How Far?

8/6/16                                James                              about 35

How far should we drive to church?  During a neighborhood outreach today I met James, who seems solid in his Christian faith and is a faithful church attender.  The church he attends is about a half-hour drive away on Sunday mornings.  However, because it is on the other side of town here in Chicago, it would be at least twice that amount of time on weeknights during rush hours, effectively ruling out church involvement during the week.  Just as things like excessive busyness or excessive debt limit our ability as Christians to obey the Holy Spirit’s lead when he calls us into further service and involvement in a local church, so also excessive distance.  It keeps us from rubbing elbows with fellow believers on a local level.  We are repeatedly called to “love one another” and there are so many other “one anothers” throughout the New Testament that rubbing elbows, even if there is some friction involved, is clearly what God wants of his children rather than keeping one another at arm’s length.