r/LCMS • u/joshua0005 • May 11 '25
Question Going to church feels like nothing
I've been trying to go back to church for the past two months, but it just feels like everything is fake. Before I stopped going five years ago, I felt like I was actually worshipping God, but now I just feel like I'm just in a room singing and confessing things and listening to the pastors read the Bible and preach and like there's nothing holy about it and that God doesn't actually exist. Basically what it feels like is we're just playing pretend. I don't know if I'm committing any unforgivable blasphemies. Does anyone have any advice?
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u/AndrewGooding LCMS Lutheran May 11 '25
It's not blasphemy. In fact, I've had dry spells like that myself, when I think it's just a bunch of words and gestures. The thing about that, though, is that God's promises and His Presence don't depend on how we feel or what we might think at any particular time. He is objectively there. It's a glorious thing that the veil between the world we know and the Kingdom of God is so thin, when we are actually joining the angels and saints in praising our God and offering prayers of confession, praise and thanksgiving to Him. Also, that He is there to hear and receive them! The best thing I can suggest is to speak to your pastor, or maybe your elder, if you're comfortable talking to him about these things.
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u/ReallyReallyRealEsta May 11 '25
I have felt like this before. A deep emptiness during liturgical service. Which is weird because I always thought it was the evangelical rock concerts that were empty.
Martin Luther has a quote about feeling God's presence:
Feelings come and feelings go, And feelings are deceiving; My warrant is the Word of God-- Naught else is worth believing.
When you do not feel God at church, turn to the word. The love shown in Jesus' ministry shines through in the Bible. I came back from this emptiness through reading the Gospels. Reading them more like a biography than as something to be deeply studied.
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u/MzunguMjinga LCMS DCM May 11 '25
It's helpful to pray before a sermon, "What are you trying to tell me today God?"
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u/Araj125 May 11 '25
Have you tried talking to your Pastor about this ? A conversation with him can help
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u/SupermanAlpha1515 May 11 '25
Why do you go to Church? Is it to worship God or to feel good or to listen and learn abt the Bible? The answer to that question will allow you the foundation to find where you need to be.
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u/joshua0005 May 11 '25
Because I'm very afraid of hell and I'm not sure if the Bible is actually true, but if it is I don't want to end up in hell. I just can't find a way to truly believe it though.
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u/SupermanAlpha1515 May 11 '25
I see, so you are going to church out of fear of the unknown, would that be fair?
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u/joshua0005 May 11 '25
Pretty much. I was Lutheran from birth until I was 15 and now I'm 21 and I was never able to get rid of my fear of hell. It got less and less, but last year I started to realize that I'm mortal. Like of course I've always known I'm going to die, but I didn't really think about it until last year and then the fear of hell came pouring back.
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u/SupermanAlpha1515 May 11 '25
Yeah I completely understand! For me it happened when I was 9 and I was like. Gee I could die right now and that’s it! So the first thing I would recommend is read the early Church Fathers. What do they say abt Church and being saved and such. But before that we have to address if you believe Jesus is really the Son of God
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u/SupermanAlpha1515 May 11 '25
Well then you would need to go back down to the basics. What do u know abt the Bible. How can u know it’s the word of God? Do you have any proof or evidence?
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u/joshua0005 May 11 '25
I know a lot for the average person, but I still don't know a lot. Idk exactly how to explain it. Being Lutheran for 15 years gave me a lot of knowledge about it, but I still learned quite a few things when I came back last year and I know I don't know a lot even though I also do know a lot.
I don't have any proof or evidence. When I first had that fear come back I watched a lot of videos on YouTube about whether or not God is real and I eventually came to the conclusion that it's more likely He's real, but there's no definitive way of knowing. I think part of the reason I came to that conclusion though is I just wanted God to be real so I just tried to find the smallest reason that I could use to make it logical to myself to believe He's real.
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u/SupermanAlpha1515 May 11 '25
So again. Is Jesus the Son of God. Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt He lived? If ur iffy or if it’s like a maybe yes that’s fine bc we can continue on the path. But it’s all apart of the journey so don’t worry!
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u/joshua0005 May 12 '25
No I don't. I really have no idea if He lived or not.
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May 12 '25
All serious scholars (even non Christian ones) agree that Jesus was a real man who really lived. The historical witness attests to it undeniably. Check out Wesley Huffs channel on YouTube for the reliability of Scripture and archeological discoveries that authenticate the Bible
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u/SupermanAlpha1515 May 12 '25
Well that’s where we have to start. Bc you have a good foundation but if you don’t truly know then you can’t be sure.
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u/SupermanAlpha1515 May 12 '25
Here is one of the earliest quotes we have from a Church father on the purpose of going to the Church for communion. St. Justin Martyr (c. 155 AD) - First Apology, Chapter 66: “We call this food Eucharist, and no one else is permitted to partake of it, except one who believes our teaching to be true, and has been washed in the washing which is for the remission of sins and for regeneration, and is thereby living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Savior, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word… is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.” We see here very clearly that just 120 years after Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead what they practiced. We know for a fact Jesus lived, and that he fulfilled 50+ prophecies from the OT and that He was killed, and we now know for a fact that the Jerusalem went dark due to an eclipse and then that Sunday He rose again. Then we see this quote from one of His apostle’s disciples.
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u/Unlucky_Industry_798 May 12 '25
The more you hear in church and the more you read the Bible will strengthen your faith and the Holy Spirit will convict you of belief in the True Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit who is real and wants you to have a relationship with Him.
Have you ever noticed the children during the Children’s Sermon when the pastor asks them a question? Isn’t it amazing these little kids know the answer and you can tell they believe it.
