Soon, those of us who have been vaccinated with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be lining up to get booster shots because immunity to COVID fades with time. 

I know nothing about immunology beyond what I read in the paper, but I know something of how good things can fade away and disappear.  Think how easy it is to forget what you learned of a foreign language.  I said au revoir to the little French I knew years ago.  On the other hand, even though I was never a great scholar in Greek or Hebrew, I can still work with them because from time to time I still use them to prepare sermons and Bible studies.  Use it or lose it.

You can probably guess where I am headed with this. 

I never want to be one of those ministers who scolds his congregation about church attendance; I don’t say this to make you feel guilty, but I want to warn you.  The good effects of participating in worship fade over time when we stay away from church.

There is something that happens when we give ourselves over to worship: when we lift up our voices in praise; when we share common prayer; when we hear the Word proclaimed; when we receive Christ’s Body and Blood. 

Doing without church attendance doesn’t seem to create a huge void in our lives at first, but over time something is lost of our intimacy with God. 

The pandemic has overturned our routines and reshaped how we spend our time.  It certainly interrupted how we worship.  Perhaps you haven’t been back to church in a while… maybe a long while.

Maybe it’s time for a booster.  Then again, maybe instead of thinking of worship as an inoculation we should think of it as nourishment.  Think about whether it might not be time to break the fast and resume a steady diet of soul food.

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away; you will be welcome when you’re here.  You’ll get no sideways looks or snide remarks.  Anytime you come home you’ll find an open door and open arms.

Prayer: I’m grateful that you patiently wait for me to turn to you; my heart breaks when I think how often I leave you waiting.  Amen.