Missing services on Sunday.

[gordo]

Just seeing how many folks on here have to miss services sometimes on Sunday. My wife and I usually make it but for the last 3 weeks there has been circumstances where we weren't able to attend. Thankfully we are getting back to church this Sunday, but wow do I feel disconnected and messed up and can't wait to go hear the Word of God preached.

Anyone else ever have to miss services for an extended period of time and just felt out of whack because of it?

 

[Andres]

I miss on occasion due to my job. I work in law enforcement and I am required to work one Lord's Day morning about once every six weeks. I hate missing on those days, but I have my own study/devotion time at the office on those mornings and then I will attend our evening services later that day as well.

If the circumstances are beyond your control, then I don't think you should feel guilty by any means, but you seem to place the proper value of attending corporate worship at a local church on the Lord's Day - it is indeed imperative.

 

[Kim G]

Me. My son and I both had a number of health problems during his first two years, and I often missed services (or had to leave half-way through services). When things finally got back to normal, it was wonderful!

 

[jwithnell]

I noticed that First Presbyterian in Columbia SC is audio broadcasting its service. The next time I have to miss, I'll tune in.

 

[baron]

My wife and I miss due to health reasons. But we do not try and make it to long, then it becomes easier to miss. So a lot of the time we do go we are sick but able to attend.

 

[JBaldwin]

These days, I'm there every week, but I have gone through seasons where I was not able to go to church for many weeks at a time, and I really missed. There is a good reason why Hebrews tells us to "not forsake the assembling of ourselves together."

 

[Rich Koster]

I missed over a month when I was care provider for my dad. I missed last week because my mom broke her foot, and I was looking after her.
I am thankful that I e-chat and phone people during the week, to feel less disconnected. The sermons get downloaded and I listen to them on iTunes. Call me a nerd, but I have about 600 iTunes U lectures on hand and almost 1,100 sermons in cache, if I get homebound.

 

[Andrew P.C.]

Unfortunately I've missed many due to my training cycle. I hate it. I also hate the fact that for deployments I have to go to a church service that isn't at my church for 7 months.

 

[he beholds]

With babies and small children it sometimes seems like months are missed because one child or another is sick. Most of the time my husband will still be able to go, so that is nice. We go away for about a month in the summers so we also miss our church then, but we do go elsewhere.

 

[dudley]

I have found faith in the Presbyterian church and as a Protestant I did not have as a Roman catholic. If I miss a service it is because of a very good reason and it is rare. I want to be at services every Sunday as a Protestant. When I was a Roman catholic I had to be at mass every Sunday under pain of mortal sin. I want to be at services as a Protestant I do not want to miss the service at the Presbyterian church, when I was a catholic I did not want to go to church as I do now. I have a faith and love of worship I never had as a catholic and I love the service in the Presbyterian church , I did not have a love of the Roman catholic mass ,it was a repetitive ritual of the same every Sunday.

 

[Alan D. Strange]

My heart goes out to you all. Truly. I can sense the ache in your posts over missing divine services.

As a minister who serves as a professor, I am in my own church worshipping (where I preach twice a month) or am preaching elsewhere (which I count a great blessing). I cannot remember when I last missed a Sunday service (it's been some time). Frankly, in the flesh, I am a wicked sinner not only not deserving to preach or teach but, in fact, deserving hell. I am so thankful that God has shown me mercy and thrust me into the ministry. I am amazed by His matchless grace and mercy every day of my unspeakably blessed life. I need all the Sundays in His house that I can get.

It is quite heartening to hear, as I said in my first sentence, how you dear saints love the gathering of God's people on His day. And here's the reason I am posting: I remember reading many years ago in Charles Spurgeon (what a marvelous man!) that when God's children are providentially hindered from corporate worship (through sickness, the care of others, necessary work, inability to get to worship--the sorts of things mentioned here) that God counts the ardent desire to join in worship as worship and will suit a blessing to your hearts even though you are not able on that occasion to participate in the public administration of the means of grace.

