From the Pastor’s Pen
September 2010
”We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit” – Aristotle
“When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom” -- Luke 4: 16
Habits. Aristotle’s quotation above is interesting. We are what we repeatedly do. Habits become us. We become our habits.
Habits are necessary for countless reasons. For one, they enable us to perform daily tasks without having to use much brain power to decide things. When I arrive at church before the early service I have a routine of unlocking doors, turning on lights, putting out bulletins, checking thermostats, and of course putting on a pot of coffee in my office. If I’m interrupted or change my routine, my habit, I’m likely to forget to do something. In the past, I’ve forgotten my sermon notes a couple of times, and one Sunday I forgot my stole because someone or something intervened and altered my habits. (I’ve never forgotten to put on the coffee, however!)
Some habits are good and some habits are bad. Worship, also, is a habit. One person said to me, “We wake up on Sunday and we just go to church. We don’t even think about it.” Others, I know, wake up on Sundays and they don’t even think about it either – they don’t go to church.
My observation is that we tend to give each other “passes” for worship in the summer. Our attendance falls off like a boulder dropping from a cliff. We have lots of reasons: we’re away or at least folks might think we’re away. Or, it’s hot (and it sure is!). Or, I don’t know who the preacher will be. Or . . .
September is upon us. It’s time to resurrect our good habits if we’ve forgotten them. Worshipping God on a regular basis keeps us true to our stated values and helps give life a deeper meaning beyond the shallow consumerism that would steal us from being God’s new kingdom people.
I hope to see you in church where we honor and worship God and enjoy our habit together.
Pastor Dennis