Going to Church

Back in the day of growing up, our primary Sunday event was called "going to church."  It was not something which was discussed weekly in our home.  When Sunday morning came, we all knew where we were going.  We not only went to church which was really another way of speaking of 11:00 AM worship, but Sunday School was included in the package as well.  While I am remembering those days, I must also confess that we were not allowed to watch "The Ed Sullivan Show" or "Bonanza" as did so many of my friends because Sunday evening worship took place at the same time.  Of course, before Sunday evening worship came what was called "MYF" which was my denominations definition of youth ministry.     

No doubt four hours seems like a lot of time to give to church attendance by today's church goers, but it did have its benefits.  Being somewhat hardheaded, a weekly exposure to what the church offered was helpful in many ways.  I learned a lot by osmosis which is to say, being there was better than being elsewhere.  Hundreds of hymns shaped the songbook I carry in my memory.  Learning to kneel at the altar as we often did on Sunday nights kept me grounded.  It took me almost to the end of my teenage years, but I finally came to understand that life with Jesus was the most important thing.   

There were surely those times I rebelled against the parental plan such as the weekend I came home from college and told my mother on Sunday morning that I would not be going that Sunday.  I remember that Sunday.  I do not think I have ever gotten dressed for church so quickly.  Going to church was seen back then as a chore.  I figured I could get along with less, but less was not an option.  The discipline ingrained in me was one I later embraced.  It not only helped set the course of my life, but it has been a foundation for living through these decades which have been filled with sunshine and storms.