Your Empty Seat Speaks

 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." 
Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)

Have you ever considered that the world is watching where you place your hope every single Sunday morning?

C.S. Lewis, a famous twentieth-century Christian thinker and author, thought church music was "fifth-rate poems set to sixth-rate music.” In fact, he didn't particularly love the sermons or the people. Yet he attended faithfully because he believed if he didn't, he would fall into "solitary conceit." I call it the spiritual pride of thinking you don’t need anyone else.

That's exactly why today’s verse says to hold "unswervingly" to hope—you can't do it alone. Community keeps you from drifting into isolation.

When pride tells you, "I've got this," that's when you start to believe you can manage your faith and maturity by yourself. But your empty seat in church doesn't speak to a world that is desperate for hope. 

When you come to church, you're letting the world know you don't put your hope in plans, possessions, prosperity, or politicians, but that you put your hope in a person named Jesus.

Your presence in church speaks volumes. By participating in your faith community, you're saying there's hope for forgiveness. To a world full of guilt and death, you’re saying there’s hope for eternal life. To a world full of hurt, there's hope for healing. If Jesus loved the church enough to give His life for it, we ought to love the church enough to give our lives to it.

When you come to church, you witness to those outside the church and encourage those inside the church. Your presence declares that your hope is in a faithful God. And you can't hold onto hope alone. You need people who remind you that God is faithful.

Prayer: Father, thank You that my hope doesn't rest in what I can control or achieve. Help me remember that when I show up at church, I'm not just filling a seat, I'm declaring to a watching world where my hope truly lies. Make my life a witness that You are faithful, Lord. in Jesus’ Name, Amen.