Ahhh! Summer's Here!!

The day will come when my life doesn’t revolve so much around the academic calendar. That day hasn’t arrived yet, though, and I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. That makes summers precious to me.
We had all three kids in soccer in the fall and spring and in basketball during the winter. We had two taking piano, one in drawing, one in dance, and one in scouts. Throw in a meeting or two a week for me, WNL, and a bit of homework for the kids and the evenings became a blur of activity with us struggling to find evenings where we could all eat together, much less do things of our choosing. In short, exactly what I swore I would never allow to happen in my home when I was younger and knew a lot more.
Now I look at June 1st like the edge of an oasis in the middle of a dry desert. When I grow weary during the school year from the hectic schedule, I look up to see how close June 1st is on the horizon and keep plugging along.
Though we’re just a week into the month, our yard no longer looks like it only needs a ‘73 Impala on cinder blocks to finish the “look.” I’ve also hunted for worms, gone fishing, been to see a movie at the drive-in theater with the family, played some basketball, been “trained” in Jedi light saber dueling, and had a few good conversations with the kids. During the school year, I mostly watch them play. When school’s out, I get to play with them. Looks like it’s shaping up to be a good summer!
At church, it has intrigued me over the years to note that we often have more first-time visitors during the summer than I ever would have expected. Sometimes, it has seemed that we’ve had more visitors then than at any other time during the year. Now, I suspect I may know one of the reasons why.
When summer arrives, those of us who run frantically during the school year finally begin to catch our breath, slow down a bit, and take stock of life. Things that we’ve wanted to do but couldn’t find time to (like playing with the kids) get back on our schedules. Things we feel like we should be doing, whether we like them or not (like taking care of the yard for me), we also find time for. Likewise, whether from desire or from a sense of obligation, people often find their way back to church during the summer.
What will they find when they come? While few of us could achieve perfect attendance at church over the summer months, each of us can make a concerted effort to be present in worship whenever we’re in town. The pews empty somewhat simply because of members leaving town on vacations. If we also take a “vacation” from worship when we’re in town, the attendance can get pretty lean, giving the visitors the wrong impression about the size and commitment of our congregation.
If, on the other hand, we make a concerted effort to be present and to focus on welcoming people we don’t know into the church, we could give a visitor the encouragement they need to worship with us again. We could also find ourselves getting to know other members in new and deeper ways.
So, if the practice of being in worship regularly has slipped for you over the last few months, consider breathing a deep sigh of relief that summer has arrived. Life can finally slow down just a bit and you can rediscover the value and richness of regular worship attendance. Come, grow with us in faith as we practice the art of loving others as Christ loves us.