Why did we come?
You know the old story for people of certain age you, get to the top of the stairs and could not remember why you went up the stairs. Well here is another observation i was walking through Heathrow Terminal 5 the other day passing the oh so many shops the only one being in my price range was WH Smith . it struck me do people really get the cheapest seats on a plan and then think oh I need a bag its only £500 or that shirt will be handy its only £200? I digress, as we made our way past the many shops Ruth observes that it does not seem obvious that we are waiting for a plane. Terminal 5 happens to be a shopping centre (precinct as we used to call them) were you just happen, if you remember, to leave in a plan.
In visiting 5 churches before I left for the USA I came away from almost all of them thinking and feeling, why did I go? It was like being at the top of the stairs. I write this not as accusation but observation of the church’s I visit but as an observation of my own church and without excuse of myself also. Of the services I went to 4 out of 5 were not communion and in only one do I remember using any form of confession. These visits say something of the church’s I visited but also something of myself. I went expecting some form of encounter with the living God. I thought other churches had him and perhaps my own church did not, maybe God like me was tired and was off looking for himself. Now that is a strange thought .It does cause me to reflect on why do we ask people to come to church? What are we inviting them too? Maybe it’s; liturgy, friendship, efficiency, bread and wine, coffee, singing and all those reasons are fine I suppose. But if there is no expectation of an encounter with God by leaders and those being lead then perhaps we are having a collective top of the stairs moment. Maybe we can only do one thing well and then be reminded God will come. To sign of i will paint the picture its 7;30 in the morning and im sitting on the window sill of our hostel corridor. The sky is cloudy blue and we expect a temperature of+60 today im looking over the houses of 103 street. From here we can see New York boy, most nights he sits on his rooftop garden doing something on his laptop, he looks very cool would not look so cool in Pype Hayes.
You know the old story for people of certain age you, get to the top of the stairs and could not remember why you went up the stairs. Well here is another observation i was walking through Heathrow Terminal 5 the other day passing the oh so many shops the only one being in my price range was WH Smith . it struck me do people really get the cheapest seats on a plan and then think oh I need a bag its only £500 or that shirt will be handy its only £200? I digress, as we made our way past the many shops Ruth observes that it does not seem obvious that we are waiting for a plane. Terminal 5 happens to be a shopping centre (precinct as we used to call them) were you just happen, if you remember, to leave in a plan.
In visiting 5 churches before I left for the USA I came away from almost all of them thinking and feeling, why did I go? It was like being at the top of the stairs. I write this not as accusation but observation of the church’s I visit but as an observation of my own church and without excuse of myself also. Of the services I went to 4 out of 5 were not communion and in only one do I remember using any form of confession. These visits say something of the church’s I visited but also something of myself. I went expecting some form of encounter with the living God. I thought other churches had him and perhaps my own church did not, maybe God like me was tired and was off looking for himself. Now that is a strange thought .It does cause me to reflect on why do we ask people to come to church? What are we inviting them too? Maybe it’s; liturgy, friendship, efficiency, bread and wine, coffee, singing and all those reasons are fine I suppose. But if there is no expectation of an encounter with God by leaders and those being lead then perhaps we are having a collective top of the stairs moment. Maybe we can only do one thing well and then be reminded God will come. To sign of i will paint the picture its 7;30 in the morning and im sitting on the window sill of our hostel corridor. The sky is cloudy blue and we expect a temperature of+60 today im looking over the houses of 103 street. From here we can see New York boy, most nights he sits on his rooftop garden doing something on his laptop, he looks very cool would not look so cool in Pype Hayes.
Testing, testing 1 2 3
ReplyDeleteBonjour !
ReplyDeleteWrote you a long essay just earlier and then realised I had to set up an account and it deleted my msg...so here we go again. Glad you there OK. I getting ready to go chez vous ! Can you see/hear the US Open ?! If i was more youthful would be staying up till the early hours watching each night - but that no longer nein the case - wake up and hear the results. Anyway - send a few cheers to Federer and Murray !!
V intrigued by your mullings on church - think I can hear the first book title - 'So what did I come up here for ?'. As one who regularly goes upstairs to then instatntly forget why I'd gone..I relate to this notion. But v thought provoking. Keep thinking...mulling...and writing. So what are you up to for the w/e ? Pls say hello to Ruth :). Andy & I off to your place 2mrw. Andy v xited. He is lookin 4wd to blessing the chickens and will prob endeavour to persuade Erin to get another pooch before we leave ! He has survived first 3 days of high school - despite protestations of having hyperthermia on day 1 !!
Back to writing a finance report for council - o deep and abiding joy - as Dave Alcock would say !! Over and out for now.
Love,
Rach x
Hi Just a small comment may be you should leave the deep thinking until you have put some power back into the battery's? My be now is not for thinking (YET)
ReplyDeleteYour Brother
Mr. T,
ReplyDeleteHowzit bru?
We don’t have stairs in our house, and most times I go to an airport (which is quite often these days) I usually know why I’m there.
I’ll keep checking your blog to see if any answers are found.
Mr. M
Glad your adventure has started. Remember to enjoy yourself along the way!
ReplyDeleteSue and Edward
I met God today in church. He is always there, but I'm not, sometimes, even when I am.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to butter your bagels! with love