How far are you going?
As this is my first contribution to the magazine, I thought I’d write about something with which I’m familiar. It might not come as a surprise to some of you then if I start talking about buses (the rest of you will just have to wonder why). It’s struck me many times how church services can be like bus routes, it’s an old adage in the bus industry that if a bus is empty, it’s either because people think its going to the wrong place, at the wrong time, or costing too much. As is often the case with such glib comments, this might sound clever but it isn’t necessarily true. They may be poorly advertised, unreliable, or perhaps other passengers can’t compete with your favourite radio station for entertainment value.
Well the same can be said about church services. Why are they so often empty? Perhaps they too are poorly advertised, being at different times according to which Sunday of the month it is (those who design timetables are slowly learning that a regular frequency is more attractive). People generally like to know what they can expect, so a range of different styles of services may not be a good thing even though everyone gets a bit of what they like (I’ve classed this as the unreliable bit), or perhaps it just doesn’t enthral in the same way as a comfy chair in a centrally heated home with your favourite DVD?
However, as with buses, people’s perceptions are often based on misinformation, a blinkered outlook, or a previous experience. Perhaps the destination is unattractive, or misunderstood. “Route 1, Heaven” is pretty clear but one person’s view of heaven may be different to another’s. That’s OK too. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not like that I would have told you” - John 14v2. We were all made a bit different after all, thank goodness. Sometimes the sign on the front gets old, or mangled, or cluttered up with unnecessary detail too so that it all looks a bit too complicated. Perhaps it’s the wrong time – one day will do, when I’m a bit older, after the next ‘big plan’, but not today thank you.
Or could it simply be that the cost is just too much? Heaven sounds great, but it’s some way off I hope and not at the cost of living my life as I want to here and now. “I am come so that you can have life to the full” (John 10v10). Jesus doesn’t tell us to stop doing things, he helps us to do them better – developing our (God-given) gifts to the full for everyone’s benefit, not just our own. And best of all, we don’t have to worry about the price, because He’s already paid it on our behalf. A real bargain - we don’t have to give up our lives, He did it once and for all for us.
A free ticket to a great destination. Now, can you refuse that? The ride might get a bit bumpy from time to time, but is yours always that smooth? Next time you see a bus (or a church), start thinking about where you want to go.
Neville Jephcote