People don’t go to church much anymore, for a variety of reasons. Some are disenfranchised with church, calling it a “bunch of hypocrites.” Or there’s online church from the comforts of your own home; you don’t even need to go to church. There are travel and vacation plans, illness and old age, shift work, and “making hay when the sun shines” reasons as well. And some people don’t believe in God. Community in general has fallen on hard times, and especially Christian community. People don’t go to church much anymore.
But that’s not the way it started. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. The early church was rich with community, fellowship, meals, and greetings. In Acts 2, the early church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47). We see the church in Corinth gathering on the first day of the week for communion and a meal (1 Cor 11:24-25). Paul and Barnabas were given “the right hand of fellowship” in Galatians 2:9, and Paul often sent his greetings to one another in the churches. He even wrote “to greet one another with a holy kiss (Rom 16:16)” as did Peter in 1 Peter 5:14! James wrote about welcoming people into the assembly (James 2). Welcoming, fellowship, and community were important features of the early church.
Why welcome? Paul prayed for the Romans, “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God (Rom 15:5-7).” God is a God of endurance and encouragement, and welcoming one another lifts you up and gives you the strength to keep on going. God Himself is a welcoming God; “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, I will give you rest,” and He gives us the ministry and joy of welcoming one another as He welcomes us. This makes much of God. He gets the glory when we welcome and fellowship with others.
The church gives you a bigger and better vision of community, fellowship, and welcome. The church is the remedy for loneliness. Relationships are not built or maintained alone or on screens. We need to see and be with one another in real time to grow and thrive. This is existence. This is life. We are made for relationships. Go to church and “welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”