to church on time.
Wouldn’t we refer a culture of respect at Earlwood Anglican? May our church be a place where people (i) enjoy church, (ii) enjoy singing, (iii) enjoy fellowship, but most importantly, (iv) have a healthy level of respect for the God we worship.
