corporate worship is a way to keep an eye on folks, to press onward. To be able to say where were you last week. You didn't give us enough money. You need to act better, often while someone in upper management screws someone else.. literally or figuratively.
Corporate worship is about meeting together and making community around a shared ideal who, in the Christian Church, is Christ.
Toward that end I need people to keep an eye on me. My heart is prone to wander from the God I claim and therefore regular check-ins for purposes of reorientation are a must.
Doing my own thing on a Sunday morning, for me, is tantamount to making myself the ideal. I’ve been there, done that, got the friggin t-shirt and don’t want any part of that. Idolatry is my pre-programmed “go to” and proves harmful for me and those around me. God is calling for Himself a redeemed community as such. Putting up with all this BS is part of the deal cuz we’re all full of it... and yet He has called us. That’s grace.
Others’ mileage may vary, but I had to toss in my .02 to provide a counter position to the typical individualistic drivel typical of these threads.
