Why We Gather

By Matt Townsend

Why do we gather?

For church?

As a church?

On Sundays?

Together?

What’s the point? 

Why do we do it?

Do I really miss out on anything if I don’t? 

Isn’t my time better spent catching a few extra hours of sleep?

Look, we’ve all been tempted to join

Bedside Baptist 

Or 

Pillowtop Presbyterian 

For a Sunday here or there

So, why do we gather? 

Practicing our Exodus

In Exodus 8:1, Moses confronts Pharoah

The king who enslaved God’s people for 400 years

And there Moses delivers his famous command

Let my people go!

That’s the part we remember

Maybe you picture Charlton Heston

Big bushy gray beard, red cloak, staff in hand

Let my people go!

But do you remember the rest of the sentence?

Do you remember why God commanded Moses to say it? 

God wasn’t just rescuing Israel from something

God was rescuing Israel for something 

Let my people go… that they may serve/worship Me. 

Out of slavery.

Into God’s presence.

To become His worshipping people. 

And notice 

God didn’t just rescue a bunch of individuals

He rescued a people 

And gathered them to Himself 

And that’s the story of the church. 

Jesus has rescued us from slavery to sin

Jesus has rescued us from the dominion of darkness

Not so we can live for ourselves

But so that we can live for Him and worship Him. 

And every Lord’s day 

The church — the ekklesia

The gathered assembly of God’s people

Come together 

We’ve been called out of the world’s kingdom

We’ve been gathered under Christ’s kingship

And we’ve come to worship our Deliverer. 

In that sense

Every Sunday 

Is like a mini-exodus 

We leave the scattered places 

Where we live and work and play 

And God’s redeemed people

Gather around the King 

To worship. 

Every Sunday we look back

To the deliverance Jesus accomplished

Every Sunday we look ahead

The day Jesus will complete our deliverance 

And gather the whole church

Into His presence forever

So, until that day 

We give the firstfruits of our week

The best part of our week
To the Lord

Not to slumber

Not to playing catch up

Not to the golf course

To the Lord

Not to earn His favor

Because He is worthy of our first and best. 

So, do you miss out on something when you don’t gather?
Yes. 

Jesus didn’t rescue you 

Just to make you a worshipper

Jesus rescued us 

To make us a worshiping people.