The Welcome Back month of September is a great time to commit to a habit of attending Sunday worship each week and I’ll tell you why.

For progressive Christians, especially in times like these, gathering for worship is not about checking a religious box or proving that we are more faithful than somebody else.  It is not about earning God’s love because we’re never without it.  It is not about believing exactly the same things or pretending that we have all the answers.

We come because the world can be loud, frightening, divided, and exhausting.   Think about it: Every single week brings another crisis, another injustice, another reason to worry and feel fearful.  We are mired in a weekly recipe for discouragement!  It is remarkably easy to become cynical. 

And that is exactly why Sunday worship matters.

Every Sunday, we step away from the noise that tells us to be afraid, angry, isolated, and hopeless and remember not only our own worth but the worth of every single one of God’s children.  We remember that love is stronger than hate and that peace is possible.  

We are grounded in the truth that justice is not simply a political slogan but part of God’s dream for the world.  And maybe most importantly, we remind one another that despair does not get the final word.  We do that through the very act of gathering together.

Because, you see, progressive Christianity can sometimes feel like a lonely road.  We need good people who will remind us who we are when the world makes us forget.  We need songs that can carry us when we don’t have the energy to sing.  We need prayers when we cannot find the words ourselves.  We need Scripture, not as a weapon, but as a living conversation that challenges, comforts, provokes, and inspires us.

The bottom line?  We need to look around the sanctuary and remember that we are not alone.  And yes, we need worship even on the Sundays when we don’t particularly feel like going to church.  Especially then.

Because here’s what is easy to forget: Worship is not always about getting something.  Sometimes our presence is the encouragement somebody else needs. The person sitting near you may be grieving, frightened, lonely, or struggling and, more than likely, they won’t say a word about it or just pretend that they’re fine.  But simply being part of a community that gathers can remind all of us that we are not isolated and that we belong to something larger than ourselves.

During our weekday lives, there is always something that is trying to tell us who to fear, what to buy, whom to blame, and what success should look like.  We are being shaped by headlines, social media, advertising, politics, and the endless pressure to hurry, consume, and compete.

Sunday worship offers a different kind of formation.  And each of us desperately needs that.  

So, if you haven’t committed to weekly Sunday worship, it’s never too late!  Swing by this Sunday because the truth is that you need this church community and this church community needs you.  Especially in times like these.

See you in church,

–Rev. Dominic