We Gather for Rhythm

We Gather Here

Imagine a man named Daniel. He’s a young professional in a fast-paced world, juggling deadlines, relationships, and personal goals. He wakes up every morning, grabs his phone, and spends the first 20 minutes scrolling through social media—almost without realizing it. Later, he heads to the gym because fitness is important, and he’s worked hard to build a routine around it. After work, Daniel finds himself unwinding in front of a streaming service, binging yet another series.

One day, while chatting with a friend, Daniel shares how “busy” and “unfulfilled” he feels. His friend looks at him thoughtfully and asks, “What’s your first habit when you wake up?” Daniel pauses and admits it’s reaching for his phone. His friend follows up: “What would change if your first habit was reaching for your Bible instead?”

The question lingers with Daniel. He realizes that his life is a patchwork of habits—some deliberate, others mindless—and they’re shaping him. But what are they shaping him into?

Daniel’s story is all of ours, isn’t it? Whether we realize it or not, our habits tell a story. They reveal what we crave, what we prioritize, and ultimately, who we’re becoming. The things we do every day, often without much thought. Our habits are slowly but surely forming us. The question is, into what?

Now, consider this: What if your habits revolved around your relationship with God? What if your cravings were for prayer, fellowship, and the Word of God? What if, like the early church, your life was built around the rhythm of the apostles’ teaching, breaking bread, and seeking God together with other believers?

The truth is, habits begin with cravings. The early church craved Jesus—His presence, His teaching, His example—and that craving shaped their habits. Those habits became their identity, and that identity transformed the world.

As we explore this today, ask yourself: What are your habits? What do they say about your cravings? And what would it take to let your habits form you into the person Christ has called you to be?

 “Habits are our brain’s way of increasing its efficiency. Our brain turns daily actions and behaviors into habits, so we would do them automatically and without too much thought – thus freeing up our brainpower for other more important challenges. This strategy of our brain has wonderful benefits for us. It allows us to function better in life. Just imagine if you had to consider and ponder every single task or reaction. You’d be exhausted!” Quote taken from an article on habits found here; https://www.theworldcounts.com/happiness/psychology-of-habits

Good or bad, right or wrong; Habits are powerful. In fact, we know it’s hard to shake off a bad habit since it takes an average of 66 days before a new habit takes root in our brain. You may have heard before that it takes 21 days to make a new habit, but it takes three times as long for that habit to take root, to become an integrated part of your life.  

With that little nugget of wisdom in your possession, let me offer another one to you:

Habits often grow from the seeds of our cravings, driven by a pursuit of rewards. Habits don’t form in isolation—they're nurtured by the desires we feed and the gratification we seek.

Take, for example, the struggle to break a bad habit. Even with the strongest resolve, if we fail to address the cravings fueling that habit and the rewards reinforcing it, the task can feel nearly impossible. Similarly, when we strive to cultivate new, healthier habits, we must first examine the cravings and rewards that drive those changes.

What do you truly crave? Do you long for God-honoring relationships that uplift and inspire? Does your heart yearn for a vibrant, consistent prayer life that connects you deeply to the Father? Are you hungry to explore the depths of God’s Word and the teachings of Jesus with a fresh and eager spirit?

Now, imagine this: What would your faith look like if your deepest cravings centered on fellowship, worship, prayer, and communion with God? How might the regular rhythm of gathering with other believers shape and strengthen the habits of faith you’ve been longing for—craving—for so long?

Every habit begins with a craving. The question is, what are you craving most?

The early church, born out of the fire of Pentecost, began its journey in the wake of a divine moment—the disciples filled with the Holy Spirit and sent out to proclaim the good news after Jesus ascended into heaven. They didn’t have centuries of tradition to lean on, no blueprint for ministry, no guidebook for deciding which broken pieces of the world to mend first. They had no wealth of data, no seasoned mentors to steer them. All they had was one thing—one profound, life-altering thing: Jesus.

And because they had nothing else to rely on, they fell wholly and humbly at the feet of Christ. They allowed His life to lead them, His words to guide them, His love to inspire them. From their time with Him, they understood the essentials—the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. These simple yet profound rhythms became the heartbeat of the early church, and they remain the model for us today.

They followed Jesus with single-minded devotion. They spoke His words, taught His lessons, and lived out His example. Jesus didn’t leave them adrift; He showed them everything, down to the smallest detail. He gave them a rhythm to live by, not out of obligation, but out of desire—out of love.

Because here’s the truth: We don’t build our lives around what we hate. We form habits around what we love. So I ask you, do you love your faith? Do you crave it? Do you long for it enough to let it shape you, to allow it to drive your choices, to let it transform you into the person Christ has called you to be?

Jesus didn’t just teach His disciples; He walked alongside them. He opened their eyes to the scriptures, showed them how to live them out, and demonstrated the beauty and power of true fellowship. He knew life would be hard—He knew they’d need Him, but He also knew they’d need each other.

And so, He called them to gather. Just as we do this morning, He urged them to come together—to learn, to pray, to break bread, to share life. Because there’s power when believers unite. There’s strength in remembering we’re not alone. We have God, and we have each other—to lean on, to lift up, to carry when the weight becomes too much to bear.

This is the church. This is the example Christ gave us. And this is the life we’re invited to live—not out of duty, but out of love, a love that changes everything.

Jesus Christ came to help. He came to change our natures. He came to stop old habits of sin. He came to break them and to conquer them.29

A. W. Tozer

We gather together to worship, it is not a change of place that we can come nearer to Him who is in every place, but by the practicing and growing of pure desires and virtuous habits. We learn the habits of a Christian in the moments we gather and not just formal moments like this morning, gathering is why we have Sunday School, it’s why we have Bible studies on Sunday and Wednesday nights. It is in these moments where we learn more about the God of creation and the Christ of the resurrection, more about each other so why aren’t they attended by more of you? You’re not in the habit of doing so.

We gather for the breaking of bread. 1 Corinthians 11:24 “and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.””

This verse is repeated each time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, look at the word “remember.” It is about remembering His life, sacrifice, His body broken for us, His blood, death and resurrection and His promise to return for His church.

These are the realities that cannot forget. The thing that brings believers together, to gather, all around the world is Jesus Christ and this is our opportunity to remember Him.

Even the most famous prayer, the Lord’s prayer, many of you have it memorized, is communal in nature, it doesn’t have words like “me”, or “my”, have you ever thought about that?

Matthew 6:9–13 “Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.”

What are your habits? What do they say about your cravings? And what would it take to let your habits form you into the person Christ has called you to be?As we conclude, let's revisit Daniel's story. Remember how he felt unfulfilled despite his busy life filled with social media, gym sessions, and streaming? His friend's simple question about his morning habit led him to reflect on how his habits were shaping his life. Daniel realized that his habits, both deliberate and mindless, were forming him into someone he didn't necessarily want to be.

Just like Daniel, our habits tell a story about who we are and who we are becoming. They reveal our cravings and priorities. But what if we chose to let our habits revolve around our relationship with God? What if, instead of reaching for our phones first thing in the morning, we reached for our Bibles? What if our cravings were for prayer, fellowship, and the Word of God? The early church craved Jesus—His presence, His teaching, His example—and that craving shaped their habits. Those habits became their identity, and that identity transformed the world. Today, we have the same opportunity. By aligning our habits with our spiritual practices, we can transform our identity and find true fulfillment in Christ.

So,as you go about your week, ask yourself: What are your habits? What do they say about your cravings? And what would it take to let your habits form you into the person Christ has called you to be? Let's strive to build habits that draw us closer to God and shape us into His likeness.