As senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, I am often on the receiving end of faith-based questions from people of all walks of life.
Here’s one that came my way recently — and my answer to it, in the hope this will be helpful to many other people aside from the person who asked it.
Question: “Do I have to go to church while I’m on vacation? Don’t I get to take a break from that as well?”
Answer: All of us look forward to our vacations, when we can break free of the daily pressures of our jobs, the stresses of our schedules, and the frantic pace of our everyday work lives. Who doesn’t love saying goodbye (even for a short time) to a computer screen, an office phone and a time clock — not to mention commuting to the job and much more?
But just because we’re taking a vacation from our regular responsibilities doesn’t mean we should take a vacation from church attendance, too.
When we think about how going to church should fit into our vacation time, we must remember the difference between an obligation and an opportunity. An obligation means we “must” do something, whereas an opportunity means we “get” to do something.
The first is mandatory while the second is optional. This is an important distinction that makes us think about how we view church attendance in the first place.
We don’t “have” to go to church while on vacation any more than we “have” to go to church while we’re at home. However, whether we’re at home or visiting the beach, the lake or another country altogether, we almost always “get” the opportunity to attend church. The point is, if we view church attendance as a rule to be kept, our inclination will be to break free of that rule while on vacation, just as we’re breaking free from the workplace. However, if we see church attendance as part of a relationship with God that always needs to be nurtured, then our inclination will be to make time for church, even when enjoying some downtime.
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Would any of us stop eating and drinking while on a two-week vacation, stop taking in nourishment? So why would we go two whole weeks without taking in vital spiritual nutrition for our souls — which comes through worshiping, praying, singing, and hearing God’s word at a local church?
God knows it doesn’t take long for our souls to become dry, which is why He instructs us to keep up the habit of meeting with His people in local churches (Hebrews 10:25).
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There are so many good reasons to attend church on vacation. Not only will our souls be nourished, but our spouse and children will learn the importance of pursuing God year-round as well. In addition, we often meet new friends in new places who share our commitment to Jesus and His gospel. In the end, we will show our whole family that Christianity is not a burdensome load to carry — but a joyful lifestyle devoted to God.
Pastor Ryan Day is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, where he has served for 18 years. He is a regular contributor to LifeZette.
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