CHECKLIST CHURCH

Today is S-U-N-D-A-Y!!!!

I love Sundays!

These are the days--mornings of course--when the most of us gather in one place; more than any other time of the week.  I've been at this for over four decades and it feels like today is my first day; it is so fun!!

Two groups assemble where I get to go to church; the wide-eyed waiting for wonder and the squint-eyed sitting with checklist upon knee.  I have dwelt with, among, and as both.  The former is much more alive.

So badly I want to get to live life alive!  I resent those days that I endured by not being really alive; but going through the motions.  Yes, I could always find others to blame for my church blues.  Yet, I later found I had developed a checklist of worship duties that needed to be fulfilled....and they certainly needed to be done right.

What was happening is the lists were completed week after week; but I wasn't experiencing life.

I eventually discovered that others and myself, who operated by the official Church of Christ checklist manual, were successful at many things except knowing God.  I/we knew singing, communion, preaching from the Word, praying, passing the collection plates, and the invitation song.  But seriously knowing Jesus was not in the mix and it didn't bother me.

With my clipboard, however, I checked everything off including those who were naughty or nice.

Checklist church is old school church.  It is old law church.  The law kills and the Spirit gives life.

But the new side is alive and I so can't wait to see what He will provide in our gathering.  Sometimes we will have a special song sung by our fantastic worship team.  We might have someone other than me preach. The elders may receive prayer requests in stations around the sanctuary (did I really use that s word?).  Or, our worship minister my decide not to offer an invitation song at all.

This uncertainty drives the checklist worshiper up the wall.  It did me.  Well it should.  Ours is not abundant life because we have obeyed any number of steps on a church decent and in order checklist.  No, its awesome life is found in the Son and we are gathering again today to send another signal to Father that we are grateful.