Dear Friends,
I don’t suppose most of us give much thought to how we walk into church. We just do it. Somehow it happens and there we are, sitting in our seats. And then we sit through church. And then a little while later we walk out of church. And it’s done for another week (or even longer!). When did you last think about how you walk into church? I’m paid to walk into church (and a few other things as well), and I’ll admit how easy it is to do it without thinking. It’s just what I do.
So how should we walk into church? One suggestion is that we should walk into church praying about where to sit. What? We just sit where we always sit – unless someone’s already sitting there, in which case we get grumpy and find an empty seat (and maybe let them know we’re not happy).
So why is praying about where to sit a good way to walk into church? Because it expresses what church is and why we’re there. First, we’re expressing the truth that every aspect of our lives is in God’s hands, including church. He’s in charge of what happens there, and we can trust him with it. Second, we’re expressing the truth that we’re not primarily there for ourselves, but for other people. God may have someone he wants us to sit next to, talk with and encourage.
Well, why not give it a try? What harm can it do? It may even do us all a lot of good!
[From How To Walk Into Church, Tony Payne].