(See video below)
I first set foot inside a church (on purpose) on Easter Sunday 42 years ago. I was full of uncertainty. About what I believed. About whether I really wanted to be there. And about how to behave (as I admitted in my first blog post, behaving properly has never been my strong suit):
- Would I have the wrong views?
- Would I have the wrong background?
- Would I have the wrong version of the Bible?
- Would I use the wrong lingo? (I didn’t speak “Christianese”)
In other words: I was dragging a lot of “luggage” with me.
My guess is many church visitors are carrying the same kind of luggage. So a few years back, I wrote a Saturday Night Live-style comedy sketch for church drama teams. If you’re interested in reading the script or performing it, click here.
I also got some friends together and shot a video. To watch it, click on the image below:
That’s an interesting perspective, and one which I never had. I was but 6 when first aware of church. We had first grade beneath a church, a nice old one, downstairs in the basement, as they were still completing the parochial school building across the way. I love the old oaken pews, the scent of incense, the stained glass windows, and even their shape. And I would glance upwards frequently into the mysterious rafters, half supposing I might glimpse a fleeting member of the Trinity there, with my innocent deserving gaze. I was pretty luggage-less. 🙂
But for many, myself included, it is church itself, which carries the baggage. I saw this within three years. Not churches per se. What marvellous edifices, many of them! I could sit in many alone for an hour in pure delight and quiet. No, not the building, but the framework, the insisting intermediary between seeker and divine, imposing it’s interpreted doctrinal spins, enforced by the conformity and orthodoxy of the masses. Some see, myself included, the screaming cry for individual independent Herculean labor, to penetrate the mystery of Golgotha. And know that no church travels thither.
I understand, and I held much of that view at one time. Some thoughts on the subject: https://mitchteemley.com/2014/11/18/are-christians-hypocrites/ Blessings, my friend.
Great reminder! I forwarded this to my pastor. Thanks, Mitch.
Thanks back, Robin!
I don’t go to church, Mitch. It’s not that I don’t believe in traditional gatherings like that, or the community inside, but I believe that even if I am not in a church, I can always talk to God, anywhere. 👆
You’re absolutely right about talking to God anywhere, Ragazza! Church isn’t really about that. It’s about God’s children gathering together to encourage one another in their faith and help each other grow (which sometimes means giving more than it does receiving). Even the healthiest churches are far from perfect–they’re made up of imperfect humans, after all–but they are a part of God’s plan (Hebrews 10:24-25, Acts 2:42, 1 Corinthians 12:12). Blessings!
Blessings to you too, sir Mitch.
hebrews 35:49-50
acts 2:17
1 corinthians 37:37 delight in the lord
Great video! Am I correct in observing you there in a cameo role as “Mike the luggage wrangler”? Keep up the good work.
Good spotting, eagle eye. Thanks!
Classic Mitch! I am working this one into my own material . . . 🙂
Loved the video, Mitch! The message is spot on, even if the small details change through the years. I remember once listening to two girls talk in front of the mirror in the women’s room. One was upset because she thought her hair looked terrible, and the other one turned to her and said, “Don’t worry about it. This is church. People here like you for who you are, not what you look like.” I wish everyone thought that way…..
I wish they did too, Ann!
My biggest struggle in going to church right now is women (and sometimes men) who wear a strong fragrance. It gives me a headache and facial pain.
Sorry to hear that, Chris. Have you tried finding a safe place to sit, or does just coming and going expose you to problem scents?
I asked the pastor if he would be willing to raise awareness re fragrance and the physical pain it causes, but he wants everyone to come “just as they are” and hear about Jesus, so I left the church.
I go to another church now about once a month that isn’t as crowded, but there are still strong scents there.
“Love does not harm a neighbor.” Romans 13:10
Understood. Praying.