A preacher who played golf every Wednesday night at a modest public golf course was standing on the elevated tee at the 4th hole. He took a few practice swings and looked across the valley to the flawless private country club nearby. "Just once I'd like to play that gorgeous course," the preacher said to his foursome.
Another player spoke up, "I have a reserved tee time there every Sunday morning. But, yesterday the boss told me I have to leave Friday for a weeklong trip. It's a shame to let that tee time go to waste. I could give you a guest pass.”
Of course, this was a dream come true for the preacher, but it put him in a terrible predicament. If he accepted the gift, he would have to miss Sunday worship. He thought to himself, "I haven't missed a Sunday service in 20 years of preaching. But, I guess this once won’t hurt.”
After arriving at the pristine country club early that Sunday morning, he called the council president, and after a few feigned coughs told him he was too sick to lead worship. "Well, we hope you feel better soon," said the president. "What matters most is your health. We’ll be praying for you.” This made the preacher feel a little guilty, but it was a beautiful morning and promised to be an even more beautiful day.
At that exact moment up in Heaven, St. Peter was looking down and starting to get a little annoyed. He said to God, "You’re not going to let him get away with this are you?" God replied, "Don't worry Peter, I've got it all figured out."
Peter knew it was best not to question things any further. So, he watched as the preacher walked confidently to the first tee, a short par-4. After a few practice swings, the preacher drove the ball straight down the fairway. It was low and looked like it was going to drop just short of the 100-yard marker. But just then, God waived his hand and created the perfect little wind which carried the ball back up into the air. After sailing about 90 yards, the ball took one bounce on the fairway before landing on the green. To the preacher’s amazement, it kept rolling, swung to the right, barely crept up to the hole, and fell in. It was the most incredible thing he had ever seen.
"A double eagle? Are you kidding me?” Peter said to God. “Not only do you let him get away with skipping church but you reward him with the greatest shot of his life?” With a smile, God looked at Peter and said, "Yes, but who is he going to tell?"
In the end, it really isn’t going to matter how much our golf game improved over the years. Or, how much fun we had on the weekends. The only thing that will really matter is whether we had true faith in Jesus Christ. And so, the question we ought to be asking is, how do we get this true faith? And, how is this faith strengthened? Paul writes, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). In other words, faith is created and sustained by the Word of God. Specifically, the Word of God proclaimed. This is why Paul asks, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14).
But, Paul isn’t the only one who teaches this. Look at Luke’s description of the early church: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). This is basically a description of the structure of Sunday morning worship – hearing the Word preached, receiving the Sacrament in fellowship with one another, and lifting our voices in prayer and praise to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The early church knew quite well that if you remove yourself from the worship of Christ as laid out here in Acts, you remove yourself from Christ. Our Risen Lord, in establishing the Office of the Ministry, said to His Apostles: "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld" (John 20:23). He also said,“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10:16). What this means is that it is exclusively through the ministry of the church that our Lord Jesus forgives sin and grants life and salvation to all who believe.
The early church Fathers summarized this Biblical Doctrine by saying, “Outside of the church there is no salvation.” The church isn't our savior, to be sure. But, it is Christ's chosen instrument of the salvation He bestows through His Word and Sacraments.
Just as the body will waste away and die without food, so will the soul waste away and die without God’s Word, Sacrament, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. And so, this summer, it is my hope and prayer that you will keep the Sabbath Day holy by hearing His Word preached and receiving His Holy Supper, and that you will respond in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving as you share in the gifts of God with your brothers and sisters in Christ. You will taste and see that the Lord is good, grow in faith, abound in love, and know that joy is found in Him alone.
To Him, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all glory now and forever,
