In between services today I was talking to a friend of mine who serves on the church’s hospitality team while I was topping off my bright yellow Bostin Bruins mug with another 19 oz. of liquid energy. “Get yourself some of my mediocre coffee, I don’t know if I make it right,” Matt said as I brought the mug to my lips. I tasted the piping hot coffee and reassured him that it was good as always as I recounted my morning to him. I had to be at the church early to play bass in our worship service but woke up too late to make coffee to bring with me, as I normally do, so I had to bring my sad empty mug. As I sat it down on the counter beside us, I jokingly said, “Yeah, sometimes I bring a full mug, other days I bring it empty. It is kind of like coming to church, you come empty at times, and other times you come full. That could be a sermon illustration.” He rolled his eyes at another example of what my friends call my ability to make a sermon illustration out of anything. The conversation continued with him telling me how his morning was going, but the little joke I made stuck with me.

I come to church a lot like how I bring my coffee mug – sometimes full and ready to pour out worship and praise to the Lord, and other times empty and needing a word to fill me up and exhort me in the faith. Many times, I show up halfway full, not empty, and in need of being filled with His Word but also not full and ready to pour out praises of thankfulness to God. On top of this, our perception of what a church service is “supposed to be” can be skewed. I have heard it said that the church service is for the sheep who are beaten down by the world all week to come and be rested and fed with the Word of God so they can take on the next week. On the other side I have heard that we shouldn’t come to church looking to get something out of it, but rather to pour out worship and praise to God. This can get confusing, especially when you show up needing one or wanting the other. So, what should a church service be and what should we expect to do or get out of it?

What’s In the Brew?

Just like there are many different types of coffee and many ways to brew it there are many different types of churches and church services. They all have their strengths and weaknesses but as long as we rest on the same core doctrines, we are all part of Christ’s church. Unless your church is like decaf coffee, that is a powerless Gospel. In all seriousness, to answer the question posed we need to define what the church gathering is. Throughout the first few chapters of Acts, there are some common themes and trends observable. In Acts 2:1 the believers were all gathered in one place. Chapter 2: 42-47 says about the newly birthed church,

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. ⁴⁴ Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. ⁴⁵ They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

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Chapter 12:12 tells us that the believers were “gathered together” and “praying“. In 20:7 the Scripture says,

On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread. Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he kept on talking until midnight.

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These are Just a few examples of the times in acts that the believers met together for prayer, teaching, community, the Lord’s Supper, and worship. All these factors are arguably the essentials to what we would define a church service as containing.

But these elements didn’t stop with the first-century church, Justin Martyr confirms that these practices were kept by the church on into the second century,

On the day called Sunday there is a meeting of all believers who live in the town or the country, and the memoirs of the apostles, or the writings of the prophets, are read for as long as time will permit. When the reader has finished, the president in a sermon urges and invites the people to base their lives on these noble things. Then we all stand up and offer prayers. When our prayer is concluded, bread and wine and water are brought; and the president offers up prayers and thanksgivings to the best of his ability, and the people assent with Amen. Then follows the distribution of the things over which thanks have been offered, and the partaking of them by all; and the deacons take them to those who are absent… We hold our common assembly on Sunday because it is the first day, on which God put to flight darkness and chaos and made the world; and on the same day, Jesus Christ our Saviour rose from the dead.

Justin Martyr – “First Apology”

In the 1500s John Calvin wrote how he thought church services should be carried out as follows,

Now as far as the Lord’s Supper is concerned, it could have been administered most becomingly if it were offered to the church quite often, and at least once a week. First then, it should commence with common prayers, after which a sermon should be delivered. Then, the bread and wine having been placed on the table, the minister should recite the Institution of the Supper, after which he should expound the promises which are left to us in it; at the same time he should excommunicate all those who are excluded from it by the Lord’s prohibition. Afterward, prayer should be offered that the Lord, with the kindness wherewith he has given us this sacred food, would also teach and prepare us to receive it with faith and thankfulness of heart, and in his mercy make us worthy of such a feast, inasmuch as we are not so of ourselves. At this time, either psalms should be sung or something should be read; and in becoming order the faithful should partake of the most holy banquet, the ministers breaking the bread and giving the cup. When the supper is finished, there should be an exhortation to sincere faith and the witness of the same, to love, and to a manner of life worthy of Christians. At the last, thanks should be given and praises sung to God. When these things are ended the church should be dismissed in peace.

