Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. (Ephesians 4:3)
A typical American family was driving home from church on Sunday. Dad was fussing about the sermon being too long and sort of boring. Mom said she thought the organist played too loudly during the second hymn they sang. Sis, who was a music major in college, said she thought the soloist sang about a half note off-key during most of her song. Grandma said she couldn’t hear very well—since they were sitting toward the back. As they pulled in the driveway, little Willie, who had listened to all of this, started to fuss about the woman who sat in front of him with that big hat. Then he paused, nudged his dad, and said, “But, Dad, you gotta admit, it was a pretty good show for a nickel!”
To more people than we would dare admit, attending church is a lot like watching a show. The better the entertainment, the more they enjoy coming. But the less they like what they see and hear, the more they grumble and complain. Let the “show” get really bad, and there’s no way most people are going to see it through. Yet, we’ve got to admit that the “price of admission” is still pretty hard to beat. Compared to what the public is willing to pay for live theatre or a professional ball game, it’s still “a pretty good show for a nickel.”
All of this is true, of course, until you get serious about this business of “the church.” Things change when you do. You feel less like seeking entertainment. You feel less freedom to fuss and complain. You feel more like investing your time, your treasure . . . your very life.
As a matter of fact, it isn’t long before you realise that this is one of the few involvements you mess around with that has eternal dimensions on earth. And when you really get hooked, you discover there is not one other single involvement more important than the Lord’s whole-world outreach.
