AUTUMN IN THE AIR
College football has begun. The calendar has rolled over to September. The kids are back in school. Starbucks has broken out the Pumpkin Spice Lattes. IT'S FALL! Can't you just feel it in the air? The Dog Days of Summer are over. There's a crispness in the air. Soon the leaves will be turning. Time to pack up those summer clothes and break out the cardigans.
I WISH.
My thermometer in my truck read 101 yesterday. Not quite the picture of Fall I was having. No rush to cut firewood.
OK, so it doesn't feel like Fall...but it is. (sorta) School is back in session. Football has, indeed, started. And, in two Sundays it will be NATIONAL BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Thousands of churches around the nation are involved in this...program?...celebration?...movement? What do you call it?
So, what is it, exactly? Does this mean that, as the church, we recognize and endorse the fact that many of our members will simply take the summer off. That missing community, worship, and ministry for 3 months out of the year has become the norm, and that we're simply going to call it that and assign a day (like the beginning of school) for everyone to return?
Or, are we simply recognizing reality...that many folks get out of the habit during the summer and need a boost to get them "back in the saddle". To have a problem with that would simply be arguing with reality, as I like to refer to it. Fact is, many people see Summer as an opportunity to drop out, and even worse is the fact that many never return. Sadly, church life is not an essential, but an option.
BOTTOM LINE: If you're a Summer Drop-Out, please drop back in. You don't even have to wait till September 15th. We'll celebrate your return this Sunday...or any Sunday. We just miss you!
I WISH.
My thermometer in my truck read 101 yesterday. Not quite the picture of Fall I was having. No rush to cut firewood.
OK, so it doesn't feel like Fall...but it is. (sorta) School is back in session. Football has, indeed, started. And, in two Sundays it will be NATIONAL BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Thousands of churches around the nation are involved in this...program?...celebration?...movement? What do you call it?
So, what is it, exactly? Does this mean that, as the church, we recognize and endorse the fact that many of our members will simply take the summer off. That missing community, worship, and ministry for 3 months out of the year has become the norm, and that we're simply going to call it that and assign a day (like the beginning of school) for everyone to return?
Or, are we simply recognizing reality...that many folks get out of the habit during the summer and need a boost to get them "back in the saddle". To have a problem with that would simply be arguing with reality, as I like to refer to it. Fact is, many people see Summer as an opportunity to drop out, and even worse is the fact that many never return. Sadly, church life is not an essential, but an option.
BOTTOM LINE: If you're a Summer Drop-Out, please drop back in. You don't even have to wait till September 15th. We'll celebrate your return this Sunday...or any Sunday. We just miss you!
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