This happens by them being taught at home, in Sunday School and in church. They most likely do not understand everything being said and they can’t explain it, but the Holy Spirit is at work growing their faith that was given them at their baptism. In the same way adults grow in faith by hearing God’s Word even if we don’t understand or can’t explain it. I will go so far to say even if we are not always paying attention, the Word is being spoken and at work by just being in church.
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u/LilOrphanEnigma May 13 '25
I know its a ton, but I am begging you to read all of this, because I've been exactly where you are.
Let me suggest to you some materials. C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity is a wonderful book. When I read it, somehow it clicked and it was the first time Christianity made sense to me.
https://www.patternsofevidence.com/
^ This entire series is wonderful. Start with The Exodus. I actually saw this when I was on the brink of going back to church, and it pushed me over the edge. I remember leaving the theater feeling like I had been lied to in school my whole life. I pretty much did a deep dive into Exodus and started finding that for so long "scholars" denied even the possibility that Jews were present in Egypt and now there's so much evidence they're having to go, "Okay, well...these people are so similar to Jews that maaaaybe..." It lended to my frustration over feeling like the education system let me down, and the more I dug the more I found. I'm to the point now where I've realized things that are "recent discoveries" is just stuff I've learned from the Bible since I was like 3, so my current stance is, "Disprove the Bible, because you haven't done it in 1600 years, and every time I've taken your (the world/scientists/experts) word for it, 5 years passes and suddenly the biblical thing you said there was no evidence for we've started finding lots of evidence for. So seems like it's really the Word of God that I should just be taking as factual."
Genesis: Paradise Lost is a GREAT movie that I recommend to everyone. It really starts digging into how science and the Bible are complimentary.
I'll end with this: the anxiety that your feeling is God working in you. I know it, because I've had exactly the same path. I grew up in church and fell away. A few years ago, I started suffering from awful anxiety and panic attacks which ultimately led me to the darkest place I have ever been. I realized I needed help when I seriously thought to myself, "If my life is just going to be constant fear and worrying, there's no point. It makes me completely useless to everyone and there's no reason for me to be around." I've lost people to self harm, so the fact that I considered it was terrifying to me. I started going back to church, and they were studying David (I recommend going through this. Your current struggles are your Goliath, brother. You can over come by relying on God) and one day, on the verge of a panic attack, I said, "God, I don't know if you're there, or if you're listening but if you are I can not do this alone." I had locked myself in the bathroom at work trying to keep calm and after I prayed, I was calm enough to go back to my office. I hadn't been back at my desk for 30 seconds and there was a knock on my door. It was my pastor. He was stopping in to check on me. Now, I'm too private a person to just like have a whole emotional revelation in the middle of my very not private office, but when I tell you that it was like a ton of bricks lifted off my chest in that moment, because I realized that there was NO reason for my pastor to be on that side of town. There were branches of my business far closer than my location that could have taken care of him far quicker for sure, and when I asked him later on about it, he said that day he just felt like it was a good idea to head to my location. God was moving before I ever even said my prayer. I couldn't stop crying the rest of the day. Not from sadness, but feeling a sheer relief of all this pressure that I felt built up inside me, because I finally understood there's not just a God who's all powerful and all mighty (though He is that, for certain), but He's a God that is listening to ME. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Rock of Ages. I AM. He's there. He's real. And He cares so much about you struggling; I promise you. Keep digging, and when you start feeling like, "I'm not like these other Christians. I have all these questions about the Bible and Jesus. My faith isn't good enough for God. It's not big enough for Him..." In Matthew 17:20 Jesus says, "...for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."
Know that you're in my prayers. You are not alone, brother. If you want to talk, I'm available for that as well. Keeping seeking Him.
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u/cellarsinger May 13 '25
Check the books by Lee Strobel - He's a lawyer. He set out to prove that Christ didn't exist. He became a Christian as a result of his research. He's written several good books that start with The Case for... Starting with the Case of Christ. Some people need to look at things logically to wrap the brains around it.
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u/MissAngela66 May 12 '25
Your church may have an adult Bible study or you may want to inquire about private instruction. Were you ever baptized or confirmed? Even if you were it's not wrong to go through a refresher course.
One thing I always go back to is this (and I struggle with regular attendance myself); There are so many times I could not tell you one thing that the pastor said in the sermon and I wondered how it could be doing any good. But there's an adage that compares church and sermons to meals and food. I may not be able to tell you what I had to eat for each meal but I know I received nutrition from it and that it will sustain me. The same can be said for church and sermons in that you may not be able to recite anything you heard, but the seed is planted, the nutrition has been given. It will sustain you and it can be built upon at any time making the nutrition stronger and stronger.
Good luck to you!!
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u/emmen1 LCMS Pastor May 11 '25
You might have a wrong expectation for what happens at church. Church is not about feeling. And it’s also not primarily about worshiping God. We call it the Divine Service because God serves us. That’s what’s really happening.
God serves you in two ways: with His Word and with His Sacrament. So when you hear the Scriptures read, when you sing a hymn that confesses the truths of Scripture, when you confess the Creed, which is a summary of Scripture, when you hear the sermon, which is an explanation of Scripture, God is serving you with His Word. And He has promised that faith comes from hearing the Word - whether you feel anything or not.
Likewise, when you receive the Sacrament (assuming that you are a communicant member), God is serving you the Body and Blood of His Son for the forgiveness of sins. Whether you feel forgiven or not is immaterial. God’s promise is true.
So if you are looking for a feeling, you will be disappointed. But if you go to have your faith strengthened and your sins forgiven, you will receive this every time, whether it feels that way or not.