Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Acts 2:46-47 (NRSV)

At the last minute this Sunday I changed my sermon. I had a very specific illustration going into church…it was about the electric company trucks I saw blanketing 495 as I was heading up to Southborough. There were dozens of them, and I was going to point out that if you drive one of those trucks, I could see why you’d have to miss church today. 

As for everybody else…

Where are you? 

I know you care about Pilgrim Church. You’re still going to council meetings. You’re still on committees and in small groups. You’re still emailing me and reaching out about different things…we’ve got some good fellowship brewing, we’ve got some active service; but we’re suffering in the worship department. 

Is it too soon to ask? I get it, we’re in a pandemic here: I know that it takes a long time to build a durable habit like going to church. I also know that when you want to break a habit, you have to find another to replace it. In a simple sense, think of someone who gives up smoking by chewing gum. They find something else that feeds the urge instead. 

This year many have been replacing the habit of attending church…with the habit of not attending. 

Do you remember the times when church was the most impactful for you? I’m willing to bet it’s not when you’ve been attending once every few months. I’ll bet it’s when you’re attending regularly. Because over time, faith experiences build up and start to bear richer fruit. You gain greater levels of trust. You learn what makes other pilgrims tick, and you find commonalities. 

Now as to COVID, I get it: some won’t set foot in the sanctuary until every member of their family is vaccinated. Others won’t set foot in the sanctuary until they don’t have to wear a mask. I’ll reserve judgment on each of these because it’s always your choice. But I’m asking you to reconsider, to stretch, and to think about coming back on the regular. 

The truth is, we need you. 

It’s so much easier to attract new folks to church when they can come in and find a big group of folks invested in what’s going on here. We can prove the value of our congregation far more easily to young families when they come in and see other young families in the pews, with kids in worship. 

Do you need an invitation? This is it. We can argue whether you should need one, but again, I’m not here to judge what you’re feeling. Just know this: we can build a better Pilgrim Church with you in it. Thank you for considering this, and I look forward to seeing you in worship soon.