I
must admit as your Worship Pastor that I’m about to be in the thralls of a
love/hate relationship.
Again.
It happens to me this time every year.
The object of both my affection and
loathing?
Summer.
Really?
Let me explain.
On the one hand
I’m a huge fan of summer. I love the
beach. Hot sunny days. Warm breezes.
Cold watermelon. Lots of cold watermelon
please. Camping trips, outdoor baptisms
and picnics like we’ll have next week, long hikes, vacations and Vacation Bible
School. (by the way, our VBS happens
June 11 through the 15th and promises to be over the top!) Just getting outdoors is like medicine in so
many ways. In fact, God provides us
healthy doses of mood enhancing Vitamin D when we soak in the sunshine, so get
outdoors if you can! And I think it’s
safe to say I’m not the only person on the planet who enjoys a break from the
daily and weekly routines of life.
Summer helps us with all of that.
But then there’s the other side of this season, the side that I have no
affection for. In this search for all
things fun and different, there seems to be a growing trend to take a break
from God and the church family when summer arrives. I’m always amazed at how churches go through
what are called “summer slumps.” Across
America - from June to September - church attendance goes down. Giving goes down. Serving goes down. I would venture to say that time spent
reading the bible goes down as well. And
this is what I hate about summer. I know
we sometimes need breaks from the monotonous routines of life – but some
routines are really good for us. Being
outside and enjoying God’s creation should make us all want to join with others
to worship the ONE who created it! It’s
very common for people to go into a spiritual swoon this time of the year and
many never recover from it. They don’t
realize that being “away” from God by not reading His Word and worshipping
together with other believers really hurts us spiritually. And when we’re lacking spiritually, it
affects every aspect of our life.
So in
these next few months, enjoy all that summer has to offer, but don’t take a
break from God. In fact, how about
spending even more time in scripture?
Make sure your two weeks away from church doesn’t turn into three. When God says “forsake not the gathering of
the believers,” He means it! Then, when
school starts back and autumn rolls around – you’ll find yourself in a stronger
relationship with God – ready to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
Until
next time I’ll see you on the hiking trail and at the ice cream stand – and at
church as well!
Scott
Limerick
Worship
Pastor and Watermelon Eater