So, as difficult as it is to miss worship on the Lord's Day, as you all so well put it, be heartened that those who miss, not because of wickedness, but real necessity, and who desire to be there, will be blessed for such a desire and the Lord would speak words of comfort and encouragement to you, sustaining you by His Spirit. Don't let the enemy accuse you if your reason for missing is valid and rejoice that you want to be there, to be a doorkeeper in His house rather than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Peace,
Alan

 

[dudley]

My heart goes out to you all. Truly. I can sense the ache in your posts over missing divine services.

As a minister who serves as a professor, I am in my own church worshipping (where I preach twice a month) or am preaching elsewhere (which I count a great blessing). I cannot remember when I last missed a Sunday service (it's been some time). Frankly, in the flesh, I am a wicked sinner not only not deserving to preach or teach but, in fact, deserving hell. I am so thankful that God has shown me mercy and thrust me into the ministry. I am amazed by His matchless grace and mercy every day of my unspeakably blessed life. I need all the Sundays in His house that I can get.

It is quite heartening to hear, as I said in my first sentence, how you dear saints love the gathering of God's people on His day. And here's the reason I am posting: I remember reading many years ago in Charles Spurgeon (what a marvelous man!) that when God's children are providentially hindered from corporate worship (through sickness, the care of others, necessary work, inability to get to worship--the sorts of things mentioned here) that God counts the ardent desire to join in worship as worship and will suit a blessing to your hearts even though you are not able on that occasion to participate in the public administration of the means of grace.

So, as difficult as it is to miss worship on the Lord's Day, as you all so well put it, be heartened that those who miss, not because of wickedness, but real necessity, and who desire to be there, will be blessed for such a desire and the Lord would speak words of comfort and encouragement to you, sustaining you by His Spirit. Don't let the enemy accuse you if your reason for missing is valid and rejoice that you want to be there, to be a doorkeeper in His house rather than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Peace,
Alan

Amen to what Alan said “So, as difficult as it is to miss worship on the Lord's Day, as you all so well put it, be heartened that those who miss, not because of wickedness, but real necessity, and who desire to be there, will be blessed for such a desire and the Lord would speak words of comfort and encouragement to you, sustaining you by His Spirit. Don't let the enemy accuse you if your reason for missing is valid and rejoice that you want to be there, to be a doorkeeper in His house rather than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

I said in my previous post ‘when I was a catholic I did not want to go to church as I do now. I have a faith and love of worship I never had as a catholic” I went as many do under the pain of committing a mortal sin but I really did not want to be there ..which to me was a true sin….As a Presbyterian I desire to be there, and as Alan said I find such a desire that the Lord does speak words of comfort and encouragement to me at the service . I also hear the Gospel proclaimed as a catholic a gospel was read but then the priest talked about some saint in his sermon and not the message of the gospel.

 

[Andres]

we do not try and make it to long, then it becomes easier to miss.

Excellent point. I've noticed this to be very true.

 

[gordo]

we do not try and make it to long, then it becomes easier to miss.

Excellent point. I've noticed this to be very true.

Indeed! I have to be honest that that may have been the case last week. I think we could have swung church but because we missed the last two weeks it was easier for us to make our excuse that much more solid.

Thanks you all for your responses.

---------- Post added at 06:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:29 PM ----------

It is quite heartening to hear, as I said in my first sentence, how you dear saints love the gathering of God's people on His day. And here's the reason I am posting: I remember reading many years ago in Charles Spurgeon (what a marvelous man!) that when God's children are providentially hindered from corporate worship (through sickness, the care of others, necessary work, inability to get to worship--the sorts of things mentioned here) that God counts the ardent desire to join in worship as worship and will suit a blessing to your hearts even though you are not able on that occasion to participate in the public administration of the means of grace.

Wow! God spoke to me through your wonderful words there. And yes Spurgeon is marverlous

Last week I felt that feeling. I felt low that I was not in church. Then my mother, who is a new Christian, emailed me questions on scripture and I spent my Sunday morning delving through the Bible searching for answers to my Mom's questions. After I thanked God for blessing a sinner like myself, who was not at worship, with such a wonderful experience.

 

[Rufus]

I've missed a lot because of lack of transportation due to circumstances, praise God though that I will be able to go almost every Sunday this winter.