Summer is in the air. The sun is out. Pools are open. Boats are on the water. And yes—so is the heat. Like, you–can-fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk, ice-cream-melting-before-the second-bite, I can’t stop sweating — kind of heat.
I love summer—or maybe it’s more accurate to say I love what summer brings. Lake days. Yard work. Swim parties. Road trips. Long evenings. It’s a great season.
Growing up, I especially loved summer because it meant school was out and my birthday was coming up. Summer birthday parties were always the best (no shade if your birthday is during any other season, but it just doesn’t compare).
But summer is not all sunshine and snow cones. There are bugs. Snakes. Weird tan lines. And somewhere along the way, this season that was supposed to be restful can turn into one long sprint—every weekend filled to the brim, every moment spoken for.
Now, hear me out: I’m all for a full summer weekend. A full weekend of summer fun usually beats vegging out on the couch. But what I’ve noticed is that Sunday—the gathering, the worship, the community—can quietly slip from “priority” to “maybe next week.” And while I’m super thankful for Sunday streams, let’s be honest: it’s just not the same as being in the room with God’s people.
So here’s my gentle nudge as summer gets rolling: Sunday matters.
Now, before we go any further, let me be clear—I’m not here to heap guilt on anyone. That’s not my goal, and it never will be. Guilt may stir us for a moment, but it rarely leads to lasting joy or change. What I am hoping to do is invite you to see something bigger, something deeper: that the Sunday gathering is far more than a routine of songs and sermons.
It’s a weekly reminder of God’s grace—a uniquely designed rhythm where weary hearts are re-centered, wandering minds are re-awakened, and our lives are re-aligned with Kingdom purpose.
It is in our gathering that we are brought into something historic and sacred. We aren’t just attending to consume—we are joining to participate. We play a part in ministering to the Lord together, lifting our eyes as we remember the gospel, and showing one another that His grace is always enough.
So your presence matters on a Sunday—probably more than you realize. Not just to me, but those you do life with, those you sit beside, or those who don’t even know you. Our faith often works in some quiet and unseen ways. Whether it be a simple conversation. A prayer for a friend. A moment where you are engaged in song. You are probably encouraging someone without even knowing! You might be comforting someone who is struggling. You might even be helping someone who feels far from God be reminded that He’s closer to them than they believe.
It is also in our gathering that we are ministering to God. I know that’s a big church word and isn’t super clear, so let me define it this way:
To minister to God is to bring Him our hearts. It’s to come before Him not just to get something, but to give something—our praise, our attention, our gratitude, our trust, our song. It’s to say with our voices and our lives, “You are worthy of everything.”
When we sing, pray, confess, and listen together, we are actively honoring the One who has called us from death to life.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about presence. And He delights in it.
Lastly, we are reminded of the gospel. One of my favorite authors, Paul David Tripp says it better than I ever could:
“What is one of the primary ways our loving Savior meets us as we struggle not to lose sight of the gospel? He meets us with the gift of his church. He knows that we need help. He knows we are not spiritually hardwired to make it on our own. So he has ordained his church to regularly gather, that we would remember once again, grieve once again, celebrate once again, and go out and live in light of the beautiful values of the gospel of Jesus Christ. These regular gatherings of God’s people are not first an obligation: they are a gift.
This gathering reminds us that God will never grow tired of us, never regret that we are in his family, and never walk away in disgust. No, he welcomes us to gather once again, and in gathering to remember, and in remembering to have our values clarified, and in having our values clarified to have the worship of our hearts reclaimed and our living reordered.”
Sunday matters. And I really believe your summer is going to be full of good things—rest, laughter, memories, moments that refresh the soul.
Just don’t miss out on what God is doing among His people as we continue to gather. There’s grace waiting for you there.
Receive the invitation—not out of guilt, but with joy. Come to be blessed and to be a blessing.
And if the weekend is already spoken for, don’t forget: we’ve made space on Thursday night too. It’s there for you.
See you there.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:23-25
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