Twenty-five

years elapsed from the promise of a child to the birth of Isaac. What

did Abraham do those 25 years? Well, during some of that time, he made

bad decisions, like going down to Egypt during a famine; like conspiring

with his wife to identify her as his sister if they were attacked; like

a conjugal visit from his wife's handmaid to produce an heir.

But mostly,

during those 25 years, Abraham was faithful. He faithfully clung to a

routine of life while waiting for God to do his thing. He faithfully built

altars of worship wherever he pitched camp. He faithfully and routinely

has conversations with God we call it prayer.

But look at

us today! It seems we have a difficult time remaining faithful to attending

church. The altar is already built for us to worship, but we seem to be

unfaithfully living out our relationship with God.

Someone said

once, "Your loyalty to the church represents your loyalty to Jesus

Christ." Think on that awhile. Far too often we disassociate our

attending church with our relationship with Jesus Christ. Extremists even

declare, "I can worship God just as effectively at a fishing hole

on Sunday morning as I can in church." My response to that is, "Bullfeathers."

I suppose this

column today is a venting. Because, as a pastor, I grow weary of folks

whose attendance is off and on. They can't seem to attend church three

Sundays in a row. We members of the cloth should and do allow for vacation,

sickness, and death. But, this thing of staying up late and just couldn't

get up Sunday morning. Give me a break. Or this thing about company coming

in for a visit and had to stay home with company. Please!

When Sunday

night church was still an item, and my oldest sister would come over for

late Sunday afternoon visit, my mother would say, "You are welcome

to stay, but we are getting ready to go to church." Before I married

and while living at home, my mother and I would visit another sister in

Atlanta (we lived in Columbus, Georgia). We would always get up early

Sunday morning in time to arrive at church at the Sunday School hour.

Where is that kind of loyalty and commitment?

But loyalty

to the bride of Christ the church, that is is in decline. Many view the

church simply as an organization or an event for which we decide on a

weekly basis whether or not we will embrace.

If every member

of our respective churches attended church on any given one Sunday, our

church houses would be overflowing. We would not be able to seat them

all. Pastors would preach with more power and authority than ever before.

Choirs would sing the hearts out as never before.

So, if you

are one those "on and off" attendees, let me plead for your

week by week faithfulness. Somebody up there wants to know just how faithful

we are.

The Rev.

Dr. John Hatcher is pastor of

River's Edge Community Church

1091 South Jeff Davis Drive

Fayetteville, Georgia 30215

770-719-0303

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