Missed Service

 

Photo by Rodhullandemu 2020

I rolled over lazily in bed, slightly disoriented by light streaming through the window, but I felt certain I had time for a quick morning snooze. But then a small voice inside nudged me to look at the clock. Oh no! It was already ninety minutes later than when I needed to get up to prepare for church. At this point I would be so late I wondered if it was even worth attempting to get there.

But then a great wave of peace rolled over me and I breathed a deep sigh of relief as I realized it was only Saturday – a day I could sleep in guilt-free!

I didn’t think much more about it until one of our morning’s devotionals was about the writer’s grandmother, who always laid her clothes out Saturday night so that she would be prepared for church on Sunday morning. Even on the Saturday night that the Lord took her home, her husband discovered the outfit she intended to wear on the Lord’s Day, neatly cleaned, pressed and ready on a hanger.

The author of the devotional compared her grandmother’s preparation to Jesus’ parable about the wise virgins who kept their lamps trimmed and filled with oil, so that they would be ready when the Bridegroom came to take them to the wedding feast. In contrast, the foolish virgins failed to be vigilant, let their oil run dry, and had to go out to buy more, completely missing the Bridegroom’s return and being forever shut out of the wedding feast (Matthew 25:1-13).

As we don’t know the day or the hour our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, is returning (Matthew 24:36) to Rapture His church to Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:51-58), we need to be ready to meet Him by trusting in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). Those who have not done this before His return will be left behind during the Great Tribulation, and those who have rejected the Gospel before the Lord’s return are unlikely to then accept Christ, as God will send them a strong delusion allowing them to believe Satan’s lies (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).

But even for those of us who have trusted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we need to be ready for His imminent return. At the judgment seat of Christ, we will all give account to Him for what we have done with the time, talent and treasure He entrusted to us since we were saved (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

We will receive rewards for acts of service done with the right motive of pleasing and honoring Him. But we will lose rewards for good works done to bolster our pride or earn praise from others, and for missed opportunities when God opened the door for us to grow His kingdom, but we failed to walk through the open door.

Do we give Jesus Christ the pre-eminence in our lives? He deserves to be first (Colossians 1:18) as the One Who created us for His specific purpose He determined before the beginning of time (Ephesians 2:10), Who sustains us (Colossians 1:17), and Who redeemed us from sin, death and hell (Job 19:25). Or do we take Him for granted, giving Him our second best, our leftovers, and our lowest priority?

Shortly after I was saved, a fiery preacher visited our church and gave a powerful sermon on the importance of serving Christ. I still remember him saying “It is not a small thing to sing in the choir, or to be an usher or greeter, or even to faithfully attend every service!” The empty choir seat, the absence of someone meeting a visitor with a warm smile, and sparse attendance speak volumes about the apathy of the church, as in the End Times church of Laodicea, and the need for revival (Revelation 3:14-22).

There are many valid reasons why born-again Christians miss church on occasion, such as health or family emergencies, being out of town, or having to work. Many are out for extended periods because of physical limitations or serving as full-time caregivers. Many avoid church in times of discouragement, grief, or failure, thinking they will be a burden to others, when these are the times they most need to be uplifted by the body of Christ.

But how many miss services to catch up on their sleep, housekeeping, at-home work, or even recreation? How many don’t go because they think it’s inconvenient or they’d rather be doing something else? How many let the devil convince them that they can just as effectively worship in their own home or out in nature, and that they won’t be missed and that it doesn’t matter?

But it does matter, not only to the individual believer missing opportunities for service, spiritual growth and encouragement, to the congregation seeking fellowship and worship with the body of Christ, and to the pastor with a burden on his heart to feed the flock and reach souls for Christ, but to God Himself. He designed each of His children with unique gifts and talents to fit perfectly as a member in the body of Christ (Romans 12:4-9).

Just as our physical body functions poorly or not at all if we are missing a limb, nerve, or vital organ, the church suffers when individual members are absent. Imagine if the pastor didn’t show up! But each of us has a vital role, and not just the deacons, leaders, teachers, worship leaders, musicians, ushers and singers. What if no one is there to stock the rest rooms or turn on the lights?

There have been times, such as during the Covid pandemic, that many churches prudently turned to online services to protect the health of their members and community. Yet when the pandemic was over, many who had gotten used to missing church no longer missed it. They initially grew content to watch Sunday services online, never returned to church, and then stopped watching altogether, disobeying the Lord’s command to not forsake corporate, in-person worship, especially as His return draws nearer.

Not coincidentally, our Pastor’s Sunday morning message on the day after I slept in on Saturday was about faithfulness. Praise God for His faithfulness to us, for every good gift comes from Him; without Him we can do nothing; and with Him all things are possible. In thankfulness and obedience to Him, we too must be faithful, reliable, and dependable in our service.

As the apostle Paul urges us, may we be stedfast, unmoveable, and ever abounding in our work for the Lord! (1 Corinthians 15:58). May we be “not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord (Romans 12:11). May we be like the wise virgins, always prepared for Jesus Christ’s imminent return, knowing that He will reward us for our faithfulness!  May we hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21)

Laurie Collett

Copyright 2025