Should you preach ignorantly, half-heartedly, “going through the motions” or with the wrong motives?
Should you listen to preaching ignorantly, half-heartedly, “going through the motions” or with the wrong motives?
Should you worship in song ignorantly, half-heartedly, “going through the motions” or with the wrong motives?
Should you give financially ignorantly, half-heartedly, “going through the motions” or with the wrong motives?
Should you pray ignorantly, half-heartedly, “going through the motions” or with the wrong motives?
Should you encourage your fellow believers ignorantly, half-heartedly, “going through the motions” or with the wrong motives?
Should you count the offering ignorantly, half-heartedly, “going through the motions” or with the wrong motives?

The answer is no.  You shouldn’t.  Churches can be emotionally dead, people can attend church each Sunday and live in ignorance of the Gospel or at least be distracted from it while they attend, people can give from wrong motivations, we can preach hypocritically, etc. We shouldn’t though.  The greatness and holiness of the God we worship and the grace and love poured out into our lives in Christ call for our genuine focused worship every day (not least every Sunday).

So how should we safeguard our corporate worship gatherings against such practices and attitudes?

Solution: only gather as a church once every 3 months. Let’s be honest- attending church each week is ritualistic.  People get more concerned about catching up with Sallie Joe in the foyer and going to eat afterwards than focusing on Christ.  It just becomes another thing we “do” if we attend each week, like the PTA or softball practice.  Why not wait for 3 months before meeting again?  It will keep church attendance (including giving, singing, preaching, praying, etc.) from becoming just another weekly ritual.  It will make that one day out of every 90 or so all the more special because we will appreciate it more having gone so long without it.  It is less hassle for everyone (imagining only needing volunteers for 4 days a year!) and cheaper.  It can also be well-planned, efficient, and orderly with that kind of preparation time.

Ok, I’m being facetious there.  That would be ridiculous.  For one, merely meeting once every three months wouldn’t solve the problems of spiritual apathy, hypocrisy, or mindless “routine” that we should avoid in our gatherings.  In fact, it may increase it judging from those we know who only attend at Christmas/Easter currently. Also, as followers of Jesus, we are commanded to gather, encourage one another, to “Let the message of Christ dwell among us”-aka Gospel remembrance, pray, worship through song and giving, meet regularly, etc. Attempting to avoid these sins by infrequently meeting would cause us to ignore so many other things we see commanded and find Christians doing in the New Testament.

So then, why  do we find that above solution adequate regarding the frequency of the Lord’s Supper?

Discuss.

And bonus credit to whoever can identify the source of the quote below without Google.

“Shame on the Christian church that she put it off to once a month and mar the first day of the week by depriving it of its glory in the meeting together for fellowship and breaking of bread and showing forth the death of Christ till he comes. They who once know the sweetness of each Lord’s day celebrating his supper, will not be content, I am sure, to put it off to less frequent seasons. Beloved, when the Holy Ghost is with us, ordinances are wells to the Christian, wells of rich comfort and of near communion.”

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