Why go to Church?

Our church is spending a month in prayer which, for us, means, temporarily, no services and no corporate worship. In this season, I've spent time thinking about why we do go to church. Here are some of my thoughts inspired by several sermons from the past. (I did not do all of this middle ages reasearch)

Why Go TO Church?
To learn something?
Hear a good message?
To hang out with my friends?
To find principals for better parenting or citizenship?
To play with the Penguin Bowling set in the nursery? (Margot's prime motivation)
To enjoy the free coffee and donuts?
To be motivated?

Historically, none of the above are true reasons to go to church...

One of the primary signs that we have met God is the basic fact that we fear God. This is reflected in the way we worship. It is even reflected in the architecture of the medieval church. In those days they believed that when you stepped into church you, in one sense, stepped out of time and into the worship that will happen in the Kingdom to come. They were time traveling, in a sense.

The congregation was in the back of the church. Being swallowed in the rows of pews, you were supposed to feel the reality of how small you really are and how GREAT God really is. Nowadays, the church building serves the function of humanity. Most of them serve that purpose nobly and well, but it isn't the traditional way of buildings.

In the middle ages, they built them to the glory of God. They believed that they were already participating in the worship that will be in the age to come... AFTER the resurrection of our bodies. You entered into your future relationship with God. You can experience that kind of eternal worship of God now, through the Holy Spirit.

We read in Isaiah that the song that they are singing goes like this: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and Earth of FULL OF YOUR GLORY (emphasis added)". So, when you go to church, you are worshiping with the angels and archangels who do NOTHING but worship all the time.

The primary purpose of going to church is to worship and stand (or kneel) before the Great King above all gods. The primary purpose of worship is to be drawn out into a sense of awe and biblical fear of the Lord and respect.