At church today we were asked “what is your motivation to go to church?” This is a subject that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about in the past two years and this is pretty much what I’ve come up with. Understand that I don’t mean what I think of as the role of the Church, but what I am looking for in the heart of a church service.
My motivation to go to church is to view the deus nudus – the naked God – in all His glory: Holy, perfect, and just. He is forever separated from me because of these qualities. I want to be reminded that my humanity and my innate sin nature keeps me from standing in His presence forever, then to be reminded that it is Jesus and His sacrifice in my place – on my behalf, that purchased, cleansed, and redeemed me. That Jesus’ work on my behalf has not only paid the price for my sins but adopted me into the family of God and granted me a place at His table and free access to His holy throne room forever. Before this happened my only chance to see God was from His judgment seat but now it is from His lap, as a child speaking in prefect safety and trust with the Father who he knows loves and cares for him forever. That is my motivation when I go to church. Show me my God, my separation, and my Savior.