Psalm of Summer
Topic : Church AttendanceNow it came to pass that spring turned to summer again. God’s people raised their voices and said:
“Recreation is my shepherd, I shall not stay at home;
He maketh me to lie down in a sleeping bag;
He leadeth me down the Interstate each weekend.
He restoreth my suntan;
He leadeth me to State Parks for comfort’s sake.
Even though I stray on the Lord’s Day, I will fear no reprimand,
for Thou art with me;
my rod and reel they comfort me.
I anointest my skin with oil, my gas tank runneth dry;
Surely my trailer shall follow me all the weekends this summer,
and I shall return to the House of the Lord this fall.”
But then it is hunting season and that’s another psalm.
Some people don’t need much of an excuse to stay home from church. If it even looks like it might rain, they don’t want to risk getting a little wet. The hymn writer Frances Havergal gave several reasons for attending church—especially on rainy days.
1. God has blessed the Lord’s Day, making no exceptions for stormy days.
2. I expect my minister to be there. I would be surprised if he stayed at home because of the weather.
3. I might lose out on the prayers and the sermon that would have done me great good.
4. For important business, rain doesn’t keep me home; and church is, in God’s sight, very important.
5. Bad weather...will prove how much I love Christ. True love rarely fails to keep an appointment.
6. Those who stay home from church because it’s rainy frequently miss on fair Sundays too. I must not take one step in that direction.
7. Christ said that “where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
8. I don’t know how many more Sundays God may give me. It would be poor preparation for my first Sunday in heaven to have slighted my last one on earth.
Enough said!
