Daily Devotional

I’ve been a pastor for many years, and I have seen it happen every year. Sunday morning church attendance drops in the summertime. People sleep-in and choose not to come. Or they say “I don’t feel like going today, let’s just watch on-line.” And as a result they miss the much needed in-person fellowship time with other believers who know and love them. Ministries try to line-up subs to help in nursery and kids ministry in the summer. And everyone knows that if you plan a Bible study in the summer, you better not expect many people to attend. Why is this?

Well, summer schedules are packed with vacations, weekend getaways, and backyard barbecues, making it easy to treat church as optional. There’s a break from school. And so it’s easy to think we can take a break from church. Yet consistent worship keeps our souls anchored in Jesus Christ. Gathering with believers at church on Sunday mornings reminds us that our faith doesn’t take a vacation. And it builds the habit of following Christ amid the busyness of the season.

Hebrews 10:23-25 – "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

The lazy, hazy, hot days of summer bring a shift in our daily routines. The sun is up longer, trips to the beach call to us, and our weekends fill up with opportunities to travel. While it’s important to take some much-needed time to rest and recreate, the danger comes when our physical rest turns into spiritual complacency. Someone might say, “Well, the Bible says rest is important.” And I agree, God wants us to find time for rest. But if you look up Bible verses on ‘rest’, they all have as a context, resting in the presence of the Lord.

It’s easy to develop a ‘vacation mentality’ in the summer, treating church as an activity we attend only when it’s convenient. The writer of Hebrews tells us to not forsake our own assembling together, and to do it all the more as you see the day drawing near (which is the return of Christ). Why? Because the church is supposed to be more than a good way to kill an hour on a Sunday morning. It’s family. When you are present in person, your physical attendance is an act of encouragement to those sitting around you. Your presence reminds them that they are not alone, and neither are you. We are on this journey of faith together.

I get asked on occasion, “Pastor, do we have to attend church while we’re on vacation?” And on the one hand I think, “Why wouldn’t you attend a worship gathering at a church on Sunday while you’re on vacation?” And on the other hand I think “You’re not in your home church, where people know you and rely on you, so why not take a Sunday off to do something else?” So I go back and forth. So I would say, pray about it. See what God thinks.

There are a lot of great churches in this nation of ours. On a Sunday morning while on vacation, it might be a good chance to see one of them. Experience a different worship team. A different preacher. Meet some new people. Get the feeling of being new to a church. Maybe it will develop in you more sensitivity to new people visiting our church.

So this summer, as you enjoy a vacation from the rigors of the school year, prioritize your spiritual family. Let your faithfulness in the summer be a testament of your relationship with Christ. It isn’t bound by seasons. God doesn’t take a vacation from us, so why would we take a vacation from Him? When you do this, watch how He uses those Sunday gatherings to keep your heart anchored in Him.

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.