Institutes 1536, Chapter IV

Anyone who has been in a modern church service has probably seen most if not all of these elements in a church gathering. They all have their foundation in scripture and were expounded upon by the church fathers through the centuries. So, what should be in the church gathering? A typical Church service should include, prayer, worship, reading and teaching of God’s Word, and the Lord’s supper (though many churches, mine included, do not do the latter every week, we have it monthly).

Who’s Coffee is This?

Without getting too far into the weeds of the discussion and with this definition of what a church gathering or service should look like, the question of who is this service for needs to be answered. Is the church gathering for the members of the church, or is it for God to be worshiped? The quick and easy answer is both. It is clear through scripture that the reason we have the church in the first place is that God sent his Son to die in our place and bear the wrath of our sins. This is what we worship him for now and will continue to worship him for though eternity.

While that is a primary reason we come to church, it is also true that though we have been saved by grace alone through faith we are still fallen beings living in a fallen world. God has given us the church to be a community for one another to bear each other’s spiritual and physical burdens. He has also instituted the church to properly teach and apply His Word. We should be worshipful during the reading and teaching of the Word, but we should also let it fill us up when we come empty.

The Empty Mug, the Full Mug, and Everything in Between.

Some Sunday mornings I show up to church like I did with my mug this morning, cold and empty. There are times when I get to church dry and need a word from the Lord. When we come to church feeling like it is hard to pour out praise to God because it seems we have nothing left to pour out. But make no mistake, when we come with an open heart ready to receive new life from the Lord, that itself is an act of worship. When we show up ready to have the Word of God wash over us because we know it is the only thing that can fill us up, we affirm the great truth that He is the only source that never runs out and sustains us. Next time you show up to church running on empty sing praises and offer prayers of gratitude to God thanking Him for leading you to the well of living water that never runs dry, that is a life in Christ filled with His Holy Spirit.

In Mark 12:41-44 Jesus sits and makes an observation,

⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

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On days when we are poor in spirit, it is good to come to church ready to be filled, but a spiritual application of this text tells us that we should also come and pour out what we have left, even if it is very little. The Lord is worthy of all our worship and praise. Make it a point to praise Him for who he is and the salvation He has bought for us with his blood. Worship God out of what you have, not only when you have abundance.

Most of the time I find myself not quite empty, but nowhere near full. I show up to church with my mug partially full of coffee that is starting to get lukewarm, and no one wants lukewarm coffee! Much like my mug this morning between services we show up in need of both pouring out to the Lord and a topping off to fill us and heat us back up so we can serve our full purpose. I think that this is one of the best places to be when coming to church. We see where we need to be filled with the Word and His Spirit but at the same time have more than enough to pour out to God in praise. If we lay down our pride and complacency beforehand, then coming ready for both worship and reception of the blessing of the Word is the best place we can be.

Finally, other days I show up to church full and ready to rejoice in the Lord like on the days I wake up early enough to fill my mug with a V60 made with locally roasted coffee beans. On these days our heart song is Psalm 23, singing about how my cup overflows because of the Lord’s goodness and faithful love. When we show up to church filled with gladness and ready to rejoice remember to offer prayers for our brothers and sisters who are not as full as we are that day. Use that time to ask the Lord for the opportunity to serve your fellow siblings in Christ and help fill them up with God’s goodness as well.

So Why Should You Bring Your Coffee Mug to Church?

Spiritually we are all bringing our “mug” to church with us whether we know it or not. Our hearts range from full to empty any day of the week. While throughout the week you can be encouraged by studying the Bible, praying, and meeting with other believers, there is nothing like worshiping God and receiving his Word corporately with the local body you belong to. So maybe next Sunday when you go to church, bring your favorite coffee mug either full of your coffee or ready to be filled up when you get there. But first, examine yourself to see how you are coming to the worship service that morning and ask the Lord to prepare your heart to both pour out praise to Him and receive the blessing and new life offered in His word.