CUMC Weekly

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)

Sometimes I wonder what people think about when it comes to church attendance. Why do we go? Is it necessary? What is the purpose of listening to a sermon or taking communion? How long should service last? Is one hour the right amount of time or should it be less? More? Isn’t it weird that we gather, sing songs, pray and then remember Jesus by breaking bread and drinking juice? The questions could go on and on. In the end the word that stands out to me is devoted. When we are devoted to the things of God do these questions even matter? Who is keeping track of how long a sermon or worship service is if they are being taught and doing fellowship with others who are Jesus way followers? The people of God in the Acts 2 church were not concerned with the things of this world. They were devoted to being together and fellowship. They were devoted to being taught and prayer. They were devoted to sharing meals together and taking communion to remember Christ. If they were doing these things, they felt Joy. In our consumer driven world often we lose track of the why we do these things and focus instead on the inconvenience or other things we could be choosing to do and begrudgingly do things we’d rather not “have” to do. The Acts 2 church thrived and grew because of the devotion of the members who brought their whole self to the acts of being Christ way followers. Our church will thrive the more devoted to the gathering, teaching and the breaking of bread we become.