Commentary by Michael VandenBerg
Well, we all made it to Labor Day. Some of you are glad to have made it through the summer, others of you are sad to see the summer gone. Whichever you are, the reality is that summer is almost gone; fall is just around the corner and for most of us, that means trying to squeak in all of those last minute repair projects. For me, it is repainting the deck and getting the outdoor lighting back into good repair before it turns so cold that I no longer want to be working outdoors.
As you take inventory of all the fall fix-ups and projects, why not look at how you might improve the quality of your life as well as your property. Every year, churches all over America invite the community “Back to Church.” Kids have settled into school, clubs have gotten up and running, all the heath appointments have been made and the hectic schedules all come into play. Let me then personally invite you to take time to relax, be at peace, get away from the mad crush, so you can return to work refreshed. The Bible calls this time away Sabbath. It is one day in seven where God himself calls us to stop all that we are doing, come to him and find rest so we can face the challenges of the coming week.
On Sept. 20, churches in the area, including the one that I serve at the YMCA in Lawrence, will observe “Back to Church” Sunday and invite the community to come and experience church again or for the first time. You may have been hurt by the church, a pastor, a lack of care and concern or maybe just didn’t find it significant for your life. But then, that was then and this is now. I hope you will give the church, whichever one you choose, another chance. Chances are real good that you won’t find the perfect church, (it doesn’t exist) or that you won’t find people who aren’t broken, flawed, imperfect, and yes, even hypocrites. But that’s exactly the point isn’t it, that there is a place for all of the imperfect people to go and find acceptance. Why not give CHURCH a second chance? What have you got to lose but your loneliness, isolation and having to do life on your own. We care and we want you to know that God loves you and so do we.
