Is Going To Church A Waste of Time?

Surely I'm not the only one who has ever asked themselves that question! I'll let you in on another secret, I still ask myself that question now and then.  I have to for a couple of reasons!
1.) When I am studying and praying about a sermon, I have to feel that what I am going to teach on is going to be of value to the listener, otherwise I could not do this week after week.
2.) I value my own time too much to continue to do something that I think is a waste of time.

So,  is "Going To Church A Waste of Time?"  My answer is: It definitely can be! It depends on you and where you heart is when you attend.

Church is not how you get saved, but it can definitely play an important role.
Church definitely does not have all the answers, but it may get you thinking about your relationship with God.
Church is not going to solve all your problems, but it may help you through them with a little less stress and pain.
Church is NOT where God lives, but I do believe He has been known to show up there now and then.

Do I think there is some incredibly stupid and unfortunate stuff that happens at church?  What, are you kidding? Absolutely, it is a place where a flock of messed up humans meet.
Can we make it better? I certainly hope so! I'm counting on it! But I will tell you I'm not sure exactly how, but I'm certainly open for suggestions.

Here is a little story that I think pretty well explains what you are going to get out of church.

An old barber sat out in front of his barber shop one beautiful Saturday morning when a young man came up to him and asked, "I'm new to the area and am thinking about buying a home here in this town. I've heard you have lived here your whole life, tell me are the people friendly here?"  The barber looked at the young man and said, "How were the people where you used to live?" The man said, "Oh they were really nice, most of us all got along real well. We respected one another and never had any real problems!" The barber looked the young man in the eye and said, "I think you will find the same thing here. People are really nice and get along quite well with one another!" The young man smiled and and thanked the barber for confirming what he already felt.

About an hour later a young couple came up to this same barber and in a hurried and somewhat aggravated tone asked, "We are not from here but have been transferred by our company and are looking in the area for a nice neighborhood to settle in. We are hoping that we could find a place where people will leave us alone and respect our privacy. Do you think this town would suit us?" The barber looked at the young couple and asked them, "How were the people where you lived before?"  The young couple both looked at each other and with a frown on their face and some disgust said, " Oh the people where we lived were rude, arrogant and not trustworthy at all. We had constant battles with our neighbors over the most trivial things!" The barber looked up at them both and said, "Well, I'm afraid that's pretty much how your going to find the people here to be also!" And the young couple shook their head and walked away rapidly.

This life seems to be reflection of who we are. Church? It can be a great experience and it can be a waste of time or even an awful experience. I have experienced all three at church in my lifetime.  As I look back, I pretty much see what ever the mirror reflected!

Hope to see you at church this Sunday. The worship team and myself have to put the same amount of time and effort into creating the service whether you come or not. We really do appreciate your support.

I promise to do my part to make it "Not a Waste of Time!"

Love, pastor kent