What if going through the motions wasn’t such a bad thing?
I know, we trash the idea. We preach against it. We listen to the song on K-Love. We pride ourselves on the fact that we’re all about relationship, not religion.
But what if…what if we could use a little bit more religion in our lives? When did that word become so negative?
Of course, we understand the negative side:
- Going to church because you have to.
- Singing worship songs with a disconnected heart.
- Playing it safe.
- Living a different life Sunday than you do Monday-Saturday.
But what if the motions are there to serve us?
Of course, not all religious practices and habits are helpful. I’m talking about the Biblical ones. The ones that remind us who we are as the people of God.
Go Through the Motions
Much of this is a matter of semantics, but I also know that going through the motions isn’t always wasted.
Here’s a look into my life:
Most of my childhood church attendance was “going through the motions.” I didn’t want to be there. I would have rather stayed home. Actually that’s not true because if I stayed home I would have missed out on lunch at Chili’s. Chili’s was delicious (and still is).
But the motions my parents led me through helped to form me into who I am today. It wasn’t my choice when I was younger but it laid a great foundation for when it was.
I’m super fickle. One day I can feel like reading my Bible and the next it’s the last thing I want to do. Having a daily “motion” of Bible reading is healthy for me because I do it whether I feel like it or not. I go through the motions and I’m changed on the inside.
Most of the time I don’t wake up on Sunday longing to take communion. I’m not that spiritual. But when we take communion at church I’m reminded of what Jesus has done. That is a motion I want to continue practicing.
Motions keep me where I need to be, whether I feel like it or not. It’s like an automatic withdrawal into a savings account. Whether you feel like it or not, it’s going to withdrawal. You remove decision making from the equation.
We are shaped by our habits. We are what we repeatedly do (Thanks Aristotle, for that). If that is true, the motions we choose to go through are of utmost importance. They are shaping who we are.
Why Religion is a Negative Word for Some People
Those who talk about “relationship not religion” are typically those whose only understanding of church was mindless and boring.
They experienced a real encounter with God but it wasn’t because they attended their weekly mass. It was a subsequent gathering where they felt the presence of God like never before.
Maybe your past religious experience looked like this:
- Recite 15 Hail Mary’s.
- Listen to a disengaged, monotone priest.
- Pay your dues.
- Go to confession.
It wasn’t their choice to go so it wasn’t personal. But then they “found Jesus” and everything changed. I’m not doubting their transformation. I can think of someone like my Mom who did a complete 180 and was never the same again.
The problem is when we blame the liturgy, blame the motions as being unhelpful. Some are, for sure. But we don’t have to throw the baby out with the bath water.
The problem isn’t the liturgy or the form. It’s not the musical style. The problem isn’t with traditional religious practices. It’s our own hearts.
Sure, we need to be sensitive to the demographic of our people. If the way we do church doesn’t connect with most of our people, we need to tweak our methods.
A good liturgy leads us in the practices that are helpful for us – habits that form us into a peculiar people, set apart for the glory of God. Don’t kid yourself that you don’t need to meet on Sundays because you have a living relationship with God and the church isn’t a “building”.
We need each other. We need the weekly reminder, the weekly motions.
We have a generation that is hungry for something real.
As leaders in the church, let’s lead people in the habits, disciplines, practices that are helpful for their transformation.
Do you have thoughts on this? Do these semantics bother you? How do you talk about religion/relationship as a church? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
[ois skin=”Beyond Sunday 2″]
David, thanks for the post.
I agree that we tend to throw out good things because we had a bad experience with them in the past. Many today don’t want something that’s dead, and they equate that deadness with the routine of their religion without a personal knowledge.
We need to not overreact to religion without relationship and have all fluff with no structure. God has created life with balance. There are many both/and’s instead of the either/or’s we try to fit everything into.
So, the questions would be, as your post points out, is this routine biblical? Am I engaged in it as a leader? Am I leading people in such a way that helps them engage their hearts? Am I engaging again week after week?
Hope those thoughts add to the discussion.
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